Article#28: Travel ‘Returns’

It was 10^th January 2019, as part of my New Year resolution, experimenting with life, I started on a solo trip to Kolkata, the city of joy and also the cultural capital of India. Having experienced the flavor of going solo I was Excited, Joyful, Cheerful and what not as if jaggery and sugar are on the same plate. But can you imagine the taste of sugar going bitter or jaggery turning into green chilly? Well, this article is about my experiments and experiences during my trip to Kolkata. 

As soon as I got out of airport, my mobile signal went off. It was 2:30 AM, I got into a bus and asked about Saltlake. The conductor said I can get down at Utadaga and take a cab from there. Great, I was going, not sure where. I reminded the conductor to inform me once the stop arrives. He did so and I got down to see it was actually ‘Ulta Danga’. Why did they swallow the l and n? Anyhow, now, I had to take a cab. It was almost 3:00 AM. The road was so silent as if no one is living there from years together. After some time, I got a cab with which I managed to reach the hotel.  What a surprise! There was no board in front, it was an ordinary residential home converted into a hotel. But the pictures in online were great. There was a vast difference between the two just like the acting of Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. I started knocking the gate, it was locked. I could see the light at the parking zone in front with a door closed. But no one opened the gate. In the meantime, someone else responded. Guess who, the street dog. Awe, I am afraid of dogs. Suddenly I remembered the song,”chal kalkate waali, baad me jaa tu saali, Jaane dena Janne dena Jaane dena mujhe”. I let the dog go in a pleasing way and felt phew. But in the next minute, I could see it came along with its friends or family I suppose. There were 3 dogs barking at me and I was in a daze how to react. It took some time for me in letting them do their pack up. Then there were many mosquitoes at the place. I tried hard not to yawn at the moment because you know what is going to happen if I do so. Finally, after some time, the gate was opened. I had a sign of relief, but still questioning the city, “Is this the way you are supposed to welcome me”!!!  

Now let me describe my favorite thing, the food. On the very first day, I tried to experiment with the Kolkata food and ordered mixed veg pulao. I was very hungry at the moment, so couldn’t recognize the taste for a while. But after a minute or two, I started feeling sweet. How come a pulao be sweet? Here we got used to having spicy pulao and if it is not spicy, then also no issue. But sweet in a pulao? Being a lover of hot and spicy food, I felt irritated. As I heard that the city is also famous for Rasagulla, I tasted it. But it is not just sweet, it is over sweet. I immediately remembered the positive, comparative and superlative degrees, Sweet, Sweeter and Sweetest. I would give the superlative degree for it. I understood that it is not going to work for me with the local food in the first day itself. From then I started looking for my south Indian food, Dosa, Idly, Sambar Rice, Tomato Rice, etc. in our very famous food apps, Zomato, Swiggy, food panda, etc. I have to say they are enlightening the south Indian food at that place with their recipes especially the Banana Leaf Restaurant wherein you get all types of south Indian dishes. By the end, I felt did I come to Kolkata or Chennai?  

Then there was a time when I was travelling in the bus and all of sudden, I could hear someone on phone talking in Telugu. I had butterflies in my stomach. It was a solo trip, dying to talk to someone in my own language. I felt as if I found oasis in the desert. I took the initiative in saying Hi after listening to all his phone conversation silently. I got to know that he is also from TCS and was roaming alone like me. That’s how I got a company who is also working in the same company as I do. We visited many places in the city that day.

During the trip, I visited places like Victoria memorial wherein I got a chance to take pictures of old things from history, Prinsep Ghat wherein I had an awesome boat ride, Howrah bridge wherein I had a scenic view of Hoogly river, Birla Mandir, Lake Mall, Haldiram’s restaurant, Kali Temple, Marble Palace, Rabindra Sarobar and Nicco park. Above all, I went to a place called “Birla Planetarium”, they call it as Tara Mandal. We are going to experience a show in which they describe all about the Universe, stars and planets. There was a long line at the place for the ticket. I was much excited when I was thinking about the show. But when I went to the counter after standing for almost half an hour in the queue, I got to know that they would give me the ticket for Bengali show. It was 3:00 PM, they would give the tickets for any show just half an hour before. Bengali show was at 3:30 PM. Hindi and English shows were at 4:30 and 6:30 PM respectively. I had other places to visit in my checklist. I thought I had no other option. At the same time, I could experiment and see how a Bengali show is going to be. I bought ticket for Bengali show. It was a great show, amazing things shown on screen, visuals were outstanding and quite informative. But couldn’t get anything out of it. I felt whoever have invented Bengali must be a genius.

Kolkata is also famous for its old tram system. I inquired the traffic police as soon as I saw the railway lines on the road and got to know that there’s no specific time for the trams. After 2-3 days when my hands were full of shopping baggage, I found a tram stopped at the traffic signal. Without even thinking where it goes, where I had to go, I caught the tram just to experience it. Huh, there was so much sound inside the tram. But still being a lover of such old things, I felt it was good. Move over Tram, I even got into a Tanga and felt amazing. The underground metro was also a first-time experience for me. 

Good or bad, right or wrong, it doesn’t matter how it tastes. All that matters is the way we feel, the way we transform the things. It’s in our hands to light a candle or harm our hand with a lighter. Start moving out of your comfort zone and experiment with life in a different way like visiting a new place alone. If it’s successful, it boots your confidence. If it is not successful, you’ll still get an experience that can be used in similar situations that you may undergo in future. All the best.