It was on a cool January afternoon in the mid 80’s at the heart of Kolkata that I ran the sprint of my life. Came X-mas and our tender hearts would flutter in joy as we were let loose from the yoke of our studies prior to the beginning of a new session. Annual examinations being over, my poor mother(how I miss her this days) could savour her well-earned recess from the daily routine to make her son sit and study. Winter vacation to us was pure fun. In those days Calcutta was less chaotic, resided by lesser number of people. In winter one could enjoy an afternoon stroll on the pavements without being elbowed by co-commuters busy on their cell phones one didn’t have to jostle against an unyielding crowd to get into a bus or to get a glimpse of your favorite animal in the zoo on holidays. So my parents and the relatives ( those days roy bongsho used to be a huge family with dozens of aunts/uncles/sisters and brothers ) made it a point to spend the weekends of winter with us visiting the Victoria, the planetarium, the museums, the zoo, etc, the format is always a picnic environment with homemade lunch thrown in, each family will prepare a dish meant for the whole group , the potluck concept is not an westernized idea after all. I started playing badminton from the age of 11 and that too serious championship matches in under 13 and under 16 categories, winter was the when our skills were tested in district and state championship tournaments held on Netaji indoor stadium/khudiram anusilan Kendra..lake club etc.Speaking of lake club , this is the time when annual regatta used to take place- an inter-school rowing championship , at a later part of life when I was staying a small town in UK, the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge reminded me of the same kind of tension between Patha bhavan and South point schools(though to a much lesser degree). Dhakuria lake is a place where being seen counts as one of the great deeds for a teenage guy, this is also the place where a testosterone charged young guy went for his first date , shared malai kulfi from the local vendor , and was spellbound to figure out that a holding a girls hand is like holding a pigeon, both are soft and warm and runs small ripples of tremor when touched. Vivekanada park another landmark institution where budding cricket stars horn their skill from dawn to dusk ,although a different type of game is being played in the evenings , I know a few who had made Vivekanada park almost their second home because they seem to enjoy both the pre and post dawn session. It will be a crime if I don’t mention Kadre’s located at Garia Bus stop , a lesser known muslim restaurant known for beef bhuna and killer biriwani, the beef chilly fry which was also to die for was hard to get because the country booze shop strategically placed a few feets away , always used to pre-book the entire quote of the day, so technically if you want have chilli fry , you have to visit the country booze shop. The next time I will go to Calcutta, I will have my daughter with me, and I intend to take her with me, if for nothing else, but to say hello to the Kadre old timers -it is unfortunate that even if she grows older she will not understand the feeling , the romance of the city, for her it is just another insane thing her crazy dad use to do, but if she wants to come back and explore her roots, find out what made her father the way he is , then she is advised to come here , not for the food not for books not for the amazing music but for the City ….my first love Kolkata.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:21:18 +0000
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