a dream called kolkata

Paagla Dashu

Natasha (not Ramgorurer Chhana - read my post more carefully.... ),

How does it feel? Thats a good question.

Many things are still the same .....but many are not.

Unfortunately, earning levels do not seem to have kept pace with the new shopping malls, facilities, restaurants.....so Kolkata is less "Bangali" than Calcutta was. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that.....but just an observation.

natasha chanda acharya

Did you go and edit the Ramgorur bit, or did I actually read it wrong?

back to topic... Exactly my point.
I would be very sad if bengalees (for me, that is people living in calcutta, not necessarily bengalees) were to slowly loose their love for a spot of argument, for adda, for a room full of books without any place to sit, for food, for life, for culture, for art and exhibitions and fair, for inexpensive living, for the art of bargaining and haggling.... you know, that kind of stuff... and were to turn into metropolitan citizens.
With more and more industries opening up, there is a huge influx of people from the North, who come from an entirely different value system. flashy cars, big houses, buying power. I mean, think about it. Would you love shopping in Gariahat or New market, if everything were "fixed price" and you go, you browse, you like something, pick it up and pay for it. I wouldn't. And it's not because i can't afford it. I can do that kind of shopping anywhere. It's just the pleasure of taking to the hawkers and vendors and shopkeepers, long timers will know their names, they will know your family, you will chat about this and that, complain about a few thins, haggle over the price... It is what lends the character to a place. And if the character of Calcutta is lost, it will just be like any other indifferent big city. And I would hate for that to happen. Calcutta is still Calcutta because people still care. But is that changing, is my question.

Paagla Dashu

- No I did not edit it.

- You will not like the answer - but the sad truth is.....it is (changing)

I remember the time (not in 1960s - talking about 1992) when most office workers could eat lunch for 5 - 10 rupees and luxury was to eat lunch at one of the "posh" places for 20 Rs.

today, the BPO crowd in Salt Lake thinks nothing of paying 75 -100 Rs for Lunch (rather Dinner) - I have a 23 year old cousin who works in a call Centre.....for him its perfectly normal.....

Most new Shopping Malls are impersonal Department Stores or shops selling branded clothes.....its different

even in tangar, the Chinese Restaurants have started becoming very upmarket.....the food is still delicious....but the prices and the atmosphere is like restaurants in any big city.......

Sree

This is a nice thread indeed, good translation of the poem by Jibanananda Das.It is really nice effort. Here is a link which may help persons who have interest on Bangla(not only the language, but also the land.).

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~achatt1/poem.html

sadhuji

from your writings i get a feeling that you love kolkata really dearly. i do not know how long you were here or when you left the city - but, natasha, rest asssured that the uniqueness of kolkata will remain forever. one cannot just wish it away.

sadhuji

actually, i visited a market in kolkata after quite a while.

earlier, the vendors used to cut large fishes to size (by large fishes i mean those weighing around 25 kg) - rohu, katla, ardh etc. as also hilsa. i had never seen them shell prawns or lobsters! neither did i see them descale and clean the internals of small fish!

Paagla Dashu

I have some of the sketches ...but hve no idea how to insert them in a post. Anybody knows how?

Paagla Dashu

Amolkanti
Nirendranath Chakrabarty

Amolkanti is my friend.
We used to go to the same school.
Amol used to be late everyday, never could finish his homework
If the teacher asked him to recite the number tables,
He used to look at the window with such surprised innocent eyes,
We felt sorry for him.

Some of us wanted to become Professors, someone a Doctor, someone a Lawyer.
Amol wanted none of that.
He simply wanted to be sunshine.
That ray of the sun, that lingers on the leaves of the banyan tree like a shy smile, after the afternoon shower, after the crows have flown home.

Some of us have become doctors, some are professors, someone is a lawyer.
Amolkanti could not become Sunshine.
He now works in a dark dingy printing press.
Occassionally he comes to meet me -
We have a drink, gossip and then he says, "see you then".
I see him off to the door.

The one who teaches now,
He could have easily become a doctor.
The one who wanted to be a Doctor,
Would have hardly cared if he actually became a lawyer.
Still, everybody had their wish, except Amolkanti.
Amolkanti could not become sunshine.
Amolkanti, who kept thinking of the bright rays of the Sun,
Amolkanti, who wanted to be Sunshine.

(Apologies for the poor translation by Paagla Dashu)

Sree

Great translation Pagla.
I just can say "Superb"

Paagla Dashu

Thank you. Its embarassing.

Really.

sadhuji

my dear pagla dashu,

i wonder if there is a second person like you who has such a hold over bengali poetry of nirendra nath chakravorty, jibonanando das and sukumar roy. an enviable combination indeed. my hats off to you.

natasha chanda acharya

pagla, My God! How old are you?
I can't imagine anyone in my generation with that kind of repertoire.
Amazing. I am totally floored.

Sadhuji, I am a probashi, born and brought up in Ranchi. I went to Calcutta for my college and then stayed on, started working there, got married there... in all 9 years filled with lots of good friends and family and wonerful memories. And to your "can't wish it away..." Inshah Allah!

Paagla Dashu

Hey, hey,

Hold it right there. I do not deserve all that praise. I do not know much about poetry - though I like to read them. I found out the poems (Bengali Script) on Internet. Where I could not find an English translation, I made an attempt at transliteration. Its not all that great.....

I am 40 (yeah...BIG 40 two months back) - grew up in a small town - was spoilt at Kharagpur and then became one of the rats in the race.

Our culture and literature has so much to offer but we are so bad at presenting it to others.....

somnath

Limitation to present our treasure to the other parts can’t be ignored, but Paagla, I salute your efforts and willingness as well as the awesome result. It is my humble request to you DO NOT STOP.

Natasha, may be you or Sadhuji or Paagla is away from Kolkata and reading news papers those says Kolkata is changing and you are thinking this will ruin the real flavor of ‘our Kolkata’. Don’t worry, despite the new flyovers, multiplex or luxurious hangouts and so on, which will change the outer look of the city and provide more cosmopolitan options but as I said earlier, we are there to keep the Kolkata live as it is mentioned by Shankar, Jibanananda, Satyajit Ray or Premendra Mitra. So, please come to Kolkata once again and feel the unchanged changes .

Sadhuji, hats off to your observation, each and every changes are reflected in your post.

Nice link, Sree. Thanks for sharing with us.

- Somnath

Paagla Dashu

Thanks everyone.

While I enjoyed your encouraging words, I have a feeling, these literary attempts by me should come to an end.