Kolkata

Kolkata, the city i chose for next 2yrs of studying. Coming out of Howrah station, i saw yellow cabs speeding all around. At prepaid taxi booth, i realised that fares here are quite high. As i headed towards Howrah bridge, 'rabindra setu' they call it, first thing i noticed was the piles of garbage on roadside. It was stinking badly. I heard it say, "welcome to kolkata". As the cab sped, i saw wide roads, footpaths being used as homes & the garbage. It took me just few hrs to conclude that, most inseparable thing from Kolkata is not 'rasgulla', its the garbage. I saw corporation taps vomiting gallons of water on roads, no option of closing them. People taking bath there, some washing there clothes & others cabs. Rickshaw pullers running with passengers, bell hanging on their waists. It is hot & humid as hell here. The agony being, humidity without a seashore. Once i reached the destination, i realised that people here work according to their convenience. Nobody thinks about others, everyone minds their own business. There will be very few hands coming forward if one asks for help.
In morning the roads are occupied by vegetable vendors on one side & fish vendors on the other. People moving towards their workplace. There are many buses for local transport, most operating privately, desperately seeking for passengers. Trams runs on the same road in their tracks. Metro trains are non-AC, not working after 930pm or something. Standard of living is not so good. Tobacco is consumed like anything here, many chews, others smoke. Smoking in public offices is a common thing here. Here umbrellas are used more for the sun than rain
& even in rain u get more wet by sweat! People never hesitate to ask for money or bribe, u can say. One person i saw working most sincerely here was a traffic cop. Stands on the road from early morning to night, directing the traffic. People talk very loudly here & u cant beat a bengali in verbal fight.
Football runs in veins of kolkata. You will find kids wearing FIFA tees, people talking about how Holland beat Brazil on streets. Large posters of Kaka, Messi, Klose & others hanging all around. People gathering around TV set placed roadside or any political party office, enjoying world cup matches. Every newspaper giving large coverage. Cricket never occupies front page here. Most theatres screen bengali movies.
Now the food, they eat rice & fish. That's it. Chicken, meat & egg for change. Eating veg is a sign of poverty here. Veg essentially means potato. In small hotels veg dishes occupy less than 10% of menu space. Mustard oil is used in most places. But sweets are really sweet here. That is what i am completing my meals with, almost everyday.