“Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi. You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Bombay. You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta.” – Vir Sanghvi
This quote very aptly explains it. More often than not, I feel nostalgic about Kolkata and dwell upon my dream of settling there one day with my husband and kid. Having been away from that place for more than a decade now has in no way diminished my love for it. Contrarily, it has increased manifold. I miss its rich cultural heritage, the “baro mashe tero parbon (13 festivals in 12 months or the abundance of festivals),” warmth of its people, calling each other “didi (sister)” and “dada (brother),” and so on; the list is huge. Recently, I went to Kolkata after a number of years, only to find that it has not changed much since I left it; Kolkata ache Kolkakatei (Kolkata has not changed much over decades).
So much for my love for Kolkata.
The Road Trip
It takes more than just wanderlust to plan a 1500-km one-way road trip to your city of dreams – it is love and pure nostalgia. I was a little nervous at the onset, but it was a memory of a lifetime. We crossed six states – covering Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, and Durgapur – on the way. I got to get a glimpse of the house where I spent my childhood – and was surprised to find that it was considerably smaller than the huge bunglow image that I had in my memory bank.
Equally enchanting was the visit to Maithon Dam and Kalyaneshwari Temple – it was our childhood road trip destination once a year. Again a reality check – the 2-hour away place seemed so far off at that time.
Christmas at Park Street
“Dekho aloe aloe akash”
Who has not heard of the Kolkata Christmas Festival at Park Street, Kolkata – one of the largest dedicated Christmas carnivals in India. The lighting starts from St Xavier’s College and ends at St Paul’s Cathedral. This themed lighting is designed by artisans of Chandannagar.
What an experience it was as we walked through the lighted roads enjoying the songs and the chirpy crowd. The enjoyment was amplified as my whole family could gather together there this year. We enjoyed the mouth-watering phuchkas, rolls at Kusum’s roll, and the biggest showstopper – chelo kebab at Peter Cat. Oh was an experience it was!
Food, Food and More Food
“In Kolkata, every bite is an invitation to a feast of flavors”
If you are a foodie like me, please do not tell me that your mouth does not instantly start watering when you hear this list of food I tried:
- Shaktigarh Langcha
- Rosogollas, kheer chomchom, misti doi, patisapta
- Phucka and his sister doi phucka
- Alu Kabli
- Kathi roll at Kusums
- Chelo kabab at Peter Cat
- Mutton rezala and Aminia’s special
- Chingri malaikari
- Mutton kosha of Bijoli Grill
- Radhaballabhi and alur torkari
Maybe missed to mention a few more….
The Places
- The iconic Victoria Memorial was not something we could miss. Victoria Memorial Hall’s collection of 29,220 artefacts that encapsulate the history of our country extending over three centuries enthralled my son. He clicked a picture of every newspaper clip.
- The Dakhineshwar temple was founded by Rani Rashmoni of Bengal. What is more mesmerizing is the sight of Vivekananda Setu standing at the ghats of the temple.
- The sight of the belur math after a ferry trip across the Ganges was a treat to the eyes. The motto of the organization as formulated by Swami Vivekananda.
“Ātmāno mokṣārthaṃ jagata hitāya ca, “For one’s own salvation and for the welfare of the world”.
This is so much we could cover in our whirlwind tour of the city. My love for the city remains unchanged.
By Manjusha Dutta
Manjusha Dutta is a Senior Manager with a Software Insurance organization. A movie buff and an amateur dancer, she rocks in the videos that she creates for her YouTube channel. She can be reached at manjushadutta@gmail.com.
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