The City of Joy

Its been a while since I dropped in here and while I was thinking what do I write about -the idea that popped was KOLKATA! There is so much to tell and so I decided I would present it this way:One entry about Kolkata ,the culture,the people ,life style etc. and the other post about my wonderful experience at Kolkata.And here it goes about Kolkata :)
SHAGOTOM:)
Food:
Starting with my favourite topic FOOD ;) Whatever the dish is, its cooked with mustard oil.Well it does not smell great while you are in the process of cooking as the oil gives a pungent smell ;but when the dish is ready its good :)
The PG in which I stayed served proper Bengali food for breakfast ,lunch and dinner.Roti and sabzi is there all the time -breakfast ,lunch and dinner! Rice is also taken often with dhal.
And one more fact is that everyone has non-veg almost everyday which looked kinda new to me cause in south India thats not the case! When at home they consume fish and other sea food and out at restaurants Chicken gets the preference. An interesting fact is that Fish is considered to be a vegetarian item by most Bengalis !!
A lot of variety is shown when it comes to sabzi as roti is consumed the most.And most of the sabzis have potatoes in them!So in case you are a vegetarian,not to worry!The veg sabzis are as tasty and creative as the non-veg dishes. I used the word creative cause the spices they use and the recipe they follow has its own true style to give a unique taste that is mouth watering and wants you to have more!
MISHTI(Sweet):
Now comes the best part of food!!! SWEETS!!!



There were a bunch of my friends and relatives asking me to get them loads of 'roshogolla' while returning from Kolkata.I was like "Whats so great about roshogulla???I mean you get it even here!!!" I was wrong!!! The original flavour from Kolkata was totally different from what we eat at other places.I am a person who does not like sweets but those roshogullas were so yummy that I used to have 3 at a time but still feel I've not got enough!!! Apart from roshogullas there were a lot other varieties of milk sweets whose names I don't remember(trust me there were so many of them and all so very tasty!!).


Raj Bogh was another kind of sweet thats as good as roshogulla and prepared almost the same way with a few changes in ingredients.

LifeStyle - Culture,Festivals and Language:

The life style at Kolkata seems to be a bit different from what I've seen at Chennai.The outlook of people ,the food and dressing habits -in everything there seems to be a difference ! Everyone likes to dress up in bright colors and any kind of function or festival looks really glistening with bright and vibrant colors.I heard from a friend that Bengali marriages take place for about 4 days and they have lots of formalities and rituals going on with a lot of fun and frolic :)

Temples:
I could hardly find any temple other than Kali Temple (Birla Mandir being an exception).

Photo courtesy:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/30/60774301_60ce372993.jpg?v=0
Dakshineshwar is the most famous temple at Kolkata .The temple stands majestically on the banks of the Hoogly river with a rich combination of maroon roofs and off white walls that rise really high giving the temple a divine look.

Photo courtesy:http://www.greencitizens.net/news/photos/226917642125463852210.jpg
The most important and famous festival is the Kali Puja which happens in the months of October or November.Though I didnt get a chance to witness it I heard lots from my Bengali friends about the significance of the puja.



On the banks of the other side of Hoogly river is Belur Math ( headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission)which is a really peaceful place where you are now allowed to talk loud and silence is observed. You could go during the day time to explore the intricate carvings and the wonderful architecture of the math ; to experience the stunning beauty , visit the Math in the night when it gets glistening with the lights.
Now an interesting fact:Bengali is the fifth most commonly spoken language in the world!! The script seems to resemble that of hindi -replacing the curves in hindi script with sharp lines.It also sounds more or less like hindi just with a little alteration: 'aao' or 'o' is used in the place of 'aa' .For example : karo is Hindi becomes koro in Bengali; similarly bandh in Hindi is bondho in Bengali. Not all words sound similar to hindi but quite a few!

Miscellaneous :

The best part of Kolkata(according to me) are the old buildings left by the British! A lot of my friends told that Kolkata has all old buildings and there is nothing great about it- but those old ,I-might-crash-any-time buildings were the ones I really loved about the place.NOSTALGIC is the perfect word to use and I liked the feel :)

Various modes of transportation is available at Kolkata just like in the other cities of India but the mode of transport available only at Kolkata are the TRAMS.They looked nice on the outside but a little funny on the inside with really huge fans and wooden seats and windows. Ferry transport is also common at Kolkata. Cycle Rickshaws are the most common mode of local - short distance transport . In Chennai,the last time I travelled in a rickshaw was when I was 10 years old and all of a sudden they reduced in number. But it was a different case at Kolkata.They were plenty in number and different types were there .

I would not say 'that's it about Kolkata' because there are lots and lots but this was what I could learn and gain in a span of 45 days at Kol and I loved and enjoyed each and every bit of my stay :) I wish I get a chance once again to go back there and explore more about the culture and values of Kol and learn a few more Bengali words apart from a few of these:

Kemonache(how are you)

Bhalo achi(am fine)

Ami tumai bhalobashi(I love you)

Ki Korchis(what are you doing)

Maramari korchi( am fighting)

Tumi ekta boka(you are a fool)

Shorro(move)

aasthe(slow)

Ikat thamon(stop here)

Ki bolchis(what are you telling)

Kichu na(nothing)

And finally dhonnobad to all my Bengali friends who helped me come up with this post :)