A wish came true….

I always wanted to go there on rainy day, when the clouds hide the bright sun and the rays try to protrude out, whisking a smile saying, “I can still glow..Yeah!!” Today, finally I made it with my ever adventurous friend, Satabdi, a friend with whom I can do anything crazy. We planned to take the Metro but then our craziness showed its head. Thus, we took the local train better known as Chakra Rail and started our journey towards Millennium Park..

The man at the ticket counter was reading the local newspaper. He gave us a distasteful look that clearly says, “Why the hell are you buying tickets? Ah! New riders of course!” Both of us were puzzled, all we know is how to travel by Metro but local train is always big “No “for us. But we need to try out something new, so both of us triggered all the question at the counter and every time with an irritated look, he replied. However, we were not satisfied and the moment we reached the platform, we again started shooting question to a worker, referring him as “Dada” (Brother). He entertained us with all the answers with a smiling face (of course, 2 beautiful ladies are approaching na!). Then I suddenly realized it was wrong to call the man at the counter as “Kaku” (Uncle), though he looked as one which might have offended him. Dam! Old habits die hard!! Haha.

The train arrived at Patipukur Station in 3:30 pm and we were told that the 6th station would be BBD Bag, our stop for the day. It was a wonderful journey going through those areas where one usually takes a bus or a taxi in Kolkata. But today, we are doing it in a different manner and enjoying the view of holy Ganga all the way to our stop. There were very few co-passengers and some of them have occupied the whole seat and were taking their ‘on rail’ afternoon nap. We were busy giggling and talking, god knows what sort of gibberish.

At last, we got down at BBD Bag, happily entering the Millennium Park. The ticket costs only 5 bucks, giving you a marvelous view of Howrah Bridge on one hand and Vidyasagar Setu on the other end, standing for ages above the Ganges.

 We walked the whole way, clicking pictures and cherishing the beauty of Ganga. Well you cannot ignore the love birds at every corner. At some point of time, we look odd.  We laughed and said loudly, “Come on! We are straight yaar!”

I thought of hanging out at Scoop, the famous ice cream parlor beside Ganga at Princep Ghat. But it was pretty crowded, so we decided to look around and make our way to Esplanade. After waiting for a while with a panic-stricken mind, at last we got on a bus and reached to the end of our sweet Saturday evening. Chuckling and munching an ice cream, we reached Esplanade Metro and returned home.

 

I have been to the Ghats in Kolkata but no matter how many times I visit the place, the freshness rejuvenates the soul. It is hard to find an open space as the concrete world conquered the casual life, making the existence more mechanical and complex. You fail to keep promises, lose people whom you love and in the end everything depresses you. But it is up to you to mend it. 

It takes a minute to gain but a second to lose. But you need to stay happy. Grab the closest thing and believe me, the amount of joy it can give you is immeasurable. The silent repels and the air reminds me of some unfulfilled wishes. But it acted as a balm, encouraging me to try out again and spread wider wings and fly high.

Hey, you there!!

Hey, you there!!

It’s been years, but I still miss my grandmother and I will always miss her till the end. I don’t know how to start and what to write because the emptiness is irreplaceable. 

Something happened today that reminds me of her. Let me share it with you all. 

There was a meeting in our flat, attended by all the members of our apartment. One of the members was accompanied by her little daughter, who otherwise would have been left alone.While the mother was busy in the meeting, I tried my best to keep the girl engaged with games and cartoons.

I was closely watching everything the girl was doing and so was my mother. We both found an unusual behavior, which was indeed sensitive. After every few minutes, the kid was peeping through the curtain to check, whether her mother was still in our living room. My mother suddenly asked her, “What do you do when your mom is at work and not with you?” The kid replied, “When I miss her too much I give her a call.” 

This took me back to my childhood, when I used to have some priceless moments with my Grandma.

I remember, my grandmother peeping through all the rooms. It was funny to me then! But gradually I realized, she only wanted to check whether we were in the house or not. It’s not that she wanted to talk, but to see whether those people whom she called ‘the close ones’ is at home. In case she finds no one, she used to call out, “Riti, you there?” I was a very naughty kid. I silently watch my grandmother moving away. But then the way she used to turn away, always make me sad. So, I used to jump and appear in front of her out of nowhere, which was irritating to my Grandma and she complained, “toke daklam sara dilina!” (Why don’t you reply?) Stupid me, I trod away smiling and jumping. 

But today I do realize no matter how busy we are; there would always be a need for someone; for whom you want to peep through the curtains or check every room of your house and shout “You there?” and then see a face appearing with a smile.