Before you say anything...yes, Calcutta is where I come from and I am totally, unabashedly partial to her. That said, let's begin the blog.
Bengalis love to call other Bengalis who live outside West Bengal (like your's truly) "Probashi". Either its some kind of class differentiation and they smirk at us secretly or it just makes them feel good and glamorous to say "My dada has come from Bombay (or Boston or wherever)". I have noticed that the resident Bongs (the non - Probashis) are perpetually complaining about..well...everything...weather, Government, politics, movies, literature, social and moral fabric of the city...you name it.
But Calcutta looks so different to my Probashi eyes.....here's a verbal glimpse..
Howrah station or NSC Bose International Airport, no matter how you approach Calcutta, its a splash of nostalgia, colour and warmth every time. She is a Mother. That is what I call her. Glamorous and gorgeous she may not be...but motherly, charming, graceful, warm and caring she most certainly is. From the days of Rabindranath Tagore's Kabuliwallah, where Kolkata was the abode of a Pathan from Kabul, to these days of the transient IT public, Calcutta has never turned anyone out. She has place, employment and food for the richest and the poorest. Not only has she lovingly laid her doors open to every community from India, other minorities in India like the Chinese, the Armanians, the Bohris, Tibetans,Greeks,Nepalis, Parsis, the fast disappearing Anglo Indians and many others, call Calcutta their home and contribute to her heritage. You will find their presence stamped all over the city in the architecture and culture...British, Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental, Mughal....we have it all!
Prices of basic commodities in Calcutta are still not high enough to give you a myocardial infarct, unlike some of India's other Metropolitans and even some non Metros.Travel and day to day living are still comfortably affordable for pockets of all sizes.Calcuttawallahs (I know the right word is Calcuttans, but I felt like using this one), have time for all your questions, discussions, arguments and philosophies.We are genuinely interested in your life and your troubles and will not bat an eyelid before recommending a solution (solicited or otherwise) that we think is appropriate. If you don't understand Bengali, the Calcuttan will sweetly switch to broken (and hilarious) Hindi or English (with a strong Brit accent).Your local grocer will happily give a "home delivery" and also throw in things he/she thought you need but you forgot to write in the list. The school bus driver will not only drop your kids to school but also keep a watchful eye on them. Ask for directions at the corner Pan shop of some gully and there is high probability that one of the seemingly useless looking fellows will take you to your desired destination let alone just giving verbal directions. There is no hurry or rush in the average Calcuttan's behaviour and we have all the time in the world, while giving you our opinion, showing you the direction, telling you how to fill in a form or simply talking to you about life.
People from other Metros may well scoff ,"Thats because everyone is whiling away time and have nothing better to do".....but ask me, that is just an excuse they have invented to comfortably hide their complete lack of warmth and kindliness towards others..at least in the times of peace.We are friendly folk.
Prices of basic commodities in Calcutta are still not high enough to give you a myocardial infarct, unlike some of India's other Metropolitans and even some non Metros.Travel and day to day living are still comfortably affordable for pockets of all sizes.Calcuttawallahs (I know the right word is Calcuttans, but I felt like using this one), have time for all your questions, discussions, arguments and philosophies.We are genuinely interested in your life and your troubles and will not bat an eyelid before recommending a solution (solicited or otherwise) that we think is appropriate. If you don't understand Bengali, the Calcuttan will sweetly switch to broken (and hilarious) Hindi or English (with a strong Brit accent).Your local grocer will happily give a "home delivery" and also throw in things he/she thought you need but you forgot to write in the list. The school bus driver will not only drop your kids to school but also keep a watchful eye on them. Ask for directions at the corner Pan shop of some gully and there is high probability that one of the seemingly useless looking fellows will take you to your desired destination let alone just giving verbal directions. There is no hurry or rush in the average Calcuttan's behaviour and we have all the time in the world, while giving you our opinion, showing you the direction, telling you how to fill in a form or simply talking to you about life.
People from other Metros may well scoff ,"Thats because everyone is whiling away time and have nothing better to do".....but ask me, that is just an excuse they have invented to comfortably hide their complete lack of warmth and kindliness towards others..at least in the times of peace.We are friendly folk.
Though Calcutta was inhabited over two millenia, her recorded history begins from 1690, with Job Charnock and the East India Company.With the construction of Fort William complete in 1702, Calcutta was declared Presidency City..the capital of British India. So, we have been there and seen it and done it..before Delhi!! :P
And this can be said without the hint of a doubt, that no race in India is as anglicized as the Bengali Babu.
We have to have our daily dose of "The Statesman" or "The Telegraph". We absolutely love our Victoria Memorial and St. Paul's cathedral, Howrah Bridge and GPO, National Library and The Indian Museum, Presidency college and the utterly snobbish Calcutta University.We are tea lovers and can distinguish between our Assam and Darjeeling and Earl Grey with a sniff and a whiff. We still throng the theatres for plays (even in this era of multiple multiplexes) and value intellect above anything else.Calcutta remains the cultural capital of India.The birthplace of India's artistic and literary thought and the land of social reformers and many great men of science.
