The Joy Ride…

I remember the time when Delhi Metro was introduced. Delhi was the second city in India where the metro service was introduced (the first being Calcutta, of which i would be talking about).

The Delhi metro boasted of its quality service and promised to bring about a change in the perception of we Indians of the public transport in our country. The quality for sure was of the best standards and the only question that always struck my mind was that whether we people would use it efficiently or was it ahead of its time and people won’t mind spitting in and around the metro too.

For a first few days people actually did. They spit, but the best part… they were also fined.

I guess i got a bit out of track but this post refers to the Calcutta metro joy ride i experienced about a week back. I had no clue of how it would turn out to be. One reason i was not expecting much was that the Calcutta metro was introduced way back and i being from Delhi just knew what the Delhi Metro was.

The Delhi Metro

Calcutta Metro unlike the Delhi Metro is all underground and i guess this is its one superiority over the latter. When the whole world is reconstructing overhead metros to underground tunnel, i have no clue why the Delhi Metro went the wrong way in this aspect.

I boarded the train from “Rabindra Sadan metro station” upto three stoppages ahead and got down at the “Kalighat metro station” and back. The stations are just like any other Indian Railways railway station, the only difference of it being Underground. The weighing machines and the huge tracks was a sight to watch. While waiting to board the coach i was passing my time looking around the station and was delighted to note that the management has very efficiently used the sidewalls(the boundaries) and promoted the Bengali/Indian culture, art and literature. I personally feel that being an old system in place, it cannot boast of air conditioning and other such high tech facilities but surely was very much well ventilated.

I boarded the train finally and I must say that it is very efficient also. Its fast. Another point i must include is that the fare of the Calcutta metro is like really cheap. I just paid Rs. 8/- (4+4) as the total fare which would have been one side fare in the capital. Delhi Metro surely boasts of profit and high usage, but i’ll surely suggest that I was quite impressed by the Calcutta Metro also.

I’m still waiting to travel some distance in the trams here and would surely write a post on that soon. Also the road transport I used to crib about back in Delhi happens to be much more advanced than this city and I’m missing those rides to and back from college with friends in the D.T.C. buses.

So I was a happy guy after experiencing the Calcutta Metro (it did have good crowd… ahemm ahemm just like the Connought place to Delhi University line in Delhi). And i was happier when i had that ‘egg chicken role’ right outside the station. Talking about food, man… I’m hungry again.

The City of Joy… (and the story behind one perfect line)…!!!

Sometimes words are hard to find,

I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT LINE…

 

well i surely ain’t reciting the great Bryan Adams number, but just trying to come up with a reason for my highly delayed blog post.

Its been time I’m in kolkata now (27 days to be very precise, and somehow i prefer calling it calcutta!!!). My previous blog posts would take you back to my final examinations back in Delhi, after completion of which i came rushing to the city of joy for my mba from Icfai business school.

 

yeah!! buddies back home, i surely miss you all very much!!! i really do. Sometimes I’ll just sit alone doing nothing and recollect all those great memories. Love you all.

 

It was a sunday when i reached the Howrah station and was really excited to cross the all so famous Howrah bridge. i didn’t find much of traffic that day which was surely a blessing. I carefully observed the city on my 1 hour drive from the station trying to make opinions on what the city of joy had in store for me. i reached at my relative’s place where i had to stay before i shifted to my pg close to my college in salt lake.

So after freshening up I visited the college in salt lake and got a room for myself in a pg nearby where i would be spending the next two years.

Well i started up with the prepatory classes which ended on the 31st may.  This was the time when i started getting to know people and visited the nearby hotspots in saltlake like the city centre( this place is over rated i guess), nalbarn lake(the best part is that its right behind my college and the roof top canteen of our college has an amazing view of this place), swimming pool and the presidency college(the chaat and the puchkas(golgappas/pani puri and the pao bhaji was amazing). Also while travelling a couple of times to and back from jadavpur where my relatives stay i got a taste of the calcutta city, the trams, the people and the beautiful girls around, the rickety long buses, the bad driving sense of bus and cab drivers(worse than our very own blue line drivers in delhi). Trust me this is the place if u want to meet the Michael Schumachaer wanna-bes.

 

Pheww… although I’m still waiting to discover the actual calcutta city and whose description i would cover in my next blog post whenever i visit the place. And did i say beautiful girls of kolkata. Well believe it or not, the girls are surely very beautiful(atleast i found them so, and the ladies are surely very well dressed). Won’t comment on the men as they were no where close. Although according to my experience in the city so far, i find the young couples here very “kuchi ku kinds”, if you understand what it means. otherwise, never mind. But one thing for sure, people here are a bit lazier and slow compared to the other metros. No offence though.

 

I’ve also learnt a bit of bengali and can easily ask for a cup of tea at the local shop(or anything else)… dada (bhaiya/big brother) chaa (tea) aacche (hai/u have). or dada “whatever” aache.

By the way don’t get shocked, “aami bangla jaane na” (i dont know a word in bengali).

 

I’ve now started with the 1st semester and its turning out to be great already. i’m loving it.

Ohh before i forget today was the 2nd day of consecutive bandhs here in kolkata which i really found a very sad way of preotests troubling the common man. Damn the hopeless politicians of our nation would be the most polite comment on the situation.

 

I would like to thank Sachi a lot (who happens to be a senior but have been very kind, sweet and helpful. The “tea” is losing out(she knows the joke), also, she talks good, looks good and cooks good…hehehe had to mention).

thanx Ritika (i love teasing her for anything and everything, and i know she hates me)

thanx Himanshu (for those ajs(attempted/adult jokes) hehehe

thanx Baharul (the cute guy) lol hahaha

thanx shraddha (i appreciate your intelligence and genuineess (u managed to know that i’m a kameena on day one)

well i can go on but these are actually the people i’ve started knowing inside out and getting to know more day by day. There are a lot more buddies like shreyans, manish, ritu, ashima, ankan and others whom i’m getting along well with also)

Amitanshu,my new roommate happens to be a senior also and is very helpful and an exemplary guy… he’s on a vacation and i pass my time listening to music on his laptop.)

 

And the story behind the perfect line is that I had so much on my mind to write but was delaying delaying and delaying, that i might have messed up and also missed so much in this entry of mine which i would surely cover in my next blog.

Some times words are hard to find, i’ve been looking for that perfect line…