Fading landmarks...

It is terribly saddening to see the prominent landmarks in one's life lose their place in the new dispensation of things - though, of course the first question that pops up is why it has to lose it's place at all - why not adapt and retain the essence and flavor?

Nevertheless, some of the places I thought of as landmark in Cal are showing signs of losing, if they haven't already lost, their lustre.

Flury's, for one - Flury's was synonymous with a lot of feel-good things. Now, though it looks swankier, in its essence, it is not even remotely what it used to be - waiters do not seem interested in serving; an order for a coffee and a croissant or a pastry means the waiter will walk around with around with your croissant or pastry looking for who is looking at it, and by the time the coffee comes around, both the croissant and the coffee have become cold - the pastry in all likeliness would have hardened....yesterday we got the famed chicken sandwiches from their South City outlet, and the chicken was so leathery, making these also a 'once' famous....

Nahum's in New Market - another iconic place - everything from garlic bread to their pastries were all flavored chlorine....

Someplace Else - was another fave a few years back. We went there for old times' sake and wished we hadn't. Asked for draft beer - run out of it; Kingfisher Strong - don't have, okay then, any other beer---so the guy comes back and keeps a bowl of cornflakes mixture, and then, no sign of the beer - so where is he? he's writing something along with the bartender.....and we wait and wait, finish the bowl of mixture, and still wait, till finally the guy looks up and sees us waiting - -and then rushes off to get it....by  which time we were wondering why we were there at all....okay beer over, we thought why not round it off with some good coffee at The Street - so we go into this freezing place, and ask for black coffee, and pat comes the reply - hot coffee machine is out of order, we could give you ice cream!!!!!!!! now how's that for an evening out???

And the latest - our haunt for Bengali sweets and savories - Mukherjee Sweets in Ballygunge Place - the quality has gone down to a point when their snacks are inedible....

Modernization does not mean a lowering of standards or quality - certainly....

A glimpse of what's in store...

As Cal starts dressing up for the Pujas....

South City mall

 

Cal's in...

puja fever...

Fever in Cal...

Messi is here!!!

In the whole country, Cal is the only - only - only - place where people are in a fever of happiness and excitement - most of us will not see Messi or the other Argentines except on TV - but the happiness and love are palpable. Tees, buntings, banners, and even a whole para has been converted into a mini Argentina. Check out Gangulybagan, home to the Argentine fans - flex cut-outs, a giant screen, the works, all summed up evocatively in this statement:

The next few days we will be in a trance, savoring every minute of our dream team's trip to the city. We will forget all other business. We will celebrate the occasion in our own way......

Way to go Cal!!!!!!!!  Lovable, adorable Cal.......

Oh Calcutta...

When will assault on Calcutta end - I wonder -

It started with the Brits,

                 then various categories and kinds of immigrants,

Then came the mad bureaucrats with Kolkata - -the variety of pronunciations can have you alternately weep and cry and wail - it's Coalkata - not Callkatta -

Then came the disillusionment with the commies

and the fall-outs of neither-here-nor-there Marxism or Leftism or Red Flag-ism

With every mad-foolish-cracked happening in Writer's Building, which has welcomed another set of pompous politicians

With every effort to dehumanize this gentle lady

With all the stress and strain of looking after a state torn apart by foolishly-handled issues

This gracious lady is eroded a little more...and a little more...and a little more...

But she is still stretching herself and taking every knock...

And now, another violation of her sensibilities - the State to which she belongs has been renamed Paschim Banga---can you just imagine how this is going to be pronounced?.....and her shame will continue...even as she ceaselessly gives succor to all who care to love her and respect her....even as her beauty still shines out from the muck into which she is constantly and uncaringly being pulled...

