Coming up to speed with Calcutta's speed
I visited Calcutta again two days ago. This was the third time. The first time, I was yet to be born. My mother was carrying me when she visited the city. The second time was in 2009. So, charmed was I that I burst into a blog post titled "falling in love". After that trip I got a chance to go there for a single day, two days ago. It was a work trip. I wondered if I would still love it as much as I did the last time. I considered the fact that perhaps I was predisposed to a romantic state of mind last time and that this time, I may not experience the same vibe. I thought wrong. Like a long lost lover, Calcutta rekindled those familiar feelings. The gentle trickle of bengali all around me started at the Mumbai airport itself, which I soaked in silently. I did not mean to eavesdrop. It was just to listen to the language. The language that first touched my ears when I watched Ray's pather panchali several years ago. In Calcutta, when I sat in the car booked for me ...