Kolkata safe for women drivers???

Time: 10.30 am
Place: Salt Lake Sector 3, near Stadium
Bus No: WB 02 Y 1928

The road is itself bad, horrendous. Anyone travelling that route will know your car is at a risk if you dont go at 20 kmph. I was coming from byepass road toward Salt Lake, travelling to office near PNB. The bus was one of those private buses ferrying people to office in Sector 5. As I was negotiating the potholes, I was at the extreme right of the road, almost touching the divider but for a few inches. I saw the bus hurtling down from behind me, and slowly inching right, directly towards my car. I honked with all my might, braked, stopped. the bus simply came and hit my passenger door.

Of course I was not at fault. And hence, of course, I had to do something about it. My passenger door was anyway quashed. But I wanted to take the driver to the police. I drove right in front of the bus, in the middle of the road, the bus was trying to swerve and flee... and stopped. There was enough space on both sides for traffic to cross, I had made sure of that. I got down and approached the driver. Even then I could see men hanging their heads out of the window shouting at me to move. Then it started.

The men ranged from my age- early 30-s to late 50-s. They surrounded me, first 5 then 10 then slowly maybe 25... surrounded me and started shouting, abusing, just short of touching. I said call the police, I want this sloved. The moment I said police, they started banging on my car. I was inside the car then having taken down the number of the bus. They started hitting my car on all sides, screaming at me to move. They started pushing my car. A mob of grown educated working men... they were getting late for work.

I made one mistake. I did not take photos. My camera phone was there. I wish I had taken the photos of the screaming mob and posted them everywhere so that employers would see them, families would see them. Men, employees, surrounding a lone woman in a car and abusing her, trying to intimidate her into moving away. This is what men in Kolkata do. Nincompoos, good for nothing backboneless savious of society. All rise.

Shishu Sadan, Thakurpukur

Priyanka is a student of Class 9. She writes- poems and short stories. Her poems are well thought out protests against social ills, against smoking, or a call to youngsters to rise and serve their country. Her stories are memorable, full of ghosts and villains and innocent girls. She is bright for her age. She sings a little, dances a little. She could have a bright future, maybe graduate with honours if she tried, and study further and have a good career of her choice. She has a career of choice. She wants to be a nurse. She will complete her 10th and go for nurse's training. Why, you ask? Priyanka is an inmate of Shishu Sadan, an orphanage, that she was sent to when she was 5, by her mother. Her mother is the only earning member of a family of four and could not afford to keep her at home.

In Thakurpukur, near the Cancer hospital, tucked away is this home for needy girls. With an inmate count presently of about 100 girls, between 5 and 18 years of age, it gives shelter to girls who have lost either or both parents, or are too poor to be sustained by their family.

The girls go to school in nearby areas, education is in Bengali board. They are sent here by relatives or aquaintances and probably get the childhood here that they would have otherwise lost. They study, play, sing and dance, cook and do some gardening too.

The orphanage is not in very pristine condition though. The main rooms are fine, though like very old homes without maintainance, they have paint peeling off the walls showing plaster, furniture a mix of metal, wood and plastic. There is a 'teacher in charge', a lady in her 50-s who, the girls told me, takes good care of them, much like a mother. The caretaker is a man of 45-ish, and seemed to me to be kind and simple, with the wellbeing of the girls as his primary concern. Apart from that I did not get the necessity of the presence of the couple of men that I saw, one with half open shirt and bad manners, the other most probably the account keeper.

The living area of the girls have no separate gate or boundary but can be walked to easily from the reception rooms. The bedroom consisted of 2 attached sheds, with open asbestos covers. It would be open to climate influences, both in winter and summer. The bedroom seemed at that time to be quite unkempt and unmanaged, beds all falling on each other, floor unswept, untidy to my somewhat finicky eyes. Maybe I was expecting something unrealistic.

But the girls looked happy. They study and learn to sing and dance and some art, when they get some volunteer teachers, the orphanage cant afford to get paid teachers. They have a cook who they help in teams to prepare all meals. That is how they learn to cook. They have to leave when they complete their 10th standard. Some of them become nurses, others go back home and I never really got to know what happens to them. I did not hear of even one girl continuing studies. They are too poor to afford it.

