If one visited Cal during the pujas, one would have thought the buying-selling-visiting-rushing around was the ultimate in frenzy. The city was in puja fever. But, come December, and the Christmas-New Year fever seems to compete with the pujas.
One clear indication of how Calcuttans celebrate is the rush in New Market. You cannot move a millimeter without bumping into either Christmas-goodies-on-display or people-with-serious-shopping-intention. You find yourself being carried in this flood of people and when you find the shop that you want to go to, you have to kind of push and struggle and get out of the human flood, but then, you find that you have left the store behind - so then it is weaving your way back, once again in the human flood going in the opposite direction! Finally, when you do get to the store, getting in is clearly the next challenge, followed by attracting the attention of the shopman, getting him to serve you and finally paying the bill - at the end of it if you have got what you wanted, it's CHEERS!! or else you bravely and in the spirit of the season, make do with what you've bought!!
And, there lies the secret - it is the spirit - and in Cal, there is no dearth of the celebration spirit...in fact, one can only believe that celebration is the way Cal puts up with all the daily hassles and pains...
