Oh Calcutta! My First Love
Oh, how much I love Calcutta — the place and geography, but even more the warm-hearted, cultured, passionate Bengali!
A true story from my childhood (how long ago that was)!
My father was a cricket aficionado, and Calcutta was a cricket lover’s paradise.
Once, in an India vs West Indies game there arose a tense moment: the umpire’s call in favor of West Indies.
One passionate spectator most emphatically made his displeasure known.
Like setting matchstick to kindling. A swiftly growing crowd of people shouting, gesticulating, threatening to set the stadium on fire. One terrified little girl shrinking into herself.
Two young men saw that terrified little girl, let loose a string of chaste Bengali sentences, chastising the fire-breathing bhadralok.
Immediate, total silence.
Cricket-loving father and scared young girl settled back into the game.
This is the Calcuttan: strongly passionate, deeply compassionate.
Truly, the soul of a city resides in its people.
