Kolkata, my home city, innumerable pictures, incidents, stories, people inundate my mind when I think of this simple word: Kolkata, the 10th largest city in the world, The City of Joy, Kolkata, the Pride of Bengal & the bengalis.
We only realise the sharp contrast in our life & ways of living when we leave Kolkata & settle somewhere else like I migrated south to Bangalore on the hope of getting rid of the city & its immense dirtyness, its hollow political parties, its horrifying climate, its water-logged streets, the disputable "bandhs", but, the city runs in my veins. My soul is also a component of all the souls who remain binded to the city inspite of staying thousands of miles away & long to come back home, their motherland to the open arms of their loved ones.
Now, there are plenty of reasons for which I like Kolkata, & there are another plenty for which I abhor it, but, when you are located outside the city, that may be even 50 miles away, you'll feel a craving for it which will drive you back, as is always my case, the likes will always surpass your dislikes, your hatred, it comes from within, no one can deny.
The city has got mixed in my genes so complicatedly that I won't be able to remove it, wherever I might be, whether in New York or Sydney, Moscow or Cape Town or Brasilia, always, and I mean always, I'll find my true happiness, my true purpose of living, my true love, true respect, true identity here only in Kolkata.
To start with, if you have been brought up in Kolkata, it would be near impossible for you to take in the food of outside states, much less southern states, where they cook atrocious dishes.
For example: One of their favorites is curd rice, which is ok with me, but, the thing becomes disgusting when they decorate it with all kinds of greenish leaves including coriander, some I don't even know what they are, instead of the item being sweet, it tastes salty, God knows what they put. Some people say they like idlis, dhosas etc, I would like to ask them to come down here & have a taste of the food where the delicacy originated, we've termed "sambars" as "rainbow colored waters" they are so ugly to eat. Kolkata is much more superior & hospitable in the food department, at least one can eat to his heart's content & not wander around, half-starved with bundles of money in his pocket, trying to find a place where he/she can have a respectable lunch or dinner.
Transportation is immensely costly in this part of the country, with the lowest fare being Rs.12 in an autorickshaw, which is the most common transport vehicle. City Taxis charge a minimum of 50 Rupees. In Kolkata, one can travel 10 kms by paying a meagre amount of 5 or 6 Rupees.
The language is another barrier which keeps foreigners off. Majority don't know Hindi, the national language, if they know also, they refrain from using it, preferring their local dialect, thus putting non-Karnataka people in a state of confusion & bother. I still haven't understood what pride they get in not speaking Hindi, are they trying to prove a point by neglecting our national language?
Another thing I have learnt in the past 1 year is that these people have a huge dislike for people from the Northern states. They like to be partial towards the localites. Nowhere in Kolkata, I think, you'd find such kind of partial behavior & attitude.
The only postive things about Bangalore: a good climate, a good working atmospehere, you can earn gargantuous amounts of money (though that hardly matters) because Kolkata is also catching up.
These minor advantages fade in comparison to the immense hospitable environment offered by The City Of Joy. I'm not saying this because I've lived in Kolkata for 19 years, you can ask anyone, I think the majority will choose Kolkata over Bangalore, and may be most cities of India unless they are horribly thirsty to become rich overnight.
Kolkata....you really are great. Miss you dearly, your streets, shops, the Pujas, food, in short everything, my family, my friends, my school, those by-gone days, and lastly, that one special person, I love so much, my girl-friend.
----Somnath (08/15/2007)
We only realise the sharp contrast in our life & ways of living when we leave Kolkata & settle somewhere else like I migrated south to Bangalore on the hope of getting rid of the city & its immense dirtyness, its hollow political parties, its horrifying climate, its water-logged streets, the disputable "bandhs", but, the city runs in my veins. My soul is also a component of all the souls who remain binded to the city inspite of staying thousands of miles away & long to come back home, their motherland to the open arms of their loved ones.
Now, there are plenty of reasons for which I like Kolkata, & there are another plenty for which I abhor it, but, when you are located outside the city, that may be even 50 miles away, you'll feel a craving for it which will drive you back, as is always my case, the likes will always surpass your dislikes, your hatred, it comes from within, no one can deny.
The city has got mixed in my genes so complicatedly that I won't be able to remove it, wherever I might be, whether in New York or Sydney, Moscow or Cape Town or Brasilia, always, and I mean always, I'll find my true happiness, my true purpose of living, my true love, true respect, true identity here only in Kolkata.
To start with, if you have been brought up in Kolkata, it would be near impossible for you to take in the food of outside states, much less southern states, where they cook atrocious dishes.
For example: One of their favorites is curd rice, which is ok with me, but, the thing becomes disgusting when they decorate it with all kinds of greenish leaves including coriander, some I don't even know what they are, instead of the item being sweet, it tastes salty, God knows what they put. Some people say they like idlis, dhosas etc, I would like to ask them to come down here & have a taste of the food where the delicacy originated, we've termed "sambars" as "rainbow colored waters" they are so ugly to eat. Kolkata is much more superior & hospitable in the food department, at least one can eat to his heart's content & not wander around, half-starved with bundles of money in his pocket, trying to find a place where he/she can have a respectable lunch or dinner.
Transportation is immensely costly in this part of the country, with the lowest fare being Rs.12 in an autorickshaw, which is the most common transport vehicle. City Taxis charge a minimum of 50 Rupees. In Kolkata, one can travel 10 kms by paying a meagre amount of 5 or 6 Rupees.
The language is another barrier which keeps foreigners off. Majority don't know Hindi, the national language, if they know also, they refrain from using it, preferring their local dialect, thus putting non-Karnataka people in a state of confusion & bother. I still haven't understood what pride they get in not speaking Hindi, are they trying to prove a point by neglecting our national language?
Another thing I have learnt in the past 1 year is that these people have a huge dislike for people from the Northern states. They like to be partial towards the localites. Nowhere in Kolkata, I think, you'd find such kind of partial behavior & attitude.
The only postive things about Bangalore: a good climate, a good working atmospehere, you can earn gargantuous amounts of money (though that hardly matters) because Kolkata is also catching up.
These minor advantages fade in comparison to the immense hospitable environment offered by The City Of Joy. I'm not saying this because I've lived in Kolkata for 19 years, you can ask anyone, I think the majority will choose Kolkata over Bangalore, and may be most cities of India unless they are horribly thirsty to become rich overnight.
Kolkata....you really are great. Miss you dearly, your streets, shops, the Pujas, food, in short everything, my family, my friends, my school, those by-gone days, and lastly, that one special person, I love so much, my girl-friend.
----Somnath (08/15/2007)
2 comments:
i am from bangalore condemned to stay in kolkata for the next two and a half years. and i really dont appreciate the way u hav referred to bangalore in this post of urs. every culture is unique in its own way. i think u shud learn to appreciate it rather than crib about it. i can say the same things u have said about kannada food about calcutta food. but i will not as i have always been taught to understand and appreciate another person's culture and lifestyle. kannada people have nothing against people from the north. just they cant too many like u, who are very ungrateful and cynical about the place. it might be a strongly worded post but i think u deserved it.....
I appreciate your comments & truly respect your views, but, I am entitled to express my own thoughts & that's what I have done, I know that every culture is unique & different from others, but, this post portrays my point of view.
Another point I want to make is that, yes, I have been a victim of partial attitude when I was staying in the hostel, I don't wanna disclose them, but, I felt like that after having such experiences.
You're free to write anything you want & like, no one can take it away from you.
I took your criticism in a positive way. :)
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