The second wave of the pandemic has arrived and there is a complete lockdown in the city for the last month. Home is the place where my feet wander generally nowadays. This redundant loneliness is turning into vinegar. When did I socialize last time?  The days are passing in a blur to turn into a year. I miss my city’s sight and the hustle-bustle of daily life. The crowds, raging streets, chaotic people, the throbbing force and the shining towers. Kolkata is my city - the ‘City of Joy’!

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Kolkata, one of India’s largest cities, was known as ‘Calcutta’ until 2001. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges River. In the late 17th century, the British East India Company was given a trading license by the then Nawab of Bengal to operate in three villages that predated Kolkata. It is believed that Job Charnock, an administrator of the British company, was the founder of the city. The Britishers found the location ideal for trading due to the presence of the river port. There was good access to the sea and the river was wide and deep at that time. Some merchants were already present there and the Britishers started to develop constructions to convert it into a trading hub. Kolkata became the capital of British India in 1773 and served until 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi due to the growing anti-British movement and geographical problem.

Image Source - Fort William, the British East India Company Headquarter in 1828

In 1947, India got independence and the state of Bengal was partitioned between India and newly formed Pakistan; Kolkata became the capital of the West Bengal state of India. The trade was hampered heavily due to the suddenly created geographical barrier and the city witnessed tremendous social problems and overcrowding. Modern Kolkata is not extremely vibrant with economic activities but it is known as a cultural, artistic and intellectual centre. It is the city of many Nobel laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen etc.

Image Source - House of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It preserves various photos, portraits, musical records of the legendary philosopher and poet.

Various transportations are available in Kolkata. The city has the oldest operating tramway in Asia that started in 1902. The ancient trams can still be seen on the roads and the city feels strongly about the past. It is also the first city in India where the underground metro railway was introduced.

Image Source – Trams still survive here

Kolkata is famous for its delicious foods and desserts. The street foods of the city are mouth-watering. The roads are always crowded and filled with chaos. The city is known as a shopping destination and people from various parts of India come here to purchase different items.

Image Source - The street foods of Kolkata

Durga Puja celebration of the city is widely known. Durga Puja is a grand festival celebrated almost everywhere in the city for 10 days a year. Artificial palaces or temples are built in different areas and the idols of Durga, a Hindu deity remain open for visits. An extraordinary gathering takes place during that time and the city gets decorated with millions of sparkling lights and decorative items. The festival time (September – October generally) is also a pleasant time to visit the city.

Image Source – Durga Puja in Kolkata

There are many monuments, memorials and ancient buildings in Kolkata. The Victoria Memorial, dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, is a large marble building made by the British government. It has been converted into a museum and it lies in the heart of the city.

Image Source - The Victoria Memorial

The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River and it connects the Kolkata and Howrah – the twin cities. The bridge acts as an iconic symbol of Kolkata and it has appeared in numerous movies and world-famous photographs. The bridge carries a huge load daily and it is considered one of the busiest bridges in the world.

Image Source – Howrah Bridge in the night

People are crazy about cricket in Kolkata. Eden Gardens, established in 1864, is the oldest cricket stadium in India and the third-largest in the world. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000 people and the international cricket matches are celebrated with much enthusiasm.

Image Source - Packed Eden Gardens during a cricket match

People from different cities, cultures and religions are found in Kolkata. Public transport is the lifeline here. The city is budget-friendly and anybody can avail of foods and services at an affordable rate. Close neighbourhoods, freestyle conversations, afternoon siesta and iconic yellow taxis are the dominant features of the city. Although recently the popularity of Cricket has become more, the people love to play football here. The modern city is expanding in and around its vicinity nowadays and can be considered as the IT hub of the eastern part of India.

Image Source - A part of a modern Kolkata

French writer Dominique Lapierre wrote a novel called ‘City of Joy’ in 1985. It was adopted as a movie later on. Kolkata is loosely nicknamed ‘the City of Joy’ after this novel. Kolkata is a city with a soul. The old-world charm is prevalent in the atmosphere always. People like so-called intellectual topics here and you should be able to hear discussion starting from the Bolsheviks Revolution to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis in a roadside Tea Stall. The College Street of Kolkata has the largest second hand-book market in the world. If you can’t find any book there, you won’t find it inside the Atlantic Sea. Jokes apart! The city obviously gives you a different vibe.

Image Source – College Street: The largest second hand-book market in the world

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Spending time is very difficult during the lockdown. The city is in hibernation and we are still waiting for the restoration of normalcy. I started playing Upland some days back. 2330 Santiago Street in the San Francisco Bay Area in the game is owned by me. The game presents a metaverse mapped to the real-world assets and it has its own game economy. Only a few cities are available in the game as of now. It runs on the EOS blockchain. What if I get my city Kolkata in the game? The streets, roads and the building known to me can be accessed in the virtual world then. Can they introduce a bit of augmented reality down the line? Owning a space of my own city in the virtual universe would be really exciting! Pablo Picasso said that everything you could imagine was real. I look through the window. It is evening. The mighty city is covered with mist now but I can still see some towers. They are vapour kissed.

My present property in Upland

Note: The cover photo is by Martin Jernberg on Unsplash

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