It is a great thing that these girls are getting a chance at life. They are not spending their childhood working i people homes as maids, getting abused, or cooking in tiny rooms with a dozen siblings to take care of. They are normal, leading normal childhoods. I just wish something could be done that they have a normal adolescence and normal adulthood, continue studies till a level, and work in respectable professions which gives them financial independence. Only that could pull them and their whole families out of the muck that is Indian poverty.

Pujo is round the corner 2

Roads are blocked already. The parallel lanes and shortcuts to Southern Avenue have become a traffic trap. You run into half blocked roads if you dont know what to avoid. By lanes leave only one car width space and during peak hours when all roads are busy, it becomes horrific. Gariahat is buzzing. The usual throng has swollen to 4 times its size. Pandals are being built. Last minute shoppers are in their usual frenzy. Its mayhem out here. And we are lovin it.

Pujo is round the corner

Pujo time is here... as of today 25 days to go... and nothing remids you of those 5 days than white clouds on blue skies. E M Byepass is usually a pain to cross in office hours. A 10 minute drive on empty road takes up almost an hour. But nowadays this is what I have for company.

This was taken standing in a jam at the Ruby crossing. But the best views are just before you get on the Chingrighata flyover. The horizon is so wide you can see the curve of the earth here. Green fields, blue sky... it almost makes me cry on some days. This is what I will miss of my city most when I leave.
Btw they are widening the roads at both the Ruby and Science city crossing circles. Finally!!!

New Bookstore- Odyssey

Odyssey is the newest chain to start operations in Kolkata. They have set up shop on Anwar Shah Road, opposite Navina Cinema Hall. The ground floor of this swanky structure has the book shop, the first floor has stationery and childrens section while to second floor has music, perfumes, watches and home decoration. A cafe is set to start serving soon.

The staff is very courteous, to the point of embarassing me into buying something... but they should have a pat on the back for their politeness and helpfulness. I went with a baby and had very little problem, with all of them coming forward to babysit while I browsed.

The collection is not bad, though I still think it does not better Crossword. But it can give a shop like Starmark a run for its money.

Ladies Of Calcutta

Hey Ladies & Gentlemen,
Do you know there is this old song dedicated to the laides of Calcutta. I am quoting the lyrics below. I have an UPits colleague who loves Kolkata, he spent sometime there in the 60s or so. He told me about it and then I did a google. So here goes the song....

Calcutta
I've kissed the girls in Naples;
They're pretty as can be.
I've also kissed some French girls
Who came from "Paree."
The Spanish girls are lovely;
Oh, yes, indeed they are.
But the ladies of Calcutta are sweeter by far.
The ladies of Calcutta will steal your heart away;
And after it is stolen, you'll say--I've kissed the girls of Naples;
I've kissed them in Paree;
But the ladies of Calcutta do something to me

I know the words are rather silly. But that song was a big hit in 1960 and apparently busted the charts again in 1967. And hey I like it and being one of the Calcutta ladies I am really excited to discover this.I nipped it from this blog http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2007/03/ive_kissed_the_.html

Books, bookstalls and lending libraries of Kolkata

I am searching for a cheap lending book library near my office in Delhi. In vain. In Delhi cheap and near-by are two alien concepts, which the city or its population never seems to have heard of. Anyways while searching in the Internet and asking people around, I cant help but compare the situation with Kolkata.

If I say every nook, crany, para (moholla) of Kolkata has its own pet library and book lending facility I would not be exgarrating at all. Read on a bookworm's experience.

A bookworm like me could hardly be satisfied with the ration of one book per week that our school library had fixed for us. My parents put me to Ramkrishna Mission Library, but that was also not enough. So with some fellow worms I set in search of alternate source of books. And soon enough we found it. Very near to our school was Golpark and it has lots of pavement bookstalls. So those stalls became our source of M&Bs, latest bestsellers et al.

