When my cell was one door lock away….

This is about our being a part of this year’s republic day parade…an experience I’ll relish for a long time…what experience….well…read on….the title is not aligned with the theme though…like most bollywood movies

We reached with a little difficulty… …we din know head or tail on how to reach…no google maps....no gps… and if that wasn’t enuf our overconfident autodriver took us straight to president’s estate… :P

As soon as we entered our block on Raj path, everybody got busy with cleaning their respective chairs. The ceremony started on time with the arrival of the president at 9:57AM. Fortunately/unfortunately I was sitting beside Tyagi J who did exhibit why his dream company was/is/will be Lockheed Martin…we had discussions ranging from the 21 gun salute to which regiment’s band was better to which regiment had better uniforms to watching on TV vs being a part of this to discussing the state jhakis (I still feel THAT rowing looked natural :P) to the motorcycle stunts to fly past! We had good enuf info on anything n everything…not more than what we cud (or at least I cud) retain…at the end of it, I was…hungry…thirsty…felt chilly but was super duper delighted…

When I returned, I did not have the keys of our flat and my cell was in…I wanted to call up n shout out my experience…to let know there was no LeT attack…to reply some missed calls which might have been…to check mails…(not that anything important happens every single minute of my life)instead I thot…wasn’t the day beautiful more bcoz none of us had our idiot boxes n cells with us…we talked…discussed…enjoyed …as silly a thing as eating papad n getting lost…super experience which I was talking about earlier here!

Somehow when I see oldies around me…ranging from cynics to some who feel contented to those which crib to some who’ve excelled…to some who travel extensively for fun…to some who lead by example…to some who gossip…..to some who’re highly respected….I try portraying exactly what kind of life I wanna have which will culminate into some of these which I may admire…I don have an answer obviously…I plan long term only for interviews else looking even beyond a horizon of 6 months is out of my capability…but one thing I do crave for…to not let the ecstasy of these small things in life to wither away ever...to feel surprised over surprises…to feel happy over goodies & free gifts…to cherish unplanned happenings no matter how much they screw me…to click photos for social n/w sites only…to see new releases back-2-back…to sit on the beach side n be able to discover a new sound of the waves every single time! Hope that’s not too much to ask for!

From Kamla Nagar, Delhi to Tollygunge, Kolkata?

What does it take to transform oneself from a k-nags resident to a kolkata-40ite? A 17 hour Rajdhani travel? Probably much more than that. Let me start from the beginning. I and Nakul shifted to this home 1.5 years back. Yes, everything in my life is 1.5 yrs old (Our marriage, my MBA, Nakul's job, our long distance married life). After a splendid welcome to Kolkata, I mean 1 month stay in ‘The Park’ (courtesy: HSBC, our bread and butter), we finally reached our present landlord thanks to magicbricks.com. What did it take to get into this house? Something more than a rent agreement and rent. We first needed to convince our very skeptical landlord that we’re a couple (with our height difference and kiddish looks, we earn the reputation more of loving (or not-so-loving :P) siblings than a couple). Secondly, that we’re married and not like his erstwhile unmarried live-in relationship tenants for whom he had acted as a witness in the court ultimately. Finally, a marriage certificate too and all this got us here where we are.

So since past 1.5 years, I’ve been a frequent traveler to Kolkata juggling between two of the most contrasting places on earth – Knags Delhi & Tollygunge Kolkata. How? Let Us C.

5 pm is night here. So much so that a travel from Delhi makes one feel jet lagged. Shops shut at 1 pm so much so that if one happens to be the unfortunate soul to be out between 1-6pm, you would rather be wondering what happened – Curfew? Strike? This is not a city which seems to value cleanliness much – be it on the roads or themselves. Transport is decent – though Nakul is yet to find a bus which can fit him (height wise obviously!). Everybody here is expected to know Bengali unless you interrupt ‘Aami Bangla jani na’.

Do these facts show I detest Kolkata? Ok, let me interpret them differently. In my last 8 years at Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, Kolkata is probably the most adorable city I could come across. More so, after having stayed at Delhi, I fall in love with Cal over and over again. Why? Well, several reasons. Unlike Delhi, shopkeepers here still believe in the old adage ‘Grahak hi bhagwan hai’, pretty clichéd but Delhi surely needs to revisit it. Drivers here are civilized enough to not blare horns blatantly, stop midway any road, not let pedestrian pass, reverse your f****** car w/o indication, etc.,etc. And most importantly, people here can be trusted – be it repairing your laptop, hiring an auto, buying a charger, booking a ticket or as simple as simply walking on the road past 8 pm.

Comparisons apart, 2 things which will drive me to come back to Kolkata even with Nakul not around – Puchka a.k.a. golgappa (even you should come here for puchka, they are ‘THE’ best in the world!) and of course, my dear Rosogulla!

The most fascinating truth is how this city has managed to preserve its originality, if I must say so, maintained its pace and is at utmost peace with itself. From a time when I questioned why it is called ‘City of Joy’ to experiencing the joy myself, I’ve been awed by its warmth! No doubt, Aami Kolkata-ke bhalo baashi!