Loads of food and gifts, the bridal trousseau, diamond and silk draped aunts, and lots of kids – There I was, in the “City of Joy”, Kolkata, at the Big Fat Indian Wedding. Being a Punjabi, I mostly know what grand weddings are all about, but this one made my jaws drop. Everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean, just about anyone, was dressed like it’s his/her own wedding!!! Suddenly, mine felt like acceptable work attire! And worse still, for some reason my sweet tooth betrayed me big time - in Kolkata of all cities! Every time I reached the sweets section - the famous sweets of Kolkata, remember? - I was left with an “Oh they look so heavy” feeling. Maybe that was just the true blue Bangalorean response.
Since I was there for the wedding and the wedding alone, I didn’t have time to see around the city. But I have a lasting impression of the city with the old Victorian looks to it. The tall buildings, the traffic cops dressed in white, in the forties style, remind one of the bygone era. The city is indeed frozen in time. And that’s what makes it so distinct. I really then felt, that the city doesn’t need re-modelling. When discussing Kolkata, I cannot fail to mention the “oh so daring” Cab drivers. I had gone to meet my Cousin, one out of those six days, and for some reason we decided to watch goal. Two of his roommates and the both of us, took the cab, and what a journey it was! It seemed like ages in a Cab at a speed of eighty or ninety kmph. The drivers defy any concept of a two-way road. They take you as close to death and then take a steep curve off it! And man, I was driven to the edge; I said my last prayers too! They particularly love to play with the dividers; they’ll zoom and rip till about a foot or two away from the divider, and just when you think you have taken your last breath, hell, you are jolly well back on to the right side of the road!
My best experience was a barge party on the Hoogli River below the Howrah Bridge. That apart, I did some pretty daring things, like walk out at 2.a.m (just a few steps, but that’s still daring by my standards!), only on the assurance that Kolkata is a safe city. I’m sure they just said that to me in view of my paranoid mind! After this visit, one thing is for sure - mine is going to be a court marriage!
13 comments:
well narrated experience :)
You write sooo well! :) I had heard North Indian weddings have always got their charm.. now, I am convinced :)
I know exactly what you mean. I was going to write my experience about Taxi drivers there, but now I wont. :)
For some GOK reason, they spend so much! +1 for court marriage. You can always give me a movie-dinner-purple haze treat later. :P
@pavan
1)Now why am I supposed to treat you??
2) GOK = God only knows ?
You didn't eat sweets ??? All the way to Kolkata and no sweets ? Not even a cham-cham or a kheer-kadam ??? FYI : They are not half as fattening as the regular punjabi sweets - you could've had one ! Go back !
Now, lets see wt else you missed.. Did you stand on the sidewalks with your friends and have tea ? That's ADDA :)
Did you goto Victoria Memorial ? Maidan ? Traveled in the metro ?
I don't see you writing about any of them. You better have done them all else u need to go back and ensure that you tick all these items in a check-list !
And ya... it's undoubtedly one of the safest metro cities - u can walk on the streets at 2 in the morning !
@ Abhinav
No I DIDN'T have any sweets, and I know thats very unfortunate.
As I said I DID NOT have any time to look around the city at all ! I was packed everyday with wedding affairs.
And yes you seem to know a lot, but you missed mentioning the national Library. A friend told me, the huge library has no books ! There are just cards.. read the synopsis of the book, ask the librarian, and he gets it from the basement!!!
Yes I did stand on the rather dirty side walks and had kulfi, chilla, and puchka !! Sorry my stomach doesn't particularly like tea !
And yeah yeah, you used to vouch for Bangalore's safeness(is there a word like that ? ) too
@Gagan (Which goes without saying coz I wouldn't be addressing Aishwarya Rai on YOUR blog)
Yes.. I missed the National Library. Toatally seemed to have ignored your NERDY interests - sorry !
The TRAMS are different from the underground METRO RAIL ? U missed traveling in India's first ever underground metro rail ?? Unpardonable... I had to bear a half dug city for some 14 years to see that metro come up - you better go back and visit :P
@Abhinav
Fine ,You win ! metro rail with that automatic fare thing right :P No I didn't travel by that :( We had like half a day, with the driver dropping us at Vardan market , and just in two or three hours, he picked us up !
@ People of Planet Earth
Please refer Gagan's post above! She conceded defeat against me ! She said "You win" !
good stuff...really enjoyed the vicarious drive on Cal roads..!!!
This is to prove that i read Ms Arneja's blog and I am no more a criminal as per Ms Arneja's book of law ;) sometimes you remind me of Inspector Jacques Clouseau :P wondering how you came back to blore that too alive in one piece :P hehe...
@Ravi
That dumb inspector? You compared me to that dumb inspector??? To NOT commit one crime, you committed another... JUST YOU WAIT !
nice post :) .. very nicely written gagan!!
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