It all began in the summer of 1940s when seeds of revolution got planted in even the most common mind of a sleeping city. The city of Calcutta was at its glorious best, the biggest and most happening place east of the Suez. It got its name from kalikkhetro or the field of the goddess ‘Kali’. And in two-and-a-half centuries, Calcutta (now Kolkata), the city of the furious goddess maa Kali had grown up with a “civilisational history” of its own.
All illusions were cut and all notions were broken to herald a new beginning, a new awakening. To this day, the presence of maa Kali could be felt everywhere in Kolkata — the total anarchy, the sense of self, the destruction of all that is demonic, the desire for transformation, and the sense of liberation. The city is always open to waves of social change and individual eccentricities. Time and again, we have seen in history how the city has questioned prevailing hypocrisies, tradition and casteism. It is a city that uses the soil from brothels’ doorsteps to create its idols of Durga. Kolkata is the only city where respectable people across all age groups come to theatre to watch movies that would probably get banned in any other part of India.
In this city, there is a greater level of acceptance for romantic, idealistic pursuits and poor people. In fact, too much of materialism is looked down upon. Kolkata is also the city of senses where people do not consider pleasure of the senses to be sin. Hence, there are so many sweet shops in the city and high quality restaurants. The city — even when it’s killing you with its insanity — leaves behind a sense of adventure and fulfilment.
We could sum up the essence of Kolkata in Pritish Nandy’s words as, “Calcutta if you must exile me wound my lips before I go, only words remain and the gentle touch of your finger on my lips Calcutta burn my eyes before I go into the night the headless corpse in a Dhakuria bylane the battered youth his brains…”
All illusions were cut and all notions were broken to herald a new beginning, a new awakening. To this day, the presence of maa Kali could be felt everywhere in Kolkata — the total anarchy, the sense of self, the destruction of all that is demonic, the desire for transformation, and the sense of liberation. The city is always open to waves of social change and individual eccentricities. Time and again, we have seen in history how the city has questioned prevailing hypocrisies, tradition and casteism. It is a city that uses the soil from brothels’ doorsteps to create its idols of Durga. Kolkata is the only city where respectable people across all age groups come to theatre to watch movies that would probably get banned in any other part of India.
In this city, there is a greater level of acceptance for romantic, idealistic pursuits and poor people. In fact, too much of materialism is looked down upon. Kolkata is also the city of senses where people do not consider pleasure of the senses to be sin. Hence, there are so many sweet shops in the city and high quality restaurants. The city — even when it’s killing you with its insanity — leaves behind a sense of adventure and fulfilment.
We could sum up the essence of Kolkata in Pritish Nandy’s words as, “Calcutta if you must exile me wound my lips before I go, only words remain and the gentle touch of your finger on my lips Calcutta burn my eyes before I go into the night the headless corpse in a Dhakuria bylane the battered youth his brains…”
