WEST BENGAL- DAY 4- PART I

JAN 28th

KOLKATA

Kolkata, the city of joy, of verdant parks, the city of Indian Renaissance has arrived. The night before was too late to do anything but rest. The city will get discovered today. And that too in public transport.

Kolkata is warm and no gentle breeze blows, unlike Murshidabad. Sabir calls to confirm his safe arrival at home. “Stay safe ma’am”, he says as the line gets disconnected.

Sunscreens, sun hats, and sunshades, all are ready to counter the sun. The darban at the entry door of the 200-year-old property now converted to a hotel directs the road to be taken to reach the Salt Lake City Metro Station. The gardener standing nearby, also chips in with important tips for the city tourists.

THE CITY GETS EXPLORED

A 10-minute walk to the Metro station and then it’s off to Sealdah, the last station. The ticket is 10/. Kolkata is the birthplace of the Metro revolution in the country. Sitting in one of the trains where it all began, therefore, becomes all the more special.

Confusion stares in the face at the Sealdah station. Language does become a slight problem. Two staff members point to two different gates to an exit. It’s a chance to be taken now. Right turn or a left? Somehow, it turns out to be the correct exit. One moment the quiet of the metro station and the next is the rush of traffic, and the people of the city. It’s like two different worlds at the same moment.

The walk to the bus stand is dotted with a flurry of yellow taxis, their beautiful colour not only standing out but also in a perfect coordination with the mighty sun, making them one of Kolkata’s famed icons. The bus stand is missing, but there is no dearth of waiting passengers, all along the roadside. And so, the bus stand comes to the passengers, not vice versa.

As the wait continues, a group of trans joins in. They ignore the older passengers in waiting, blessing only the youngsters. They speak Bengali, but it is easy to understand what they are hinting at. This is a universal blessing, sans frontiers and languages. Before financial remuneration can get extended to them, the bus arrives and there is no more time to wait upon. Until the last sight, the group is still standing at the de facto stop, blessing only the young and possibly the singles.

A MONUMENTAL WALK

The bus conductor is kind enough to announce the Victoria Memorial stop and also guides on how to reach there. However, the wrong road gets taken and Rabindra Bhawan and the Academy of Fine Arts gets reached. A U-turn and zebra crossing later, a walk along the boundary of the park, and the huge, imposing Victoria Memorial arrives.

As part of the welcome committee is a series of fast food and cool drinks kiosks. The first of the many nimbu sodas to be had in Kolkata. A cool drink on a warm morning does the trick. Ram Pandey, a 3rd generation migrant from UP owns the kiosk. “I am more Bengali than any babu moshai,” says he with a smile. “This is my land now. Even my parents don’t visit UP any longer.”

And then it is off to the ticket counter. The long queue at the ‘Indian ’counter is equally matched by the long queue at the ‘foreigner’ counter. Most of the foreigners are from Bangladesh, paying for tickets almost three times that of Indians.

With a pleasant walkway, dotted by statues of English Lords of a bygone era, well-manicured lawns with shaded trees on both sides, a man-made lake, and a huge imposing pristine white building, the Victoria Memorial is a sight to behold. Built by architects William Emerson and Vincent Esch between 1906-1921, the Memorial was devised by Lord Curzon in memory of Queen Victoria. Today, only a portion of the interior is open to the public. Most of the galleries and corridors are now dedicated to various freedom fighters. A special exhibition on the life and times of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is presently on. 1857 revolt’s hero Tantiya Tope’s last worn dress is one of the gems here as is perhaps the largest oil painting in the country portraying the Prince of Wales, Edward VIIth’s visit to India.

A little walk away from the Memorial are the other iconic structures of Kolkata- the Birla Planetarium and St. Paul’s Cathedral. What, however, catches the eye of visitors are the kiosks sandwiched between these two buildings. Jhalmuri, Puchka (paani puris), chole bhature, boiled corn, sweetened drinks, lemon sodas, et al.

The Planetarium does not get visited, but St. Paul’s Cathedral is a fine example of Indo-Gothic architecture. The vast complex reportedly houses over 70 tree species. The memorabilia shop opposite the main steps has a vast collection of handicraft works, mostly of religious nature. The shopkeeper and her husband are pleasant people and point out the direction to the next destination.

It is back on the boulevard roads. A family seen at the Memorial walks ahead, each enjoying an ice cream. A ‘non-bus stop’ bus stop gets reached. A young girl, probably a student stands waiting. She boards the first bus and suddenly the bus stop doesn’t feel like one anymore.

The wait continues for the next destination- The Indian Museum.

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