Having said this - and these were my personal feelings - my personal opinion is that the renaming of Calcutta or West Bengal is really a non-issue. Fact is that for Bengalis, naturalized Bengalis, those who have found refuge here, to those who love Bengals, and all those who engage in some kind of economic activity or the other here, the name of the State, and the names of the cities and towns in Bengali, will remain as they have always remained from before the time Job Charnock floated in. The other names they had been (and still are) going by, existed for political and economic reasons, or for reasons of convenience in pronunciation. Mispronunciations happen because of non-caring arrogance......It is the same in Kerala or Tamil Nadu. for instance - no matter how anyone may pronounce the names of the cities and towns, in Malayalam, or in Tamizh, the original native pronunciation is what is used by those who live, work, or have been born there...

So, why the hoo-haa????? isn't there anything else to engage in? such as things that will make life for the ordinary people in the state easier...

Spelling....

Check this out. A store in Bijoygarh has a signboard reads -

Exclusive Men's Ware - Hole sale cum Retail

H & H

Unrelenting heat

                 Unrelenting humidity

                                   Unrelenting sky....

An old tradition...

Flavors of China.......anyone who loves Chinese food, and is in Cal, just had to visit Flavors of China, an offshoot of Bar-B-Q, on Park Street.

For its old-world charm, comfortable atmosphere, no-hurry attitude, and of course GREAT food, this place is unbeatable.

Of course, there's Mainland China among the new entrants to the all-fav Chinese food....but Mainland China is new - all sparkling and glass and chrome.....while Flavors of China has the patina of graciousness and elegance...

Go try it!!!!

I hope we weren't looking at something that we thought was over...

Yesterday was Martyr's Day, and as usual there was a huge rally on the maidan.

I am all for everyone participating in such things. I also feel that this is more of a happy outing for all those who come in from the villages around Cal - a trip to the 'big city' is certainly a change from their otherwise bleak, hard lives - and I would never grudge them that - BUT-----------when these rallies turn the city on its head, and people cannot get home - then the question pops up -  could this not have been held on Sunday?

Rain...rain...rain...

Glorious, wonderful rain...dark days, thunderous skies, flashing lightning coming almost down to the earth, and torrents, just torrents of rain....

I know Cal is not made to contend with so much rain---and there are huge, huge issues, heartbreaking happenings....

But the rain--Cal also looks so beautiful in the rain....there is one image that is fixed in my mind's eye - this young girl standing on the side of the road, knowing that she had no protection from the unrestrained rain, looking up smiling, with her arms wide open as if to welcome the rain as it poured down, flowing in rivulets around her feet...

Exciting times ahead...

Love the way Mamata Bannerjee is going about Kol....just love it.

To paraphrase John Paul Young's 'Love is in the air' -

Change is in the air, everywhere I look around
Change is in the air, in every sight and every sound
And we don't know if its an illusion
And we don't know if it's true
But its something we must believe in
And hope its really going to happen...


The wonderful thing about Ms. Bannerjee is that she talks in a language and manner that people understand, and her sincerity is visible. People take her seriously, only because she comes across as REAL. She is completely artless and candid, and hence is genuine, and, you can feel it.

I once had the opportunity of hearing Ms. Bannerjee speak in a debate. I will admit that I was skeptical. But, 2 minutes into her speech and I was completely bowled over. She spoke in English, and one could make out she was not very comfortable with the language. But that did not deter her one single bit, as she strove to prove her point. If she could be so compelling in a foreign language, imagine the power of her speeches in Bengali? Is it any wonder that she swayed a fractious, debating, argumentative, complaining, theorizing, pontificating, opinionated people? and she still continues to have the upper hand, simply because for each of their pompous statements, she has a ready, witty repartee...

The rains are here...

This is the way I love Cal...

Spring's here...

'You can cut us down, but we WILL grow out again!'

'We can live quite comfortably together, you and I'. Old leaves with the new...

New leaves against an old building. 'We can brighten you up'.

A splash of dark red. 'We add color to your life'.

Check these out...

Indiyan Chines Mugaliya Deses - utterly charming...

Large dabbas cut and tops and bottoms used--nothing wasted

Happy co-existence. Tree on house