The day I opened my eyes I was here
And I wouldn’t like to be buried anywhere near
Losing the city elsewhere was my biggest fear
Indeed to me Kolkata is too dear
The city is dirty and the roads are uneven
But the warmth here is more than Londons eleven
Most people won’t understand anything but Bengali
But to help you out, you can always rely on aLi
A ride in the Metro is something you will never forget
Not visiting Victoria Memorial is a thing you will always regret
Likewise it has its share of ups and downs
But a promise... In India you won’t find such a town
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Any samaritan might possess two opinions about the city - friendly and dirty. Well, having stayed here for more than 18 years now, I won’t completely disagree. But... dirt has now been replaced by the poor condition of the roads, and the not-so-well-maintained drainage system. A bus ride after a meal will ensure that your food is digested, and a little heavy shower may make most of the city a swimming pool. Also, the city is incomplete without paan pichkaris at every nook and corner.
Actually, parts of the city are in complete contrast with each other. While you will find people and people at Burrabazar, places like Joka will be completely isolated. While Park Street can easily be compared to the Marine Drive of Mumbai, Topsia is worse than any Indian chawl. An event in the life of a politician will provide a blanket blackout, but Ganguly coughing will make newspaper headlines.
tHe bEngAli bAbUs
Kolkata people are world-famous for their friendliness. Besides being helpful at the times of need, they will talk to anybody under the Earth, and on any topic available. This would ensure that you don’t get bored on a long journey in the city. People here are more honest, and the chances are scarce that you will get cheated. However, most of the Bengalis speak only Bengali. It’s pretty difficult to deal with them if you have no knowledge of the language, as they don’t seem to understand Hindi too!
trAffiC sYstEm
With increasing number of vehicles on the streets, the road system needs to be improved. The flyovers, once they start, take many years to finish. The Bondel Gate and the Khidderpore flyovers have been in the making for more than 5 years now, but are yet to be completed. Also, the ones that are thrown open to the public, except for AJC Bose Road flyover, hasn’t served the required purpose. In light of the objective, traffic hasn’t eased below the flyover. And, plans are now to construct a five-winged flyover at Park Circus, and to extend some of the existing ones.
Secondly, potholes and bumps rule the roost if you are to travel even a short distance in Kolkata, except for Park Street. Most of the places where trams ply are HIGHLY accident-prone. Some of them at Gariahat, Kalighat, etc. have been improved, while the others have just been raised. No doubt, it has solved the problem, but it won’t take many years to bring them back to square one. Buses that were constructed in the 70’s still ply on the streets. Travelling in state buses is a horrifying experience for a visitor. The new Euro 2 bus count is low. Also, here there is a system for a driver to get commission if he overtakes another bus ahead, of the same route. So this results in accidents every damn day. Each day, a human falls prey to this.
The only good mean of transport is the Metro Railway. Clean and convenient, it is a speedy way of reaching one’s destination!
mAsTi
Kolkata sure is a heaven to chill out. Tourist spot Victoria Memorial is one of the seven wonders of the world. Make sure to pay a visit to this place if you happen to come in here. Wanna play? There are a number of maidans to play cricket, football, baseball, kabaddi... or anything. But for the morning, you will need to go in at 6am to book the pitch.
To hang out, opt for Nicco Park, an amusement park. Don’t leave without a ride on the Roller Coaster. For educational purposes, Science City is a must. The not-so-new Aquatica and Fun City are worth a visit. To gain some useful info on Solar System and stuff, Birla Planetarium is a place for you. For a grouping, visit Botanical Garden but be sure to carry a map of the city, for you will lose the way out!
For tourists, The Grand and The Park are on the expensive side, and for the reasonable ones, they are spread in and around the city, mainly concentrated at Central Kolkata, specially Free School Street. Have a lot of surplus with you? Join Tolly Club, the best way to spend it. I haven’t been to Saturday Club but a friend says it is cool too.
sHoPPinG and eAtiNg
Fortunately, development has resulted in a number of malls in Kolkata to shop at. The traditional New Market, AC Market, Emami Market, Treasure Island, Chandni Market, Vardaan Market... are no more a thing of the past, but the hip crowd prefers the new in-malls like Forum, City Centre, Gariahat Mall, Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop, Shree Ram Arcade... where the feel is pleasant, no doubt, but items are far too expensive. But there are two Big Bazaars, where isse sasta aur achcha kahin nahin. For watching movies, rely on the evergreen Priya cinema, New Empire and Hind Cinema. New multiplexes have come up in the form of INOX, 89 Cinemas, Fame, and others with 6-screen are in the making too.
Pay a visit to College Street for a vast variety of books. Education-wise, we have St. Xaviers and Presidency College, who got autonomy this year!
Junk food rules if you happen to be hungry. Have a taste of Kolkata special bhelpuri, puckha, dahi vada, rossogulla, paapdi chaat, and I bet you won’t get enough of it. A fast food centre is sighted at every corner of the street. For restaurants, Bombay Shivsagar [Camac Street] and India Gate [Chandni Chowk] offer good and cheap food. AMBAR and SAGAR have somewhat lost their popularity over the years, but Bar-BQ is the best on the expensive side!
tRiViA
Kolkata has many bazars - Baghbazar, Burrabazar, Rajabazar, Lalbazar, Radhabazar, Sovabazar, Shyambazar, Nagerbazar, Sakherbazar, Mullickbazar and Bowbazar.
There is no garden to have a picnic at Picnic Garden.
Free School Street has only one school, St. Thomas’ Church, but we need to pay fees.
There are no elephants at Hathibagan.
Salk Lake neither has a lake, nor a salt manufacturing concern.
fInaL sAy
A great metro to be at. Right from parties to politics, from movies to magic, from hooliganism to sophistication, from travelling to touring, from shopping to dropping, from chilling to clubbing, from loving to living... Kolkata has it all, and much more. Find it out yourself. Yeh hai Kolkata meri jaan!
Cheers!
aLi.
P.S. For more info, visit https://catchcal.com
© Aliasgar Poonawala, 2006
