All good things come to an end and so did my stay in Kolkata. I was feeling a strange leaving the city, this city of my ancestors. The roads and people were looking uncannily familiar. I have been here for only 2 months but have gotten far closer to the people and places than I would have if I was in some other profession. And the people were all the ones that don’t care to put up much of a fake face. These are the people of the streets. The ones that live life the hard way. Salesmen, shopkeepers, small time businessmen or the few well off guys who didn’t care the same coz they were busy playing chess. The Market place and Chess were the 2 places where I met them and got to know them. Now I am leaving it all behind. One of my friends from Chess was coming to the airport to see me off. A good 1 hours travel from my place. He was worried that his girlfriend would be mad that he was not meeting her on time. I had managed to make a preemptive strike. Sweet talked her into letting him off the hook for the evening. What some people do for love?
Another fella called when I was just next to the chess place. Asked if I had left. He saw us waiting in the taxi at a redlight and came in running. We pulled him in as well. So there I was going to Dum Dum airport with my two good friends….off to leave the city behind me. Strange it felt because I did not expect that I would feel this way at leaving this city. This city of my ancestors…where I knew no one. But I did. It had some strange pull in it. Like some magnetism…..a pull for a long lost and then found and then lost again son…I like to think.
I reach the airport and say good bye to my friends. Long hugs and best wishes….. and some waves later….
I wait for my flight..listening to the same tracks that I used to listen to when I was working in the field. And then the plane comes and I take off…..
Good bye Kolkata….It was good.
tata
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