While in school I heard of this lending library called the Orchid. But Orchid, though nothing compared to Delhi, was a bit expensive and my father refused to let me take membership. I remember how disappointed I was. The moment I started earning money through tuitions, I got a membership to this vaulted library. Now it is a tiny shop, just off the Rashbihari Raod, tucked in a by-lane. But what a treasure trove it is. Some weeks I used to visit this place as much as 4 to 5 times, take 4 to 6 books at a time. At times by the time I used to reach, they would have half the shutter down, but due to my special status as a very regular lender they would reopen their shop and let me quickly pick some books.

When I shifted to Delhi, the Orchid man was as sad as me. He invited me to srop in whenever I was visiting, but I never did go back.
I hope Orchid still survives.

No mention of Kolkata bookstalls can be complete without discussing the famed pavement bookstalls of College Street. Though I did my college which was situated on the very College Street, oddly enough I never did browse there much for books. Maybe I was not intellectual enough by Kolkata standards!

If you haven't been to the Ravindra Sarovar lake recently, well, you should. Just when we had almost grown used the dismal state of the place, it has finally gone in for a much needed makeover.
The water is cleaner than before, there are very few plastic bottles & waste material floating around, though there's still some corners which are far from clean, but it's definitely a change from the way it used to be at one time.
The seats have received fresh coats of paint, new seats have been built. The sidewalks have been repaired & paved in a rather striking manner. There's even a sculpture being built near the safari park side, which seems to be destined to become a fountain. The roads have been repaired its a pleasure to go for an evening walk on a hot day, with the cool breeze coming in from the lake.
There is the usual crowd of people coming in for a walk or jogging, in fact more & more people turn up there these days. On a Sunday, you can find kids riding their bikes, or on roller skates, or just running around while their parents catch up on some exercise or conversation with the other regulars. Dog lovers can sit & admire the several breeds of dogs that are brought for their walks by their trainers or owners, most people don't mind if you take the time to pet their pooches. Couples can find some peace & quiet without much bother, though they often carry the PDA too far. There are fewer hawkers & beggars than there used to be earlier, but there are still some people who think they have some kind of authority to irritate people, there is talk though that this problem might be taken care of soon.
It's best however, to stay near the main lake & avoid the inner circular pond "Pudda Pukur" where, apparently, exercising or walking your pet is illegal, & it's unlikely that you will find a seat or even if you do you'll probably be staring at some couple making out. Also the place is out of limits after dark as there are hardly any lights, & its quite unsafe to even walk down this fringe of Southern Avenue.

McDonalds new outlet open now

All fans of McBurger... rejoice.

On June 11 McDonalds opened a 3700 sq ft restaurant in Mani Square on the EM Byepass, near Salt Lake. This is its second outlet in Kolkata.
Its first outlet on Park Street which was gutted in a fire of 'unknown origin', is also being refubished, aimed at reopening by Durga Puja season.
The comany plans to open 15 more restaurants in Kolkata in the coming 3 to 5 years. Read the news here.

Mani Square is the next hu-uge mall in the city. Its got the usual line-up of brands, with some new names like Titan Eye. The 4th and top level has the speciality restaurants including, NOLA, Flame and Grill etc. The 3rd level has the food court. Whats new is the "horror house" which is yet to open, and the gaming zone. The car parking is large enough to handle 1500 vehicles. Watch this blog for more on this as and when it comes.

