After the stifling heat of Andhra, the picturesque paddy fields, the excitement of reaching a destination combined with the fatigue of travel, unwashed oily faces, and oh, the many word games played in the train, we reached Kolkata on Sunday, the 27th of Sep. What experience was to greet us first?
Well, with me, it was the 'matki chai'. Chai or tea in Kolkata is served in little mud pots (the mud pots are not to be returned, as Varun had me believe :), they are to be thrown out). The tea and the train were just a precursor to the many dishes and modes of transport that we were to experience in the days to come.
Speaking of transport, there was Githanjali and Devesh, our cousin and our brother in law, waiting for us with a vintage car.
Um, well, all taxis in Kolkata are "vintage" yellow ambassadors. All joking aside, these cars do have durability and a big boot.
This period of the year is the Durga Puja in Kolkata. The puja is something to experience. You will see beautiful mesmerising idols of Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswathi in exquisite pandals in every other street. In this pic, you can see three pretty women ;) in front of a pandal made purely of bamboo. The intricate designs had me marveling at the skills of the human hand.
There were so many pandals that we saw, but this one, and two others, one made of paper mache (below) and the other made of pure white cloth that looked like marble from afar, captured my attention.
Sunday evening was spent on a boat cruising the Ganga. Watch the skyline of the city on the banks, everything was lit up.
It is like the entire city is celebrating a wedding. Even the train station was completely lit up with strings of little lights characteristic of a house where a wedding is imminent.The Howrah bridge, across the Ganga, stands like a majestic benefactor, and you will feel you are but a tiny dot in this world. Then again, you realise, tiny dots built this majestic bridge.
This skyline is replicated in the Birla Planetorium, which is a must visit, if not to understand the galaxy, then, to hear the lady who gives the live commentary in English.
Bengal is famous for its sweets. And, the lovely family we stayed with, would make sure we tasted a different variety every day. DJ (i.e. Aadarniya Devesh Jijaji, our BIL) would go out every morning and bring the sweets to make up for torturing us with PJs every day. Now, I would not do justice if I didn't mention the rosogullas, sondesh, sondesh with pineapple, the pastry and the jilebis.
Also, how I can forget 'puchka' or pani poori as it is known, the chiladas on the road side, the chanas from the chanawala, and the Chinese Bhel? For foodies, Kolkata is paradise!
Well, now a little about the modes of transport. This is going to sound like a lesson, it genuinely was for me. First, the best, the tram. It is so exciting to see a tram right in the middle of the road. You hop on and hop off quick, or you'll get left behind.
Then, there are shuttles (basically return taxis). What is ama
zing about them, is how the passengers and the drivers have an unspoken agreement about the pick up points.Of course, there are both hand pulled and cycle rickshaws. Hold on tight, if your not used to it, a rut in the road will make you fall off.
The underground metro is an experience which shows you the developed side of Kolkata. You will zoom to your destination and then you get off at old Kolkata, you will see people bathing on the streets. Didn't I say Kolkata was a city of paradoxes?
Getting back to the lesson: there are white liners. Oh, they sound posh, they are just regular local buses, definitely a little better than the ones with the wooden seats!
Transport in its varied forms totally fascinated me in Kolkata. If I remember more, I'll teach all you readers :)
Two days spent in Raichak were a relaxing and absolutely funny time. Raichak is a town on the banks of the Hooghly.
The sunset on the Hooghly is an absolutely amazing sight.
Sundown and then began Chinese Whispers, Make a story, Say a word, and of course dumb charades. I'll never stop enjoying these games.
And by the way, have you ever made noodles with a pencil? Try it, its a revelation.
Following Raichak, another treat was in store. A visit to the Victoria
Memorial's exhibition of pictures and paintings from the Raj made me appreciate the freedom my country experiences today. The building and its sprawling lawns are a sight to behold.Swabhoomi, a government enterprise, is a plaza that is built on the theme of a village. This was another beautiful experience, though the rains did play spoil sport.
Also, as you can see, Niki uprooted the village horseman and upset him
.With a song on my lips and the wind in my hair, the miles fly by...
With dear ones on my side and love abound, the days fly by...
With lessons to learn on every mode,
A journey that moulded me in ways I never expected,
Came to an end on another road...
These were a few experiences I wanted to write about and now I must bid goodbye.
