So, this is a post that's been waiting for months to make it from my head to this page. I've been in this quirky, comfortable city for about 14 months now - called it home, settled into it...I'm even planning my move out of it and what I do here, and I still don't have anything concrete about it on the Wall. That's patently unfair to a place and time that has been very good to me, all things considered.
If you're an old friend I know - or am still a stranger to - you'd have noticed that there haven't been too many posts on the Wall in the last year. Get out of the way, 72-hour workweeks, protracted projects and mind-numbing fatigue...I'm back, World!
So we'll pick up right where we left off. I'll start by showing you around.
I've been in Kolkata for over a year now. I stay in Ballygunge, which is in South Kolkata. It's beautiful and green and mostly peaceful. Sure, that traffic gets maddening on Syed Amir Ali Avenue sometimes, but because I stay at a 15 minutes' walk from where I work, life's pretty good.
Because it's show and tell, I'll let these do the rest of the talking today:
That's a rare picture - because Gurusaday Road (where the office is located) is seldom this uncluttered. And because this picture's been taken at 5:30 pm on a non-Sunday, at which time I am almost never not closeted in my office, recruiting for a living. Don't miss the yellow taxi - it is quintessentially Calcuttan. It'll make several appearances in my pictures and stories because it is a fixture character in its own right in these chronicles. Hell, the city itself is a whole personality on its own.
This is classic-8 a.m.-Syed Amir Ali Avenue. If I wake up early enough (read 4:30 a.m.), this is where I head for my jog. Between 6:30 and midnight, though, it's easier to be a pedestrian here. No, scratch that. I waited 15 minutes for the signal to change on my way back this evening. Picture's from inside a yellow taxi, of course.
The iconic Birla Temple. Quite the landmark in Ballygunge. It's perfect for breezy evenings. I'm not as frequent a visitor as I'd like to be, but something about it is reassuring...basically, I am just glad it is where it is, if you know what I mean. I really should get a better picture, though. Trouble is, you're going to have to stand in the middle of the road to get the best view, and given that the road is Syed Amir Ali Avenue...
This photo's special because it was taken the morning the monsoons broke in Cal after a long, really muggy summer. At 6, the famous Calcutta humidity was at its most unbearable. Somewhere between then and 8 a.m., the rain gods decided to smile. And how! Also, there's a lot in these pictures that is typically, uniquely Calcutta - look closely and you'll see a hand-pulled rickshaw resting on the pavement, and Communist graffiti right behind it. And, of course, the yellow taxi (fine, I'll be shutting up about those now :) ).
Two days ago, the rains were extra kind. At 4:15 in the afternoon, this is what it looked like right outside my office.
And now, for my flat.
I adore my flat. Period. I've literally never loved any place I've stayed in so much - and I've had over 10 addresses in the last 8 years, so that's saying something.
I had family over for breakfast one Sunday. This is them, in my living room. I cannot say this enough - I love my flat to bits! Just the mention of it makes me smile. :) :) :)
That's one end of my room. It's where I crash at the end of the day. It's warm, safe, cosy...and all mine. :)
My favourite nook in a house I love every inch of. Family pictures, pens and Post-Its within easy-to-grab range, keepsakes, my books, stuff I do not leave home without, junk jewellery...you name it.
That still leaves the kitchen, but I'll tell you about that later, because I think I have a whole series' worth of food-and-cooking-related posts brewing somewhere in my head.
So that was the introductory post. I have so much more to tell you. I'll be back in a blink. Know, till then, that returning to you and my blog is about the best thing to have happened to me all year. :)
It is a beautiful, beautiful afternoon. Like a gift, almost. It brought back to me all that I had lost - or thought I had lost - over the last few months. There's golden, mellow sunshine, lots of greenery, a slight drizzle. The world is happy, and so am I. A curtain's lifted somewhere. And one window has been pushed open.
For good. :)
Did I tell you the elements are my best friends?
Let's begin at the beginning, actually. You and I have known each other three years, and I haven't introduced myself formally yet. Not there, nor here. Do we need an introduction?
Let me see.
You know what, we do. I'm beginning over in so many ways. Let this be one.
So I am Crossworder. I call myself that because, as is probably obvious, crosswords are an enormous passion with me. Also because words make great playmates.
I adore the outdoors, the elements and the seasons. I love the sky and the rain. Sunshine makes me happy. Winter fog fascinates me. Nature and I are old buddies. I like my silences and space. Music is one of my biggest loves. It's playing somewhere all the time - especially in my head. I can't help hyperlinking thoughts...but I'll vouch for the great entertainment it provides...try it some day! I haven't managed the perfect stew so far, but I am especially good at desserts of all kinds. I'll pick a book over the phone any day. I am freakish about keeping things organised, but there are days when I just let it all be, just because. That's fun too...try that when you're hyperlinking thoughts. I have to explore the city after midnight one day, and explore all the hills this side of the country before I'm 27. I'm not very fond of cinnamon-flavoured gum and mint. I have a tendency to get really caught up in things that I shouldn't have touched in the first place...but because my span of attention is nothing to write home about (unless I'm doing something I have to, or want to do - especially the latter), I reach a point where I get fed up, and then walk off. But then, what's a life where you're following the rulebook all the time? Up to a certain point in my early twenties, I thought I was a career-centred woman. Now, I've figured out that I am just life-and-happiness-centric. And since the center of my existence keeps morphing into one thing and then another, I'm on a constant trip of discovery. Does it get exhausting? Sure it does, but since I never was one for staying put, it suits me fine. Mushy love stories make me sentimental when I'm watching or listening to them, and then make me roll my eyes the next morning. Oh, it’s not like I don’t believe in love...I’m probably the biggest romantic this side of the Equator…but I’ll pass on the mush and the endless loop of “Should I, shouldn’t I?”, thank you very much. Patience is not one of my stronger points (why do you think I’ve never managed the perfect stew?). I know the lyrics of all the songs and jingles I’ve ever heard more than twice…and it’s effortless. It surprises me. I’m good with birthdays too…but I am terrible with names. Terrible. Floral fragrances give me a headache, and citrus smells make me happy. I’m so clumsy I’d make a sloth bear look like a ballerina…but I am actually very good with a knife and a chopping board – I can dice three apples in under two minutes, just like that. Don’t be surprised if you see me walking down the road, grinning to myself – often, stuff that I may have heard weeks ago suddenly decides to come back to me without invitation, and I can’t help laughing again then. If you starve me of company, I’ll deal with it…but not having as much solitude as I need will drive me mad. I am an inherent traveler and student…literally and metaphorically. I’m too impulsive for my own good. I also like to think I'm more complicated and profound a person than I really am. Every now and then, I get a reality check...and grin some more. Show me a math book and I’ll run a mile…show me conceited idiots and I’ll run two (who wouldn’t?). I have a tendency to go underground every now and then, much to my friends’ annoyance…but I’d do anything for the people I love. I still haven’t been able to choose between literature and economics when it comes to identifying the biggest love of my life. Then again, I think, why choose? I’m very lucky in a million ways. I've recently moved into a place of my own, in a city I'm a complete stranger to, for a job I'm still iffy about. It's got its rough points, but I'm excited about all of it...and I love the sense of space and discovery. I think life’s one big adventure…and at the end of the day, no matter what, it’s never that bad, really.
I had family over for breakfast one Sunday. This is them, in my living room. I cannot say this enough - I love my flat to bits! Just the mention of it makes me smile. :) :) :)
