The Hitchhiker’s guide to Kolkata

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.