Kolkata-- My Home

I was very excited when Payal floated the idea of a blog entirely and exclusively dedicated to Kolkata. KOLKATA-- my home, the place where I was born and brought up, to express my feelings better I borrow Spivak’s words “Well, you know, I have a mother and that’s Calcutta…” (In an interview/discussion, ‘Postmarked Calcutta, India,’ [1990], Spivak stated to Angela Ingram). I wanted to say so many things about Kolkata and I felt this was the right place to do so. But ever since I have not been able to write anything.
Every time I thought of writing, I would start asking myself what do I write about--- the city herself, the educational places I went to—my school, my college, my universities, or the places I visited/visit with my parents or the places where I hanged out with my friends at various stages of my life spent in Kolkata or about new things that are happening to the city? In the middle of it, I would feel too overwhelmed and just drop it.
I was born in Kolkata and grew up there. All my education till masters has been there. I left Kolkata in 2002. I keep going back because emotionally Kolkata is my home but also practically because my parents and other family are there. But every time I go back home I find there is some change—a new bridge has popped up, a road has been turned one-way only, few more portholes in the roads, the people are little more ruder and hassled, the city a lot more dirtier, more old houses demolished to be replaced by fragile looking multistory buildings, latest shiny mall just next to a slum, another crazy government scheme being tried out, one more useless, destructive bandh around the corner…the list goes on. I stare at amazement and let my friends and cousins guide me through the maze of new developments. Walking on the roads I try and identify the old landmarks—some beautiful old house, maybe a tree, an old favourite shop… ninety nine percent of the time I find these old symbols gone—a Mac Donald’s or a CCD has taken its place. People rush past me but I hesitate, I feel this structure was here only last time I came, so maybe it is still there somewhere…only I cannot find it.
Every time I am there in Kolkata I remember the eternal lines from Salman Rushdie’s about how it feels to be away from home i.e. India and in my context-- Kolkata. Rushdie in Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991. (1991), tries to recapture his lost home through his imagination “…physical alienation from India almost inevitably means that we will not be capable of reclaiming precisely the thing that was lost; that we will in short, create fictions, not actual cities or villages, but invisible ones, imaginary homelands, Indias of the mind.”
While reading Rushdie I realized this is what I actually do. When I am stuck in Delhi, trying to survive in its rude world I keep thinking about Kolkata and how my life would be so much easier there. I remember the small things like how people are friendlier, how you do not have to fight with the taxi driver unlike Delhi autowallahs (auto rickshaw drivers) so on and so forth. I remember the first six months all I did in Delhi was compare it to Kolkata and needless to say every time Kolkata won hands down.
But like every other person away from home I eulogize home a bit too much. When I am away from Kolkata, she is perfection itself—a utopia of my mind. Even slightest criticism about her gets me all defensive and ready to fight. But when I visit Kolkata suddenly the rosy picture that I created in my mind gets a little dimmed, reality takes over. The city is not all of joy; it looks shabby, downtrodden and extremely badly maintained to my critical eyes.
Lately my sense of disillusionment is tremendous with my city—all I see around me is fake development—a few malls which is taking away business from small and medium scale shopkeepers and where middle class Bengalis go to confirm their status or some such silly stuff, a few more cineplexs which have made cinema watching a very prohibitive and expensive affair, some fancy restaurant opened, one more designer/ brand opening a show room in the city and some more multistoried buildings. Funny thing is Kolkatans are seem really proud of this. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against all of this but these are being done at what cost? Who actually gains from these-- an emerging group of nouveau riche with black money to spend rashly? But what about all those middle and lower middle class people trying to survive in the city? Isn’t the city becoming more and more prohibitive for them? What about maintaining the Bengali culture? Isn’t it getting lost somewhere in the tussle between the pseudo Bangla speaking communists and the mad rush for globalization? I remember reading an editorial in Anandabazar Patrika a few kalipujos back where Sharmila Bose had bemoaned the fact that diwali has so taken over kalipujo and her sense of disillusionment and loss when she comes home from London to celebrate kalipujo only to find Kolkata does celebrate diwali.
What about some resilience building like some solid infrastructure most importantly some really good roads, cleaning the city up (the corporation alone cannot do it, if the citizens do not grow their civic sense ASAP), get the drainage system into shape so that every time there is a heavy downpour people are not stuck in their houses for 2/3 days, maintain its heritage (stop demolishing old houses to build these monstrous multistoried buildings—every other city like Delhi, Mumbai—they all have put a ceiling on these horrible buildings, but Kolkata goes on merrily) planting some trees (look at Delhi, some judicial tree planting has dealt with the pollution problem to a large extent and also as the Congress government is claiming helps in making the weather a bit better), reopening some of the locked out mills and factories so that people can get back their jobs, deciding not be do another bandh like maybe for ever, what about maintaining some wholesome “bengalines” (there seems to be no middle way—either it is those who refuse to speak in anything other than bangla and who see great central treachery in everything or there are those who cant understand bangla staying in Kolkata) and last but my most favourite daydream stone the garbage spewing, lying, conniving, corrupt and idiotic politicians to death!
I know reading so far you may get confused and feel but then every city in India is going through this transition. Yes they all are, but I can say about Delhi that here all this transition is balanced with growth, new roads, over bridges, new suburbs, new buses—these things do keep coming up to supplement the other part. Sadly I don’t see that in Kolkata—there it is all lopsided. And I fear if it continues to go like this one day this city of joy would crumble and then no amount of crying can save it.

