KoLkAtA....the city embedded in colour and culture

             Sitting by the window, at this moment, I was speaking to Kolkata.....my homeland.
I was awfully cracked up to have this exceedingly vexatious conversation. Damn goodness! This city talks a lot!!! Jab...Jab....Jab.....Now I know from where did i inherit my blab-genes.

              Well, I think you wont be able to experience this if you are not born here. My chat was pretty annoying for me because she accused me for leaving her and she thinks that i never appreciate her in the foreign land. She thinks I`ve corrupted my soul. I put on a sarcastic smile on my face and drive away from my hallucinating thoughts. I closed my eyes and saw a dream....

               I came from Bangalore today. It was a 2 hour flight. The airport was averagely posh. Not too chic like Delhi, not too elegant like Bangalore, not too desi like other cities. Its said to be the busiest airport in India where every 9 seconds a flight takes off.
            
               That is Kolkata. It kept its history alive. It is the oldest city in India.  Before the British rule, Kolkata was a small village and the capital of Bengal was Murshidabad which is situated at a distance of 60 miles from the present city. Calcutta was captured in the year 1757 by Robert Clive by defeating Siraj-Ud-daullah in the battle of Plassey.

         One of the live examples of this glorious history is standing upright with its head held high is the august Victoria Memorial.
          The Victoria Memorial Hall  conceived by Lord Curzon was opened in 1921. It is also a museum where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India and develop a pride in their past especially in relation to the history of Calcutta . It is dedicated to Victoria, Queen of United Kingdom.

           Metro Railways in Kolkata is one of its kind in India. I understand that everyone may diagree because many other cities are coming up with the metro now, and New Delhi has already come up. But still I`m calling it one of its kind in India because Metro was there in Kolkata when the other cities did not even plan to have it. It is the first underground Metro Railway in India.It was progressively constructed from 1972. And the construction was over by 1995!

                 I`ll like to call it a land of rich culture. The 4 days of Durga Pooja celebration in Kolkata is enought of evidence. Anyone visiting this city at that time can never ever disagree to this statement in their entire life.

                  Durga Puja is the most important and most awaited occasion for the Bengalis. The start of the festival sees huge elaborately crafted statues of Goddess Durga installed in elaborately decorated podiums all over the city. At the end of the festival, the statues are paraded through the streets, accompanied by music, dancing and fireworks, and then immersed in the holy Ganga river.

                    The tying of the nuptial knot in traditional bengali style entails a series of elaborate and colourful rituals, which are not only enjoyable but are of great significance in conjugal life. The blowing of conch shell and ululation by the women gathered at the wedding venue are most characteristic of a Bengali marriage. Shehnai recital played by the live musicians or else played over a music system adds to this symphony.
          The last marriage I attended was one of my mom`s cousin sister.
The rituals in Bengali marriage were so original and so enjoyable that I feel glad that someday even I`ll be married off the same way.               

           The bride is carried to the mandap in a piri, accompanied by her brothers.The bride keeps her eyes hidden with a beetle leaf that she holds in her palm. She is then rotated seven times around the groom and then placed in front of him. Now, the bride and the groom face each other for the first time during the wedding. It is wonderful to see bride blushing, when she peeps through the beetle leaf, which she holds in her palm, to have a glimpse of her significant half. This is called the Saat Paak and Shubho Drishti ritual of Bengali wedding.








Not only that, the Bengali sweets(mishti) is a spread of Bengali flavours to warm your palate. Rosogolla and Sondesh is a trademark. And Mishti Doi, which is my favourite is synonymous with West Bengal in East India.






 If Kolkata is culturally forward, that doesn`t mean it doesn`t know about nightlife, fun and entertainment. the shopping freak ladies can surely find all the international brand clothings range in malls like City Centre, Metro Plaza, Forum Mall, Charnock City, Shreeram Arcade, Treasure Island etc.
              And speaking of nightclubs, you can visit Shisha, Starstruck, Virgose, Fusion, Cloud 9 and many more whose name even I  dont remember.








                  I woke up from my dream and I found myself typing this.....