The 'City of Joy' through my eyes.
To a writer, Kolkata is a treasure waiting to be written about. I consider myself lucky to have been able to explore Kolkata. The city is rightly dubbed the ‘cultural capital’ of India as its cultural richness is off the charts. Never before had I seen a city so rooted in its culture and still be able to pull off the modern scene with such ease. As an organized traveller, I had made my itinerary, but on the trip to the hotel on the first day, the driver of the Uber we took asked if we had any specific plans we’d stick to and my mom said yes. He told that the only way to explore Kolkata was to let the city itself guide us; we decided to take his advice and realized that he was right. The magic of Kolkata took me in its grasp and mesmerized by it, I surrendered myself to the city.
The following days went by in bliss as Kolkata whispered its secrets with every place I visited. When I heeded to what I was being shown, I saw that it was filled with people who have a strong sense of belief in the power of education and even more in the power of supernatural forces, they are all hardworking and determined in their daily struggles, they are deeply in love with their city, they craze after football, they love books and they love fish. Kolkata does not shy away from showing off its population and its restless residents and having produced many inspiring personalities, it is right in doing so.
The street art that adorned the city walls, the food stalls that sold the best street food, the stylish traffic police personnel, the bustling New Market and the enticing Bengali sweets were some of the simple luxuries that overwhelmed my senses. Kolkata never ceased to amaze me with every passing hour. The drivers of the famous yellow cabs of the city are the best depositories of information on Kolkata and take you to the places worth the time. My love for books led me to College Street, a road lined with countless book stores. I felt like I died and went to book heaven, the smell of books filled the air and books of all kinds were to be found there so I did the obvious, I bought a trunkload of books at a throw-away price and it was a joyous day.
The Victoria Memorial took my breath away as its architectural specialization was something worth marvelling at. It did justice to the memories stored in them as it brought to life the period of the British Raj and left me in awe of its beauty. The food in Kolkata is to die for, they primarily use mustard oil in their cooking and the fish dominates most dishes. I was introduced to Masher Jhol of whose I am now a patron of and I had a fish wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed which tasted like heavenly manna and I haven’t had anything as closely delicious as that. The tram ride I took in Kolkata was not as good as I expected it to be, but I’ll remember it. I had the best Aam Panna ever in the streets of Kolkata and my taste buds were blessed.
I admired the encouragement given to the youth for the development of the fine arts; no wonder Kolkata has produced so many renowned artists. Kolkata is a proud city with a glorious past and a spirit of royalty. The photogenic Kolkata will remain a cherished memory in my heart and before I left, I learnt a Bengali song written by the great Rabindranath Tagore which goes, "Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla Cholo Re” translating to, "If no one responds to your call, then go your own way alone". I left Kolkata with the conviction that I would walk the path of struggle, even if it meant that I would have to walk alone... And a lot of Mishti Doi.
"If no one responds to your call, then go your own way alone".
Again i got lost in your article. Wish it would never end but it was perfect. keep up the amazing work.!!
Once again after Assam, your beautiful description has left me completely enthralled putting Kolkata on my bucket list. Fantastic article.
Your article makes me want to visit the eastern India.. A beautiful peek into that place✌👍