Restaurant- Comics- Off Southern Avenue, near Menoka Cinema hall

This is the continental restaurant from the chain which owns 6 Ballygunj Place (Bengali) and The Wall (Oriental).
Ambience/Decor- That this cute little place is aimed at kids and kids-at-heart is quite obvious from the decor. Cartoons line the walls, all old favourites, Tintin, Asterix, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, to name some. Its good time-pass to read the walls while you are waiting for the food. Disco balls in one corner and etched glass partitions enhance the feeling of nostalgia, while the music is very 80-s. Comfy sofas and wide tables is all the better. Attention to detail- the tables are black boards, and there are chalk holders and dusters on every table. Scribble away while you wait for your food once you are done reading your favourite comic strip. Parking space is the narrow road in front, so on rush days may be a head ache.
Service- Definitely good. Service was quick and the waiters knew the restaurant specialities. One compaint, the guard ran to our car while we stepped out, almost pushed us out of the way to open the door, and demanded 10 Rs at the end of the futile exercise.
Food- Good continental fare. The portion sizes are large, so one order can be good for two. Chicken starters are crisp and tasty. Their drinks are tangy and worth a try, no alcohol of course, this place is for kids. I know its a sin, but I was too full to order dessert... next time, maybe. They didnt have caramel custard though, I wonder why, in a conti-speciality restaurant!
Pocket Pinch- On the expensive side. There are no alcoholic drinks. So dinner for 2, with fizzy drinks, starter, main course and dessert will be around 800 Rupees.

Park Street- Stay safe if alone

Not yet midnight and Park Street is flowing with drinks and the PYT-s clad in little somethings. Im in a salwar suit, for godsakes... coming out from a late night formal meet with husband in tow. Just crossing The Park in front of the paan shop is a group of fatso-s, average height 5'3''. I hurry towards the car, traffic is usually a mess at this time of night on weekends. "EY HEROINE. CHALTI KYA" comes the comment from the dwarf group behind me. On auto mode suddenly I swing around and walk toward the group. Immediately they start looking like trapped animals, guineapigs. My husband (thankfully, a 6 foot 160 pound-er) is just approaching the paan shop. As he sees me he realises something's wrong and catches up. The tallest in the group of 6, about 5'6'', is left to do the negotiating with my husband, who takes charge, while I stand fuming... well, because Im not being able to create the scene... and tapping my sandal on the kerb. "We are all family men, saar... Jaane dijiye". Yeah, right!!! Anyway, the paan shop seemed a better bet at spending time and energy, so we veered that way and munched our way back to our parked car near Flury's.

BTW, The Park's renovation does not seem to end. Its a mess with people and cars using the same narrow path in, with guards literally running after bikes which are not allowed inside. More so at night when most of the crowd is half drunk.

The black Knights go down in a blaze of glory

Their armour was still showing chinks and its a little rusted at the edges... but the Knight Riders made sure that the next days newspaper could not trash them much, or at all. At least Dada made sure. The uncanny knack of answering them with his bat whenever the time seems worst... Sourav Ganguly was a joy to watch in the final overs of the Kolkata teams goodbye match.
Saturday night the Knights put up at ITC Sonar, sans their franchise owner this time, while the Kings (Punjab team) was seen at The Park... their capitaine and the star bowler (at least) partying at the Roxy till the wee hours, and their franchise owner, the Zinta Babe, coming in to urge them to go sleep. Priety's other half, the delectable Ness Wadia, was seen too, at the safer Atrium, the coffee shop. Well, its been seen in sports that late night partying is usually not good for next days match. Rule stands. Hah!

