The Hitchhiker’s guide to Kolkata
Going
through Rajarhat on the way to the airport with the wind whipping through my
hair, the lovely effect that the early morning showers had had on the weather
was evident. I could not remember a time when Kolkata had been more beautiful.
It was almost as if the city was bidding me good bye, with perfect memories of
it on the last day.
Kolkata: the city of Joy, a city with a distinct ethos, you either love
it or you hate it. Most people hate it. And yet, the city has an old world
charm that’s quite unparalleled.
In
no other metro have I witnessed the concept of a share auto, where 5 people are
literally hanging out of the auto as the auto driver goes down the road at
breakneck speeds, in utter disregard of anything known as traffic rules or even,
respect for human life. The humidity of the city is unbeaten, often reaching
90%. The infrastructure leaves much to be desired, as the roads are clogged the
minute it rains. The central part of town is incredibly crowded with buildings which
are ancient and crumbling (they could almost be classified as historical).
So
where is the charm in all of this, you ask? For starters, the average Kolkatan
is extremely intelligent and well read. The bookshops in the city are an
absolute delight, as they have a wide range and are well stocked. The Oxford
Bookstore on Park Street, the StarMark in South City – these are perhaps the
best bookstores in the country. For those who don’t want to visit the
mainstream bookshops, there is College Street, the road where there are
thousands of tiny bookshops selling all genres of books under the sun.
Apart from that, the
city is well known for its food. There are 3 large Haldiram’s across the city –
one at Exide, one at Ballygunge Phadi and the third near the airport. With
multi story buildings that are extremely popular amongst the local junta,
Haldiram’s has some of the tastiest chaat I have ever eaten. Apart from that,
the city is famous for its Chinese as well with joints such as Peter Cat, Mocambo and Bar-B-Q on Park
Street. And of course, one should not miss the legendary Flury’s, one of the
oldest and best confectioners in India. With nearly 100 years of heritage,
Flury’s is a quaint tea shop which quite simply personifies the term old world
charm. While the general milieu is old-worldly, the place also has a
contemporary vibrancy to it. Most importantly, it happens to serve the yummiest
cakes and pastries. Talk of food in Kolkata is incomplete without the mention
of mishti. Although not a great fan of sweets myself, there are some great
places here for those with a sweet tooth, the most notable of which is K C Das.
The Dases have for generations been indulging the sweet tooth of Kolkata,
starting with Nobin Chandra Das ( father of K C Das) who is credited with
having invented the famous roshagolla. Apart from that, puchka shops dot every
nook and cranny of the city. The charm of having puchkas in the evening along
with tea from the nearby adda served in a matka, is again something that I’ll
always remember about Kolkata.
For the tourist, the places of note in Kolkata are the Victoria
Memorial, Birla Planetarium, Dakshineshwar Temple, The Science City and Kali temple.
There is something so beautiful and peaceful about the Memorial in the evening,
with its large expanses of well kept lawns, and the shimmering water in its
still lake. The architecture is also quite simply, mind blowing. The Science
City is worth one visit, primarily for the space theatre which is quite a
unique concept. It has a huge screen spanning the ceiling, front and sides of
the theatre which showcases an extremely well made documentary on the Amazon.
The Dakshineshwar temple and Belur Math are interesting places to visit for
people with a spiritual bent of mind.
Perhaps what give
a city character are its quirks, and Kolkata has a truckload of them. Be it the black-and-yellow taxis who
contemptuously refuse to go to a nearby location, or the ubiquitous sight of
people of all hues and genders walking about with an umbrella, the long queues
for the share autos, the paanwallahs on every road surrounded by office goers
stealing a smoke, the cycle rickshaws carrying college goers and Bengali
aunties, the sight of scores of bespectacled, kurta clad intellectuals, the tea
addas – these are the some of the things that go into making Kolkata the
distinctive place it is. And of course, the denizens of the city come with
their own set of quirks. The Kolkatan is always willing to get into debate and
discussion, especially when it comes to political matters. Kolkatans also have
a profound respect for education. More often than not, most of them have strong
opinions over which they easily get excited. They love their macher jol, and
are by and large a gentle and kindly set of people with a healthy sense of
contempt for the world in general.
Visiting a college in
Ballygunge, I was amused to see a large poster of Ernesto Che Guevra with the
words Socialism, Democracy and Fraternity on it even before I got wind of the
name of the college. It is not often, nay never, in a metro that you get to see
so much leftist activism. It is living proof of the statement that India is the
only country in which communism still lives on. But that is really the thing
about Kolkata, it is the only place where so many things live on, where people
see no reason to change, where things stay the same forever. Call me soft if you will, but I sense an old
world charm in it.
