Yamaha nagari Calcutta puri
namaho hugli howrah varadhi
I mention 'Airport' and get into the back seat of the taxi. The driver starts to zoom off and tunes his radio wading through the Crazy-Kiya-res and I-am-the-Neals and stops at a melodious Amol Palekar song from the early 80s. Kolkata is like Anirban (a colleague of mine from the city). Friendly, Talented, Down-to-Earth.
The roads are just wonderful and well-laid without potholes and the entire life in Kolkata, as you will see from a few of the pictures below, revolves around the footpath. Places like New Market, which is a very crowded market area that is very old like Kalaspalyam for Bangalorians - It is inevitable that staying in Bangalore for so many years would make me draw parallels to Bangalore on every possible subject - are patronized by both the affluent and the poor.
I am confident that Kolkata single handedly allows the Ambassador car to remain in production in India. There are no autos and the taxis are affordable and honest. Just to give a comparison, the ride from the centre to Dum-Dum airport lasting many kilometers costed me Rs. 250 while the taxi-driver in Bangalore asks me Rs.250 from airport to my house, which is less than 7 kilometers. Two wheelers on the roads are a rare sight.
It is a wonderful city constantly buzzing with activity. Street food seems to be extremely popular here and at any time of the day one can see people gorging on the puchkas, bhel puris, puri-alu and everything else that is available to eat. Wiki travel specially recommended tasting puchkas on the road-side and this was one thing that came as an anti-climax. The Puchka of Kolkata is just the Pani-Puri of Bangalore and Golgappa as it is called in some other places. The discovery of this was particularly comical in the way I indulged in an animated conversation with the pani-puri fellow on the nomenclature of the dish in various parts of the country.
All in all, I fell in love with Kolkata. I walked great distances in the city on foot and when inevitable I took the metro rail, buses et al. The metro rail of Kolkata is definitely of international standards and super punctual. The TVs fixed on the platforms constantly show either Mithun or Charlie Chaplin stuff. Don't know what they have in common. Wink Wink.
I shall share a few pictures I have taken and add comment whenever possible.
The Howrah Bridge. It is called Ravindra Setu and no where around the bridge was the name Howrah Bridge written. I had to call up a local friend and ask if the Ravindra Setu is popularly known as the Howrah Bridge. Smiles.
The Victoria Memorial. A beautiful marble monument that stands as a symbol of the city in travel guides
The Hand-pulled Rickshaw - now seen only in the college street and new market kind of areas. The name New Market is a misnomer of sorts - it actually is one of the oldest commercial areas in the city.
College Street.The street is full of book stalls where you can bargain and buy. I got two out-of-print Wodehouses for a collective price of Rs. 70. It's a steal. Not a deal.
Rickshaw-Puller resting in the hot afternoon sun.
Writers Building. Where all the wrong decisions are taken (The State Assembly)
Food Joints on the street
Boot Polish
Ready for a close-shave
One of the many art galleries
Nandan a cinema complex and art centre where I heard movie tickets are priced at Rs. 40.
Food Food Food
More Food
The St. Paul's Cathedral. The oldest catholic church in Kolkata. View: Walk from Ravindra Sadan Metro towards Shakespeare Sarani (the erstwhile Theatre Road) on the Chowrangee Road.
The Birla Planetarium
Getting ready for a hard day's work
setting up shop
Vegetable Market
May I wash my hands?
Morning ablutions on the road side, a common sight in Kolkata (this is MG Road)
Market area near Howrah Bridge
View of a bathing ghat from the Howrah Bridge
The Howrah Bridge in action. One of the busiest bridges in the world.
Good Snap, eh?
The Old vs. The New
we want water
Goats Goats Goats
Hungry Kya?
I think I will always be a small town fellow fascinated by the sights of a great city.
Oh!! By the way, all the pictures are taken from my mobile phone. The Sony Ericsson K750i
And finally I have added the DVD of Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali with English subtitles into my DVD collection. We Happy.