Restaurant- Tero Parbon- Bengali Food

Tero Parbon
Food- Bengali. More or less tasty, their fish items are better than others. Mutton is sometimes slightly undercooked. The portions are small, one is good for one person only. The Pineapple chutney is a must-try. Their 'hilsa festival' in the season, is good.
Ambience- With Rabindrasangeet, antique pieces here and there, and Tagore's paintings, they have tried with some success to make it very old Bengal. The seating could be better, there are no sofas and can be vey difficult with children.
Pocket Pinch- Not very expenslve, but as portion sizes are small it sort of balances put. Meal for two with a starter, drink(non alcoholic), main course and a sweet dish, would be about 600 Rs. Not including specials like prawn etc.

Kolkata Travel- Mandarmani

For all those who think Digha is the only beach in West Bengal, here is a resounding WRONG. Almost as far as Digha, about 140 kms from Kolkata is Mandarmani, or Madarmani, as the locals call it. I read somewhere that it is the longest motorable beach in India. Grossly under publicised (which is a good thing, seeing Bakkhali's condition now), this stretch of heaven just never seems to end. Virgin sand takes on another meaning.

REACHING THERE- From Kolkata via Kona Expressway, via Mumbai Road to Kolaghat. Then Contai. Take Digha route. On the Kolkata-Digha road reach Chawlkhola. Be sure to ask directions, the left turn from this road is almost impossible to find unless you are looking for it very carefully. Once you leave the Kolkata-Digha road, the paved roads end and the bone rattling drive for 10 kms begin. Keep asking directions every few minutes. If you survive that drive, you will reach the beach and will have to drive on the beach itself for a good 4-5 kms till you reach your resorts. The beach drive can be tricky, at high tide this bit is submerged and vehicles might have to wait for the low tide. If availing public transport and Kolkata- Digha bus will drop you at Chawlkhola from where local transports are available. (Trekkers where you can hang on for dear life on the stretch). Its worth the trouble when you see the beach.

Go to this link for the wiki map of the area- http://wikimapia.org/510487/

STAY- Resorts line this beach, pick one according to your pocket. We stayed at the Sana Beach Resort. It was expensive, but very nice. Rooms were tasefully decorated, with AC, the reception area is huge and well decorated too. The food isnt bad either.

WHAT TO DO- Loll around on the beach. Some resorts have their beach beds, with umbrellas and towels. There are shacks where you will get simple yummy crab curry (they will make it for you if you order), prawns, beer, bread, eggs, packaged water and soft drinks. People drive on the beach, but ideally its not recommended due to the ecology of the area. You can walk/drive toward Digha on the beach itself until you reach a river cutting through to the sea. Its shallow enough to wade into, deep enough to have a small ride if you can convince a local boatman. We did. The resorts also have good game rooms or pools.

FOOD- As long as you keep the money flowing, there will be no dearth of food or drink. Vegetarians will have a problem, will have to stick to biscuits and bread-butter on the beach, or else get from restaurants of the resorts. All the resorts have their own restaurants.

You can google Mandarmani for more information. Lots of it available, including photos. For photos go here - http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/East/West_Bengal/mandarmani/

Kolkata Shining

A drive along Rajarhat road yesterday gave me a shock. I havent been on that road in a couple of months and the amount of work that is happening is mind blowing. Couple of swanky new buildings have come up, reflective glass and all. Trucks and tractors everywhere. Seems like in a couple of years the skyline of this part of the city is going to change forever.
The work-in-progress buildings came in stark contrast with verdant greenery which still exists along the road. Cranes (the bird category) still can be seen here. A couple of men were even farming their tiny plots of land. This was more toward the airport side than Salt Lake. But these are all bound to go. When you see the 'International COnvention Center' proudly proclaim itself, you tend to forget the greenery. You think, yeah Kolkata! Finally!!
Price of progress? Can we begin to identify what exactly we are losing? Do we care?

