Wintry Kolkata...

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A lazy Friday morning…

With Santa around the corner, woke up to find a beautiful morning smiling at me. Couldn’t help but smile back at life, thanking Santa for the year that had been. And sitting 1700km away, fell in love with a wintry morning at Kolkata…all over again.

I surprise myself often, when I look back to see how I fall in love with small things in life…small conversations, small note of thanks, a simple smile…or just a look. Don’t know if this has something to do with the city I grew up in. But when I woke up to miss the Christmas and New Year cards that we used to exchange in school, I realized I miss those days. I still have a box full of those memories, left in Kolkata. And those scrap books we used to fill while leaving schools…dated till your husband gets pregnant kind!

Life changes! Christmas now means dining out…New Year means partying or just gathering over few drinks. Where I see people discussing everything but being happy! Trust me…dining or drinking with grown ups mean discussing work, promotion, appraisal, credit card bills…and what not. Muttering under my breath: “Morons”, I smile and converse.

While I drift away to those Kolkata days…

Those sunny mornings of refusing to come out of quilt, winter afternoons of oranges in terrace, gloomy evenings of missing something/ someone around, chilly nights of pillow hugging. I remember having a pillow who knew all my secrets…whims and dreams…smiles and tears. I promised myself to carry it along wherever I go. Couldn’t! The pillow stayed back while I moved on. Now when I go back, I can’t trust it with my secrets anymore. Have this weird fear…what if it tells mom anything when am not around. So….

Now I miss Kolkata for different reasons altogether. For the warmth of a place called home, for dad’s “You’re still a kid” advices, for mom’s care, for my bro’s ‘love to be around you’, for uncle’s concern, for dadabhai’s “lets go for a movie tonight”, for didibhai’s special dishes.
Miss Kolkata for “let’s catch up today”, Peter Cat, Flurys, first day shows, book fair, bargaining at Esplanade, New Market…

And for some smiling faces, silent conversations, walking down the streets aimlessly, watching the river flow by, being together. And a weird ‘wish could be’ feeling when someone says: “Come over…”

Miss Kolkata all the more this winter…

Comments

Anonymous said…
"...dining or drinking with grown ups mean discussing work, promotion, appraisal, credit card bills…". Totally. Jibonto jibashmo.
January 10, 2011 at 5:13 PM
moon.attic said…
Kaka...agreed! :-) Only exception is our bhaats!
January 20, 2011 at 1:22 PM
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