The Land of Dada

First of many lessons learnt about Kol: Do not bother with blow dries and hair styling. On a rainy day such as this, all it took was five seconds out in the humidity and poof went my silky straights into a state of dishevellment, frizz and horror.

We got our phones recharged at the same hovel we had purchased our number. Why we keep reappearing at thus hovel, my friends, is simply because it happens to be the closest source of all goodies Airtel to our present accomodations. Speaking of accomodations, in a room behind the library I spoke about earlier, is the billiards room. And all the cues largely headless. What I'm trying to say is, if you were to hit a ball with these metal tipped sticks, you would most likely damage the ball and have your opponent laugh at you. We shared a cue and played a casual game. Your author made a few points herself (even made a few flukes look like pro work).

Perhaps one of the most incredible things about Kolkata is that you can buy the most beautiful chocolate fudge cake - 500 gms, chocolate sauce, shavings and the works, for a mere hundred and fifty rupees. And this can be substantially disorienting for an ex-Delhiite. Delhi bazaars wont let you smell, nay, look at cake for anything less than 200. And the purchase was made at one of the upmarket bakeries, not at a corner store with fly infested shelves.

If ever a claim was made that cricket could sell, and I mean really sell, it would find adequate citation in this city. Advertising uses cricket as often as language itself. A leading newspaper compares a drop in the competition's circulation to a dropped catch. Indian Premiere League sponsors continue to find a crowd with an enduring IPL hangover. Mahendra Singh Dhoni grins at you from every fifth billboard. Theme restaurants (not just Saurav's) and pubs abound. Cricket is everywhere. It's reassuring, all this love for the sport. I am someone for whom the fleeting glimpse of Eden Gardens through bushy trees and branches was like pilgrimage.