Gandhi-giri from Gopal Krishna

Taxis and pedestrians stop and gape at the palatial building... only its pitch dark in there.

Thats our Governor trying to measure down to commoner status, sharing in the travails of power cuts which have harrassed Kolkata- bashis for months now. Months for people living in more fortunate areas (Salt Lake, for instance). For those in godforsaken corners of the city, its always been that way. I live near Bansdroni, in a place called Brahmapur. An area which plunges into the dark ages thrice daily, for an hour at a time. Then the more affluent thank heavens for their invertors and the children of lesser gods curse increase in airconditions in the neighbourhood, while sweat pools in around them!

Back to governor house. An "island of darkness" claimed newspapers, while the governor stepped out on his spacious verandah for some hot evening air. (Its not even fresh air in that zone) The buzz on smaller verandahs in our locality was more of a fellow feeling with the Gandhi of this age. Our masters and commanders in the red building did not sympathise. The sarcasm came thick and strong if the papers are to be believed.

But as long as the power requirement of the city exceeds supply, I should say, some Gandhigiri is still needed to open the eyes of venom-spewers who run the land.

Kolkata featured in the April issue of National Geographic magazine. Take a dekko.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/kolkata-rickshaws/calvin-trillin-text.html

Restaurant- A Dash of This A Dash of That- City Center, Salt Lake

A tiny little place, as the City Center restaurants generally are. The food is cuisine of East Asian countries- Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar.

Though the space is less it has been done up tastefully with framed tiny clothes of East Asia.

Food- Its nothing to write home about. But it is different. Service is swift and polite. Music deos not go with the ambience, its Hindi.

Pocket pinch- Meal for 2- About 600-700 Rupees with a beer.
Value for money- 7/10

Restaurant- Marco Polo- Deshapriya Park

Ive been going there for some years now and the service remains impeccable. This restaurant has two floors. The lower floor has the bar and is a smoking zone but it has the better look while the upper floor is stark in comparison with no sofas and a smaller area. Suggestion- They could make it into a lounge type space.

Food- Absolutely delicious. I have not yet heard anyone deny that. Their kebabs are mouth watering, stakes are very good. The biryani is not that special, and has no variety. Its muticuisine, the logic being that they cover those places which Marco Polo may have visited on the course of his journey. So there is continental- stakes and salads, Indian of course, some Bengali, North West frontier... but menu is more or less limited.
Their desserts are good, but Im always full by the time I reach my Caramel Custard (very well made) or their chocolate mousse ( not that soft, but quite ok, very chocolatey).

Pcoket pinch- Expensive. A three course meal for 2, with a starter, two mail dishes and two desserts will cost around 1500 to 2000 Rupees.

Value for money- 7/10

Tram Tracks

Unending story?
This time its Tollygunj. The stretch from Tolly Golf Club area to Anwar Shah Road has been dug up for some weeks now, closing many exit points, reducing traffic flow to two lanes each and making it a nightmare during office hours .
This morning, hope shines, new tracks have already been laid. Still a long way to go, but hopefully once it is done the road will be drivable once again.
But once that stretch is done they are surely going to dig up the Anwar Shah crossing. Thats where the tram tracks are worst. The car literally dives down a cliff face and drives up another, hitting the bumper if one is not very careful.
And its dangerous, because no one is sure what the traffic lights signify... or even, why they are there. No one follows signals at the crossing, and I have never seen a policeman anywhere nearby.
PS- thats supposedly a highly accident prone zone. (Years back, I had lost a friend to a trucks rash driving at that very crossing, bang in front of the mutton shop)

A city diary

Have you ever googled Kolkata? Have you tried to find info on restaurants, movie halls, tourist sites, or just plain wanted to know whats on in the city. Its amazing how much info is available on any other city and how little on the cliched city of joy.
So, a city diary, because Kolkata needs some good PR.