Colors of Calcutta.............

a loveful place
be it victoria memorial
be it central park
be it rabindra sarobar
or be it minto park
love blooms
love floats
a tender touch
a romantic dialogue
hopes ifuse life
smallest is beautiful
a vibrating calcutta i know.


a rebel
with tolerance
one moment
there is protest
anotrher moment
recociliation
people see the protest
react to the protest
reconciliation is lost
behind the words printed
or within the words spoken
and
Nano goes away.

a place fond of issues
out of non issues
be it a small scuffle between
a cabbie and a policeman
or bhikari paswan lost and not found
or land given for projects
or polluting autos
big sister is always found
with flamebuyont voice
and zeal to do something
for nothing
and bleeds calcutta
cries kolkata.

clerks carrying
heaps of diaries and calenders
counting their achievements
till february
still having a feel of happy new year
a bharh of sweet tea
with an antique biskit
taking time
longer than the
qantity and urge
taken together..........
as 'somayta to kat-te hobe."

a place where
nonchristians are more fond of
Christmas
can see a majority of
unseen faces in durga puja
can enjoy the site
of simayain and khazoors during Ramdan
at zakaria,park circus, khiddirpore,matiaburz.....
running mourners of moharram
shouting slogans in the way of michhil(juloos)
or a body being taken to burning ghat
the 'Haribol' is spoken
like Inqlab Zindabad...Zindabad
a real cosmopolitan
character.

the garam luchhi and dum aloo
mouth watering puchkas
the jhalmuri and ghughani with speciality
kathi rolls of nizam
biryani of royal and aminiya
lembu cha
mughlai and chop
bengali version of chinese
authentic mandarin at Tengra
poor, middle-class and rich
enjoying together
this the spirit of city of joy
can never fade...can never fade.