My school classmate Subrato, who is settled in US was in Kokatta recently as I could take out from his facebook musings. Looks like he liked the  trip.  I am penning a few of my experiences here on occasion of his recently completed 25^th Wedding anniversary.

The Howrah Bridge – built across they mighty Hooghlyriver,  towers high, high up the sky. A truly magnificient edifice. The bridge connects Calcutta with the busy Howrah Railway station  ( most numbers of platforms in India).. Many of them prefer to just walk through the long bridge. Thanks to Kolkattans – it is well maintained. Far ahead you can see the slim modern new bridge – not that very popular.

During my return from Durgapur at  night, I happened to take the legendary Grand Trunk Road  built by Sher Shah, as I was told– which is now only about 15-20 feet wide or so. Adjoining the road on one side was  the wide Hooghly river with all its jute mills of yesteryears. A right atmosphere for business in those days. It is a narrow congested road nowadays.

The trams are so simple to operate, travel and cheap. The tickets are also slim. It is the ideal transport system for India – but slowly becoming an endangered species. An appeal to Kolkattans: Please preserve them come what may! Only you have them in India. The buses of Kokatta have not changed since Queen Victoria left. Blue coloured wood and metal ancient pieces.  The roads are choc a bock with bulky bug like ambassador cars. Inspite of the messy high volume traffic – not one touches the other ( unlike Delhi where every car has a dent). Excellent drivers.

Rosagullas from every small time  sweet stalls across the city are to be bought in loose & enjoyed there. You get real big & soft ones that have thick walls and hollow centers. The entire road from Kolkatta to Durgapur –both sides - -especially near Burdwan is lined with shops selling sitabhog & midhiana  Both these sweets have had a long list of patronage in Indian history of this region.. This is special to this region. Not sure if they have secured a Geographical Identity for this. But I prefer the rosagullas to the other sweets when in Bengal. You can bet on having some good golgappas on the road sides in kokatta served in the fresh badam leaf cups. Most office goers prefer eating in the road side stalls. The few restaurants around Park street, Camac street, Sshakespere sarani etc are expensive. Poori is a staple food like what roti’s are to Punjab.

During my cross country researches, I have concluded that consuming fish   (Kerala, Goa, Mangalore, Kokatata)  is good for the skin & gives a shiny complexion that no multinationals can ever produce. This is mainly true to the womenfolk. Good bye Fair& Lovely. The women here prefer sleeveless or puffed sleeve blouses to the normal ones. The bold bright red circular sindoor is an unmistakable sign of a Bengali woman. In recent days, the malls are thronged by girls with the shortest in India -shorts. It cannot get shorter than this.

ITC Sonar Bangla is a beautiful  hotel with a big pond within its walls. The bathrooms have full size sliding glass windows separating it from the bedroom. Good romantic place for couples – but no use as I was alone. All I could do was only fantasize. While taking a walk outside this hotel – sometime back in 2004 – I lost my first mobile; a ritual I have successfully managed to repeat every year. My latest loss  was in July 2013.

I badly wanted to visit Bengal during puja holidays; but have not managed a trip so far as every one is on leave. But I had an inkling what the festive atmosphere would be like while at Andaman.

Most bylanes are wooded, sleepy ones. You still can see many houses with the linoleum flooring intact – perhaps the only place in the country to still have them.

Kolkatta pleasantly just refuses to change – be it busses or amby’s, the floors, the people,  etc.  Perhaps this is what Subbu is nostalgic about.