A Walk Through The City of Joy
The loud yet shrill screams of the cuckoo bird woke Shanaya up. Staring bleary eyed at her bedside clock, she noticed it was 6:05. “Ah, no point of uselessly lying in bed procrastinating your day I guess.” Settling her feet unsteadily on the floor, she drove herself awake with a cup of steaming tea. Putting on her usual simple attire of kurti and jeans and packing a few essentials in her sling bag, she set out for the day.
Walking around the streets, she got lost in the warm, welcoming scents of freshly baked toasts, buttered biscuits, the nose tingling smell of fried samosas and kachoris and the loud yells of street vendors as they drove their carts loaded with goods under the heat of the blazing sun. There was something beautiful and traditional about the City of Joy that not even the most posh places in the city could hide. It’s like you know there is something homely here, no matter where you go, there is an essence carried around, the unmistakable essence of Kolkata’s streets.
Wandering about, Shanaya spotted couples sitting with their heads close to each other under the big Gulmohar trees in the park, lost in thoughts or simply enjoying each other’s company as a breathtakingly beautiful stream gushed by. This reminded her of the lines from a song-“Shohor jure jano premeri morshum..”(The city is alit with the season of love.. ). The city which in spite of being burdened under numerous unwanted happenings, omens and huge debts is surviving with a big smile pasted on her face.
Pushing her way through a crowded bus, she was amazed thinking as to how so many people managed to step out of their houses this early to continue with their daily chores. Oh! There’s a hot guy staring at her! God, she thought and lowered her eyes, blushing red with thoughts of Kolkata being a city filled with love crowding her mind yet again. Paying her fare, she stepped from the bus onto the Rashbehari crossing. Waiting for yet another bus to take her to Rene towers, she watched huge trams passing as it brought back memories of her tugging onto Dad’s shirt, begging him to let her board a tram and take a tour in that slow-moving huge vehicle. Someone from the stall behind her called out,“Didi! These are steaming alu parathas. Get them while fresh!”, to which she politely shook her head with a smile.
A huge group of men, women and children moved with their faces covered with crimson powder, making too much of din and banging drums. She wondered what the occasion was. The faces reminded her of Dashami, the last day of the auspicious Durga Puja. Oh Puja! Damn, that was only about a month away! She had not even begun her Puja shopping. Oh she’s such a fool! Work had made her forget about the single most important that kept her happy during her school days- shopping for new clothes to wear on the four days of this festival. Oh good lord! Mom, dad, didibhai- she had not even planned anything for them. Piu and Ria were coming from Bangalore and she had not even thought what to gift them. She was remorse with guilt. Well somebody needs to go shopping this weekend!
The yelling of the bus conductor shattered her thoughts. Right now she had to go to work. Duty calls. As the bus sped off, Shanaya peered out through the window feeling lucky to be a part of this gorgeous city and suffocating yet friendly crowds.