Our girls, in the similar fashion of British ladies of the bygone era, must be accomplished in more than one way...we have to necessarily take lessons in music or dance or painting (or sometimes, all of the three) besides routine academic education. And interestingly, I have never seen any Bengali family very keen or desperate to marry off their daughters in their early twenties. Daughters discussing and debating on politics, social structures, history,literature, finance etc with their Dad and Uncles is not an uncommon sight in the City of Joy. Little girls are as cherished (and may be a li'l more) than little boys.If any state achieved women's liberation before the world even thought about it, it was West Bengal (don't believe me...read up about the heroines of Tagore and Sharat Chandra and Bankim Chandra). We are a Goddess worshiping community and love our beautiful Maa Durga...but we aren't scared of her...she is worshipped on a grand, lavish scale every year as a symbol of the strength of a woman. She is pampered as a daughter who has come to meet her Earthly parents and loved as a mother who protects her children. We have managed to turn a divine Goddess into a family member! :D (and this, is one of the reasons, why Kolkata is the only city, in the world, where a young girl is not looked upon as an object for pleasing the eyes, but respectfully addressed as Maa, bestowing upon her the honour of the Divine Mother.)
I have missed many points which anybody writing about Kolkata should never ignore...like the Rossogolla, Macher Jhol and the Mishti Doi. like the permanent rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Football teams, like the city's permament craze with Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen and Saurav Ganguly. Like Marxism and Communism, like the way Calcutta is depicted in movies, like the number of Nobel laureates the City alone has given the world...but thats ok....you may have read about all this over and over again. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of a place Dominique Lapierre lovingly christened The City of Joy, through my "Probashi Bangali" eyes.
Yes there is poverty that lines the sides of some Calcutta streets, and people do go on strikes at the drop of a hat and yes, it has taken us very very long to have a radical change in the state government. Yes, we still have Ambassadors and Premiere Padminis running on the same roads with the Mercs (not to mention the public buses that look either murderous or suicidal) and the private sector is yet to open its gift bag of obscenely high paying jobs...but the Calcuttan bears all these little hiccups of life in the most cheerful manner possible, with a few loud complaints and a sigh of affectionate resignation. Calcutta slowly seeps into you, creeps on to you, boos you from behind, laughs and cries with you, hugs you warm and tight and...by the time you think of leaving her, you find, she has stolen your heart!
And this can be said without the hint of a doubt, that no race in India is as anglicized as the Bengali Babu.
We have to have our daily dose of "The Statesman" or "The Telegraph". We absolutely love our Victoria Memorial and St. Paul's cathedral, Howrah Bridge and GPO, National Library and The Indian Museum, Presidency college and the utterly snobbish Calcutta University.We are tea lovers and can distinguish between our Assam and Darjeeling and Earl Grey with a sniff and a whiff. We still throng the theatres for plays (even in this era of multiple multiplexes) and value intellect above anything else.Calcutta remains the cultural capital of India.The birthplace of India's artistic and literary thought and the land of social reformers and many great men of science.
I have missed many points which anybody writing about Kolkata should never ignore...like the Rossogolla, Macher Jhol and the Mishti Doi. like the permanent rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Football teams, like the city's permament craze with Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen and Saurav Ganguly. Like Marxism and Communism, like the way Calcutta is depicted in movies, like the number of Nobel laureates the City alone has given the world...but thats ok....you may have read about all this over and over again. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of a place Dominique Lapierre lovingly christened The City of Joy, through my "Probashi Bangali" eyes.
Yes there is poverty that lines the sides of some Calcutta streets, and people do go on strikes at the drop of a hat and yes, it has taken us very very long to have a radical change in the state government. Yes, we still have Ambassadors and Premiere Padminis running on the same roads with the Mercs (not to mention the public buses that look either murderous or suicidal) and the private sector is yet to open its gift bag of obscenely high paying jobs...but the Calcuttan bears all these little hiccups of life in the most cheerful manner possible, with a few loud complaints and a sigh of affectionate resignation. Calcutta slowly seeps into you, creeps on to you, boos you from behind, laughs and cries with you, hugs you warm and tight and...by the time you think of leaving her, you find, she has stolen your heart!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S - Thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule and reading my blog.
If you are enjoying reading these articles, may I request you to please follow this blog by signing into Blogger with your Google ID and share the link to any article that you like the most here - on Facebook, Twitter, Google plus and any other social media you may be using...so your friends can visit too? :)
I am a new author and I would be grateful for any kind of encouragement from my readers. It is a tough world out there for new authors!
Thanks once again! Hope you love reading my articles as much as I loved writing them!
I am a new author and I would be grateful for any kind of encouragement from my readers. It is a tough world out there for new authors!
Thanks once again! Hope you love reading my articles as much as I loved writing them!
