Travelogue-Calcutta

I love Calcutta. Even before entering the city, you can feel it. Travelling by train, your can see buildings dating back from the British period when the tax for cemented houses was so high that people preferred to keep the walls unplastered. The entire city smells of the colonial era. It's actually IN THE AIR. I mean, the city hasn't changed at all for God's sake. At least most of it. Still has tiny, narrow alleyways with so many buildings crowding it that I shudder to think what would happen in the event of the slightest tremor. Still has acrid smoke in the air and old, rusting signs that reek of English manipulation and broken down trams that will probably never be fixed. Ever.
It's the city of artists and philosophers and dreamers. Looking back, my first memory of Calcutta was playing with my cousins outside Victoria memorial and looking over the shoulders of hundreds of student artists trying to capture the image of exquisite Colonial architecture.
The last time I visited Calcutta, my cab driver treated us to early morning tea which we drank from teensy mud cups. Taking his time with his chai, he seemed to be in no hurry to get anywhere and gossiped away with us while he nursed his brew. Now, that is what I call leisure.
Though I'm just 19, I had this feeling of nostalgia. It was so weird. And beautiful.
I was just wishing that the city would never lose its flavor,it's culture, when I looked out the cab and noticed the change of scene. The glittering lights. The fancy cars on the road. The fashion conscious people. The brand new shiny malls. It was like any other metro again.
Not that I was complaining, mind you. I had my share of fun eating fries and pink ice cream and shopping, but it's just that the charm of the old city, Calcutta more than Kolkata that continues to make me dream.

P.S. The world's best golguppas are only available in the streets of Cal :)

JADED

A lot of weird things have been happening to me lately..It goes something like this..
First, the watch that was recently repaired breaks. The watch that took it's place(my brother's fast track) also decides suddenly to stop working. Then, after a couple of accident free weeks, much to my embarrassment, i fall off my bicycle. Later, the only pair of pants which fit me rips. I catch a cold right before my TOEFL(also known as 'the longest most boring exam ever') and hence I cough my way through the listening and speaking sections. Same day, my phone and calculator drown in a puddle and when i go to fix it, the shop is shut! I go to get my watch fixed and while it's being done, my bag's zip decided to come off in my hand. Add to all this the bag-repair fellow fixes it upside down..
Was i jinxed or was i JINXED?
If it was not for a bike riding office going superhero I might have just collapsed into a puddle of hysterical jelly.