1. Came back to Kolkata after almost 9 years. It was a very hard decision; but it was something that I had to do; may be to prove to myself, if not to others, that I was not wrong. But somehow, I get a feeling that may be I should be proved wrong. Who knows what will that mean to me?
Got a pretty decent apartment in a not so decent locality. I will have to sacrifice my daily dose of Nestle Dehi, slim milk and Tropicana Apple Juice. Couldn’t believe myself when the next door grocer said he didn’t have eggs in stock! That was simply too much.
It was Durga puja time as well. Last year I was in Shantiniketan with my parents and bro during puja, this time I was at home with them and working all most full time. Not too bad either.
Somehow, I am not getting used to Kolkata anymore. It’s the same place that I had left 9 years back; and that’s exactly is the problem. It has not changed a bit, with the single exception of its population which seems to have increased in geometric progression. Sometimes, when I have tried to walk on the streets of Kolkata I almost felt I will run out of space to put my next foot. Where do all these people come from?
But pujo was different. I mean the days of the pujo. It’s such an awesome feeling. I was working till 3 AM on Astami morning, then slept for a few hours to get up and get ready on time for the ‘anjali’ on this special day. When I left home to go to my dad’s friend’s house where they were doing the pujo, it was such a beautiful morning. New clothes, warm greetings, clean roads, and a beautiful autumn sky made it the perfect pujo day. I loved it so much. But a big city like Kolkata cannot remain like that on every other day, and that’s a pity.
2. Falling in love was never too difficult for me, falling out of it was always that I had to force myself into. It’s hilarious at times. And I have very weired reasons to fall in love also! Like, I go head over heels with someone because I simply love the way he writes and that too without even seeing him in person, ever! This time it was very different though. I was with a very close friend of mine and we were at a disc. And he is a terrific dancer. When we were doing our salsa steps and he made me swing on the floor, I prayed to God, “Please, don’t make me fall for him!” But, when was it that God ever listened to lesser mortals like us!
