Kolkata the City of Joy – My Annual Homecoming
Being a true-blue Kolkata girl, I had never stayed away from Kolkata The City of Joy much. The first time was years ago when I used to work in Gurugram, where my son was born, and now, when I moved to Bengaluru, lock, stock, and barrel, some three & a half years ago – again due to work. But the highlight of my year remains the annual trip me and my son take to Kolkata, each December. The enthusiasm it evokes in me is akin to a tourist beginning their first Kolkata tourism spree.
The two weeks of no office or stress, no studies for my fourteen-year-old, being with my parents and brother, meeting up with childhood friends – are all contributors to the replenishment of my soul. It restores me to full strength – to take up the mundane routine of life, once again, in the new year, thanks to my annual visit to Kolkata.
Not that we don’t take trips to other places, but only someone who has grown up in Kolkata can feel the charm and pull of Kolkata. It is very, very different from the elation that a first-time visitor may feel, while on their quest for Kolkata tourism.
So what makes Kolkata The City of Joy so special for me?
The familiarity, the people I meet, neighbors who saw me grow up, and now they see my son growing up, the lanes and bye-lanes, the chatter in Bengali all around, even the air, all feel like home. My favorite vendors at the local Community Centre or the corner shop where I have egg rolls and chicken-momos; their taste, smell and authenticity remains the same, all make my home special.
Oh definitely, life keeps moving, the small shop is more jazzed up now. It is cleaner too, with more dishes added to the menu, but in essence – still unchanged. Taking my son to Park Street, glittering with lights, just like my parents used to take me and my brother. It is another memory we create every year on this annual trip. Revisiting the restaurants I used to go to as a child – sharing my childhood with my son, taking him on a Kolkata metro ride, is such a heartwarming feeling. I could reel off the list of Kolkata tourist places that I could take my son to, but I have my own list which I prefer to follow.
Also Read: Kolkata East West Metro: A Smooth Ride
Being lazybones to the max
Not to mention, no getting up early for work, or for making my son’s breakfast and lunch. Continue snoozing till Ma finally threatens to not give me breakfast, knowing very well that its ready and already served and waiting. The taste of mum’s food, soaked in love, and the fact that I needn’t worry much about my son’s needs either – after all what are grandparents there for – is the icing on the cake.
Planning a day full of fun, catching a movie with Ma, or going shopping together to New Market, making plans with friends I’ve not met for a year – but knowing that the conversation will start exactly where we had left it off- nothing beats that joy.
The amalgamation of memories, old ones revived, new ones created, my parent’s delight in pampering their grandson, the fun my son has meeting his old friends, the food we relish and miss the most for the rest of the year, the joy of nagging my brother, all combine together into a cherished parcel, that I can take back and look at – every once in a while when I feel homesick or lonesome – all these make my annual trip to my home – my Kolkata, totally worth it.
For tourists looking for a genuine Kolkata tourism experience, do read: Best Shopping Spots in Kolkata