Her City of Joy

It would be a busy day..hufff.. thought Naina. She checked the time restlessly, cursing the traffic and administration, shooing away the occasional knocks in the cab window by the traffic vendors and beggars.  She much reach office in time. Protests in the streets during office hours have worsened the condition. She is feeling uncomfortable in the Michelin jacket that she bought recently, fanning herself occasionally. She had obviously overestimated the winter in the city before buying it. She hastily reaches out to the calendar in her phone to check the schedules for the day. Suddenly something caught her attention and gave her a chill.

It was the date.  It has been four years now. She remembers how she used to plan for months ahead of this day then. The cake, the flowers, the food, the venue, the gifts, the guests.. all were done secretly and executed perfectly. She liked to see the astonished smile on his face which made her feel so very proud of herself.

She remembered the times when she dated him. The hopping around the city bunking college, tea from the road side tea shops, the auto rides, the travelling in tram to un-decided destinations. She liked the freedom and the adventure by simple bunking classes .  She was introduced to the city holding his hands. The Victorian book stores, coffee houses, the places of historical significance, Esplanade, Gariahat, Eden gardens, the metro , Nandan.. the crowded central and north Kolkata, the taxis, the “aste ladies”..the typical bengali accent, the adreesing strangers as "Dada and Didi"s. She used to be so anxious seeing the unknown faces around at first, the crowd she was not used to seeing. Being born and brought up in a small town, where everyone knew each other, she took almost a year to become acquainted with the city and to fall in love with it later.

The traffic has started moving. She looked around. The same streets where she used to walk holding his hands seemed unfamiliar now with the newly constructed flyovers all over, multi-storeys and shopping malls popping up here and there. She has grown up so much as a person since then along with the city. She is no longer her timid, innocent self. There was something in the city which made her stay back. It has a soul of its own. Always happy, always moving, always friendly. She felt warm walking in the same streets alone. She never ever felt the city was mocking at her. The unfamiliar faces around didn’t seem so unfamiliar now.

The city puzzled her as a newcomer but later it aroused a feeling of nostalgia while she was away. May be that is why it was once named “The City of Joy”, the city which she proudly call hers home now.