Kol katha

Going back to a city after more than a decade can be extremely depressing. My recent visit to Kolkata just goes on to prove that only too well. Last time I visited Cal, as most in my family love to address it, was when I was 12 years of age and completely doted on small bribes like the Bijoli Grill ice cream soda, daanedar mishti , the human rickshaw.... and the list is endless. While packing my bags I had hoped to be in the same old Cal, but alas! The city has changed a lot in these years, and if the residents are to be believed, things have changed only for the better. Malls and multiplex invasion have paved way for the formation of a clan that I'd personally call Kolkata GenNow. These aren't your regular youngsters in denims and Nike t-shirts. This is a bunch that has a cigarette placed perpetually in their hands (smoking is just incidental here), prefer a loose tee with a worn out jeans and most importantly, is all set to criticise anything that's remotely Delhi. To see this kind of a crowd in the malls was rather unexpected, but when some of them happen to be your friends, you can't do much about it except for listening patiently.

For these youngsters, Delhi isn't a place-to-bge primarily because it has no culture. And why not? "People there behave as if they have come from savage lands." "They can't even respect women or the elderly. There's just no safety." "The feeling of belonging among Delhi-ites is missing. It could be because most of them are migrants." My rather politically correct answer was " If you can live in Delhi, you can live anywhere."

After encountering the abhorrence for Del;hi, my next tryst with a rather unusual complain was how come being 23, I was comfortably single. My cousin's argument was 'Make full use of your freedom as a financially independent woman." Her views were echoed by some aunts , even though the uncles stayed out of the matter. Little did the women realise that by forcing a freedom on me she was, in fact, limiting the notion of freedom most of us have young women. Her reasons... "In Kolkata, women start dating as and when they join college." I giggled for a while thinking that in most parts of the country the progression takes place rather early. I presume that's the reason I was taken to the malls even though I pleaded to go to places like New Market, Digha and Gariahat.

After the isms were thoroughly analysed in our chatting sessions, it was time to pay a visit to the Ganges. If there's a singularly most divine thing that a human beiong could do, is to try boating in the Outrum Ghats. As you look around, you feel you are floating in the water.... you reach a point where you are somewhat closer to redemption. This singular indulgence atones for all the isms that are imposed on you for being a Delhi-ite.