HEX AND THE CITY

From a metropolitan Kolkata to a cosmopolitan Bangalore

I persuade myself to look at the larger picture.

When you see the larger picture, it does look easy- my decision to make an occupational transition from Kolkata to Bangalore. I have almost convinced myself that it is the right decision to make. Infact I have cajoled a part of my heart ( the one that actually keeps track of balance of payments)that on month end when I get the message on my cell phone that my account has been credited by a certain amount – the decision will be vindicated. Yep, I tell myself all this. But deep down I know the truth, leaving Kolkata took away from me something I will never get back – a life.

I arrived at the Bangalore airport on 11^th of June, 5.15 pm to be precise. The weather was cold. It will take a little getting used to. I convinced myself. I called ma and asked her how the weather back in Kolkata was, a not so logical question considering that I was in Kolkata two and a half hours ago.

“It rained a while back,” she replied.

Once I hung up, I grumbled on missing the first monsoon rains. I still remember how every time it would rain in Kolkata for a short time, the roads would be puddled with water. Traffic would be a nightmare. It just wouldn’t move. This would give everyone of those hapless commuters an opportunity to curse the West Bengal government, discuss the upcoming FIFA world cup and how ‘their’ Brazil is better than Argentina. The buses would reach their designation much later than the mandated time. But who remembers all that post a dinner of Biryani, specially ordered from Dada Boudi. Such is the life in Kolkata – simple, merry, unassuming and some would say bereft of ambition.

Bangalore lies at the extreme end of the simplicity spectrum. And expectedly so, being the tech capital India. No one drinks their tea in Bangalore over a discussion on the political turmoil or the railway price hike. Heck we can afford the hike, just get us to the workplace on time. Not that Bangalore needs local trains as much as Kolkata does. Bangalore has understood its significance in the Indian context - a tech capital that offers a chance to those who dream – and dream big. It has given its employees cars, company transport, private autos (that have meters that never run), meru cabs and to the less fortunate – a crumbling bus service too. Mind you traffic in Bangalore is worse than Kolkata and the roads aren’t any better. But Bangaloreans have not only got used to it but have subscribed to means that overcome this handicap. The idea is simple. Time is not money, it actually is more important. So spend the bucks, save the seconds. And that’s how the Bangalore dream works. Some here would argue that even Mumbai does the same. But since I have not been to Mumbai, I would not be able to tell you the difference. 

The two immediate differences between Kolkata and Bangalore ( I still haven’t got used to  calling it Bengaluru) is that after every ten minute stroll, you are likely to come up with at least 3 bars. Bangalore does like its brewery and unabashedly so. Gender differentiation set aside, both sexes line up for a drink or two in the evenings. Yes, Bangalore works hard, but then it likes to party harder – and without the guilt. In Kolkata bars are still a taboo, more so in the out skirts. The lone bar shops you do find are located so inconspicuously, you would have to lock them on your cell phone GPS.  There also prevails a sense of hypocritical guilt among the buyers  (mostly teenagers and men)- the bottles they buy are always wrapped in some newspaper or torn out magazine page.  I wonder what is the point of doing a thing if it has to be done with stealth. But Kolkata does it that way, and I don’t see the trend changing in the near future.

The other difference which immediately catches your eye is the dogs. The dogs in Kolkata are emaciated, skinny and look their part. The Bangalore breed is healthy, furry and boy –o-boy do they bark. You could find the Kolkata dogs hovering around a meat shop for some kind butcher throwing a piece of meat, or some kind girl of Presidency College buying a pack of Parle G for them. It seems no matter what they eat, the genetic composition just would not let them grow healthy.  I wonder what goes into the appetite of these Bangalore breeds. There is this dog that sleeps near my flat and the continuous rattle that he makes is enough to scare underworld dons let alone miniature crooks. The Kolkata dog on the other hand, does not look for such heroics. Its aim at the start of the day is to find a few crumbs to feed and move on, and if the hormones do their job, just screw an occasional female counterpart and raise a family.  When survival is the only option you have, ambition is not a luxury you should harbor.

I guess the Kolkata dog is just a symbol. A symbol of the need to change. Yeah, the famous Kolkata chromosome – it is time to look at your structure and pattern. I don’t know if anyone in Kolkata wants to do it but believe me, if we do start to tread the path of change, the Kolkata dream would be way bigger than any other. Mind you, this is easier said than done. We Bengalis do not embrace change with acceptance. Hell that is the reason the Left actually messed up our state for three decades and we kept voting for them.  I still cannot believe Infosys does not have an office in Kolkata! Perhaps then people would come back. Perhaps the change itself would be our answer to everyone who told us “Bhaloi korcho Kolkata theke beriye, eikhaane aar kichui nei” (You are doing the right thing leaving Kolkata. There is no future here!)

The promise of change notwithstanding, I will be back for sure. To my Kolkata, my land, my family. To the dhaak and the Durga Puja, to open views and bigger hearts. To both TMC and the Left (some would say the B.J.P). To opportunities of growth and a chance to realize the reformed great Kolkata dream.

And that perhaps will be the day we would not need to see the larger picture.