A dream called Kolkata

There have always been few places which have remained a distant dream for me. And Kolkata tops that list. I've often wondered why am I so attracted to that city. Pondered over it and visited the city in my dreams. It still remains a question with no one correct answer. So I simply jot down few things about Kolkata that fascinate me.

Land of Rabindranath Tagore and Mother Teresa
There is a passion for words in me since times immemorial. In school when we were taught our National Anthem, I used to often wonder at the brilliance of its lyrics. Soon, I came to know it was composed by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. I used to ponder about the life of this great man in Kolkata. How it would have been back then!
Words would probably fall short if I talk about my respect for Mother Teresa. A symbol of true love and compassion, I would love to visit her ashram in Kolkata.

Swami Vivekananda's influence
Very rare you find such people who spoke and wrote a century ago, and left an overwhelming impact on the reader of today. Swami Vivekanada was a true leader who today also inspires innumerable people by this thoughts. I read his literature on Raj Yog, Karma Yog and the methods of meditation. The very fact that he belonged to Kolkata, brings a feeling of intellectual respect for that place.

The filmi connection
Bollywood has seen many excellent movies directed by few talented Bengali film directors. Starting from Satyajit Ray and Hrishikesh Mukherjee to Dibankar Banerjee and Sujoy Ghosh- their movies have always been unique. I don't know how their movies did at box-office, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.

They are Bengali
There are many of my friends who are Bengali or are from Kolkata. Bengalis have a natural sense of self which is very typical to them. They are all smart and have flawless skin (which they get by eating fish regularly). And most of the Bengalis have some passion for some art, which I truly respect.

About fish and puchka
I love fish. The subtle taste of fish is so remarkable that chicken can never beat it. Especially Bengali preparation of bhetuki paturi is out of the world.
In his column Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi, he said, Kolkata has the best version of pani- puri called puchka. I relish pani-puri from the bottom of my heart. It is a dream for me to go and have that puchka.

These are just few remarkable things about Kolkata. Am sure if I actually visit the city, this list would become endless and would surely give me a reason to return back to the city of joy again!