Mera Desh - II

Enough of Bangalore, lets come to Kolkata and WB. Well the papers always say it’s a new kolkata. Orkut communities are there on this but alas, I find no change. The flyover started 2 years back is still under construction and people say its going so fast. A 20 year old Bisharpada-Kodaliya station is still called a new station. But then I realized modernization of kolkata is not bangalorization of it. Its developing more in what they are good at. EVverything is BIG in kolkata. And so was the city center mall. It was 3 times forum Bangalore. And ofcourse, almost 30% of it was food court. Now that is Kolkata for you. Another was Sourav ganguly. Bengalis support him not because of he plays good, nor because he is a Bengali but because they are Bengalis. Even a novice to cricket will be ready to discuss the villainy of Chapell and Dravid. Thank god some do spare Sachin. But then no comments. It’s their choice. They are the kolkatans. Something bad is the open love culture. Earlier I thought what’s wrong. That’s just not Indian but definitely not bad. But later when Advay told that in the beautiful Millenium park which is on the banks of Ganga, overlooking Howrah bridge and Vidyasagar setu on either side, smooching was the most decent thing that was going on, I was spellbound. Comeon, liberation doesn’t mean this.

Another thing I learnt was everybody has a point. About Singur I thought, Mamata Bannerjee is just grabbing some attention, which any outsider also felt including my friends in other cities. I thought what crap, the way industries are extinct in WB, may be, govt should even hand out Victoria memorial to be demolished. But no, things are not that simple. Singur is one of the most fertile land in India. To give that away for industry is harmful for local people, the environment and the country when WB does have wastelands not very far away. I was also shocked to now that India is now importing food again thanks to our agriculture minister who is taking more interest in cricket than the most pressing problem of India.

During my stay, I learnt more and more. Many things made me happy, many irritated me to the core. You had to speak out everywhere even at the grocery shops, on with louder voice gets things faster. Inspite of all this, I couldn’t stop cryinig on the last day. After all in sab cheeon se hi tho life bani hai.

Mera Desh -I

I have so many things to write. My recent trip to India was full of such stories. But then I realized the biggest thing. Almost all of us( who are back after a India trip) had their own stories. And it was all about the same things, how India is not that shining as we thought it was from far away. How it was polluted, corrupt, but still India is good old India. These would have been 3-4 blog topics for me but then everybody is writing about it.

What shocked me the most was a chat with bharat. I told him that I am feeling so damn homesick and want to go back now, without finishing the MS. He said he too felt the same and not just him but everybody around. Then I told him-“But you know, there was a time in India when I was dying to be back here.” He said even that is not unique to you and all of us felt that. These dialogues shocked me coz I thought they were my very own. But they turned out to be every tom dick and harry’s feelings.

I had thought of somethings that I will never do when I go to India. Like cribbing about the lifestyle there and saying good things about US. But I had to. On the very next day. Because I was down with cold. People were saying that may be the cold was too much for you. They made me feel like some fulkumari. But then I had to tell them, its not the cold, it’s the pollution here. Coz that was THE reason. Next was the dollar-rupee thing. I couldn’t stop telling the prices in dollars> now how the hell are you supposed to convert dollars per pound to rupees per kg?

Bangalore was just the same. People always cribbing about the airport traffic but then I still did never face it. And 2 of the same people, when they came to kolkata for my bro’s marriage, realized what Traffic jam was. Another thing was software people and their salaries. Somehow people are never happy. Anu showed me a skit video. People earning 6 lpa within 2 years are calling their salaries peanuts. Tap Tap Tap, these bangaloreans are crazy. Another thing about Bangalore was the prices. They were just Rs converted to dollars. No cost of living differences. For 100 Rs, you don’t get coffees as good as starbucks while here u get an excellent one for 2.5$.

But yes, I enjoyed Idli and more idli. I couldn’t stop eating idlys in the numerous sagars of Bangalore. And last but not the least Forum mall, Bangalore. People say Garuda is bigger, better, more strategically placed. I don’t disagree. But forum mein ek apnapan lagta hai mujhko. Aisa lagta hai ki barson se yahin aata hoon. Same feelings for PVR where even a movie like Happy Feet (its te worst cartoon I have seen till date) is houseful on a Monday afternoon show.

Contd in the part 2 blog