Ode to the city of joy 1999
The visit to the Kapital of Bong land is always a memorable experience. It is elevating and misleading because everyone manages to convince oneself that he/ she is doing a great job. Calcutta is the pitts-the weather sucks and you soak the 42 degrees of heat and 95% humidity levels to sweat like a pig.
It is also a consistent city - Every question is met with the same response of “ Haube Naa”. The start of the conversation is like the splutter in the Ambassador taxi’s which come slowly to life.. Everyone wants to offer advise on any goddam subject.
Some memories from 1993 are refreshed . It was early in the morning , around 5 a.m. Saket and me were trying to board the steel city express for Jampot to reach XL. We wanted help with our luggage and therefore approached a couple of porters sitting on the platform. They not even shooed us away but commented on how we disturbed their conversation about world politics ( Gorbachov and Regan) .....
There are managers in the branch office of my organisation who will not run their A.C’s in their car during the afternoon coz the car cannot take that kind of the load. They switch on the AC only during the evening when the weather is cooler and they go shopping with their wives. Talk about stinginess. UGH !!!
It is difficult not get blinded and dazzled by the ornaments and the dressed up women visiting the AC market in the afternoon. The visit to the Puchka shops and street side vendor dishing out rolls is a treat one just can't miss.
The city has a phase lag of atleast two years if not twenty..where else would you find…when one is crossing the howrah bridge ..the toll slip says celebrating 50 years of Independence 1997 in June 1999. Hello Kolkotta..Pls wake up ..the world is moving ahead.
It is also a consistent city - Every question is met with the same response of “ Haube Naa”. The start of the conversation is like the splutter in the Ambassador taxi’s which come slowly to life.. Everyone wants to offer advise on any goddam subject.
Some memories from 1993 are refreshed . It was early in the morning , around 5 a.m. Saket and me were trying to board the steel city express for Jampot to reach XL. We wanted help with our luggage and therefore approached a couple of porters sitting on the platform. They not even shooed us away but commented on how we disturbed their conversation about world politics ( Gorbachov and Regan) .....
There are managers in the branch office of my organisation who will not run their A.C’s in their car during the afternoon coz the car cannot take that kind of the load. They switch on the AC only during the evening when the weather is cooler and they go shopping with their wives. Talk about stinginess. UGH !!!
It is difficult not get blinded and dazzled by the ornaments and the dressed up women visiting the AC market in the afternoon. The visit to the Puchka shops and street side vendor dishing out rolls is a treat one just can't miss.
The city has a phase lag of atleast two years if not twenty..where else would you find…when one is crossing the howrah bridge ..the toll slip says celebrating 50 years of Independence 1997 in June 1999. Hello Kolkotta..Pls wake up ..the world is moving ahead.
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