New Year Vibes: Kolkata
New Year Vibes: 1st January 2024. Kolkata, India
We had a leisurely delectable lunch at a Cafe in Southern Avenue — the venue and all items of our menu selected by our food specialist friend, discussing the various quirks of our own lives; also those we know in common.
My journalist/author husband Bishwanath contemplating, while we women chatted — writing his resolutions and observations on life which might go into any next writeup or book.
Then we drove up to Byloom Cafe nearby where Bishwanath bought a trendy dhoti in a unique colour I have not seen one in before. Since moving to Calcutta in 2018, especially after the covid lockdown he has suddenly become a Bangali Babu in attire — giving up his western clothes he’s worn lifelong, almost completely. I have no choice but to accept the transformation!
After which Ranjini went home and on my insistence we went on a drive to and around the Maidan, Victoria Memorial, Chowringee, the Oberoi arcade and New Market, so I might visually recreate my childhood when it was usual to visit any of these places including the Zoo, Birla Planetarium and Indian Museum with my parents and sister, that we were home from boarding school for winter vacations.
I actually saw myself sitting at the Maidan on a picnic mat, playing badminton or cricket and strolling the Victoria gardens yesterday, then visiting the Lexpo, Expo and Book Fair at the Maidan just as it used to be back in our childhood.
The sun was setting charmingly over the Maidan and Victoria as we drove past, and as soon as we entered Park Street with the nostalgic scents of of Badshah rolls and Nahoum’s confectionery in my mind, the fairy lights all came on, making it such a surreal theatre of vivid memories as we drove past all those places we grew up on.
On the Ma flyover, headed back home to Salt Lake we decided to go on to the New Town book fair. Unexpextedly, it was so devoid of visitors that we seemed almost like the only ones and yet there was a literary discussion just starting — rather unique in topic that I listened to intently roaming around rather than sitting at the gallery, while Bishwanath scrutinised one book stall after another minutely. The topic of discussion was bold, intruiging and enligtening — ‘The position of men/males in our society’, that I heard from afar yet distinctly — male sex workers being common and how even our neighbours may be sustaining by this source of livelihood and we would never know. By the time we left at 6pm there was a good flow of visitors.
I brought home a lot of unique thoughts to use in my own writing — Oh Calcutta, you are fascinating indeed!
PS: the photos are here… 
Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gtpaAS4XHhYix7vA/?mibextid=aI5dXw
