Calcutta. India. Home. And the lure of the Soil.
Nothing’s changed but the fourth dimension. And everything’s changed!
Red has given way to green. The traffic still bursts open at bottlenecks, screaming and loud. People still throng the roads in hordes and the footpaths are still catering to the busy vendors.
The favorite late afternoon snack is still the road-side phuchhka and chicken roll. And smelly, sweaty men still hanging off the buses and trains. Or fighting with each other to get into the already crowded metros, before the tired automatic doors close on them. The red-and-yellow mini buses roaring and almost flying over the asphalt like the king of the roads, racing with each other and competing with the shrewd, yellow-and-black auto-rickshaws, which would slither in and out and across as the fastest public transport. And all the while the rich and regal yellow Ambassador taxis fly to reach destinations or crawl by the farthest lane in search of its quarry. Hell, how I miss the constant screech and omniscience of public transport. How I love the noise, the crowd, the constancy- the life of my city.
Monsoons had just made its first rounds and I’m still waiting for its encore. But I couldn’t love it less.
Travel back from across oceans and you realize how beautiful, how rich your land is. And appreciate it with dawning comprehension, with a love and a pull that goes beyond time and you and the simple.
It is hot, humid and fantastic. That’s my Calcutta.
Maverick Misfit 
and I missed you!
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My only reader and love. I missed you, too.
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🙂 🙂 🙂 I am your reader too, though I am a lazy commenter. 😛
I know how you feel(somewhat). When I came to Chandigarh, initially I would miss my village 24X7, and to think of it, my village is hardly 4 and a half hour drive from Chandigarh. 😛 And you are in another country, You must be missing your place so much.
Yesterday I saw your previous post, I guess there was different template then? O-o
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Hmm.. nothing changes but everything changes .. Welcome back to the strange and lovely land of ours!
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To know that people still come back in here to read was such a humbling and happy revelation for me. Thank you! Only the other day I'd been saying to someone that I am a forgotten has-been in the world of blogging who'd been read, liked and quite known for a while.
@Aativas: Thank you!
@Shilpa: I did change the template, I always do like the simplistic look. ANd thank you for coming back now and again to read, you have no idea what that means to me. Thank you!
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🙂 No need to thank, rather I should thank you, for some of your stories have really touched my heart. If it makes you feel any good then you are one of 4 women writers in blogland who I really really love reading.
I think the reason many bloggers are feeling that they don't have the readers is because many of bloggers have either stopped blogging or don't blog that often as they used to. Shruti, Bharathi, pra and many others also don't blog much now.
And see, I even come back to read the reply to comments. 😀
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No matter how much time away we spend away from our own land, but apne jagah ki to baat hi kuch aur hoti hai.. 🙂
First time reader here, and first time commenter.
Kunal
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I dont know what happened to first comment…
Well I guesa you have forgotten mee….
Now I wont get that info on the leapord… Do you remember
You are back home lucky you…. Nothing can beat home no matter where we go for how long…..
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Well, You have many readers those are not prone to comment.
Keep Smiling.
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Shilpa: If one asks, all will tell you that being read is what we want, whereas we ourselves don't know that what we want is to remembered, which is why we write.
So, girl- I do have to thank you again.
And, I'm trying to stick to blogging no matter how hectic life becomes yet again, it's my saving grace.
Kunnu: And sadly it takes a journey away to realize that simple and eternal truth that we have always known in theory. Good to have you here. Thanks!
Bikram: Well, I have never been accused of a faulty memory 😀 I remember you, and would have without the leopard story that you have mentioned even before! How can I forget when you write the most passionate words in comments and in posts as well? 🙂
Makk: So I see! And I am humbled by that. Thank you and keep smiling right back 🙂
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Must say I am glad I bugged u enough to get the link for ur blog 🙂 Gr8 blogging indeed :))
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