Day Eighteen

We spent all day in the train. Moving toward the east resulted in an unexpectedly early sunrise and I was up and about from 5:30am. Soon after, I realized that my suitcase's lock combination was accidentally reset. I then spent the next twenty minutes trying every combination from 0-0-0 to 9-9-9 to finally unlock the suitcase and access my toothbrush. I spoke to Chikoo's mom, read my book and looked out the window for the next couple of hours before Chikoo finally awoke. Breakfast and tea came along. The little girl, Anushree, who was with us was up too and was causing havoc in her wake. We had a big chunk of our journey still ahead of us. By 10am, it felt like afternoon and we were beginning to wonder how we'd keep ourselves occupied until eight at night.

We read some more, took out our map of Calcutta and made a list of the places we want to visit and ate some more. We went up to the top berth and watched several episodes of Modern Family, Vicky Christina Barcelona (Woody Allen is a lunatic and a genius) and Chocolat. Vicy C. B. left me thinking about human desire and relationships in a spiritual, deeper sense and it picked at my mind. Chikoo and I discussed it at some length before starting to watch Chocolat. I was excited to watch this movie for three reasons. (1) Johnny Depp. (2) I just finished reading the book and I loved it. (3) I vaguely remembered seeing it years ago but hardly remembered any of it. Elaborating on point two, this book was one which sucked me in every time I picked it up. The descriptions are beautiful and palpable- be it of a person or the making of chocolate itself. I fell in love with some characters and learned to hate some. By the end of it, I felt like I knew each and every single person mentioned in that book inside out. Like as though, if I were to visit that little Chocolaterie and wait for customers, I'd recognize everyone who walked through those doors. The movie, although wonderfully made and full of commendable performances, fell terribly short of my expectations. It cut down on the story line, the background behind the characters and changed the villain altogether. I was left with a longing for more, a disappointment. But I digress.

We were on the train.

We sat and talked and talked and looked at each other and out the window and into our food trays. We sat around watching Anushree dancing about and talking non stop. We helplessly listened to slow Bengali songs that a man in the adjacent berth was playing out loud. We made several visits to the loo to answer nature's continuous call. We grew more and more restless as we approached the end of our journey. We spent the last few minutes playing Atlas, trying to keep from getting cranky. Then, finally, we reached our destination. Howrah station.

We got off, walked along with the crowd to the taxi stand where there stood a number of yellow Ambassador taxis. It was warm outside, even though it was night. We waited for a cab, got in and began to drive out of the station. We passed mini buses with 'HOWRAH' written along their sides in bright yellow, red and green. Chikoo and her mom began to point out little things to me here and there. Within a couple of minutes, we took a U-turn and got onto the Howrah bridge. It is large and intricate and really, very beautiful. Being night, it was fully lit up and the wind caught my hair. When we were on the bridge, as I leaned back against my seat to take a photo out the back window, I was suddenly struck by the fact that I was, indeed, in Calcutta. And I swear, in that moment, "We Were Infinite."

Day Seventeen

Today, I spent all morning ironing clothes, putting together my toiletries and packing for a trip to Calcutta with Chikoo, someone I've known for 13+ years, and her mom. Chikoo is a Bengali who was born in Calcutta and who spent the first six years of her life living there. Having her grandparents staying there, she's made several visits to them over the years. She's always spoken to me passionately about Calcutta, its food, its little shops, its sweets.

We've wanted to visit Calcutta together for years now- to roam the streets, to stop by every street food stall and try what they have to offer, to drop into the little stores that sell silver jewelery- and here, finally, was our chance to. If there was anyone I'd want to visit this city with, it would be with Chikoo.

Our train, the Howra Duronto, was to leave at 5:15pm from CST (Chatrapatti Shivaji Terminus). After a looooong walk along platform number 18 to find our compartment, I climbed in- suitcase and all- to find her sitting there with her parents. My parents and Ilina came to drop me off too. It was an air conditioned train and we sat there, waiting for the train to set off. With many goodbyes and vigorous waving, the train took off and there we were, grinning broadly at each other, hardly able to digest the fact that this trip was actually happening.

The train ride was quite a comfortable one. We were showered with an unending barrage of food. Tea, a sandwich, soup, breadsticks and finally, dinner. We were accompanied by an uncontrollably naughty girl of three and her mother. Although out bottoms began to ache from the lack of movement, we were cosy and excited and nothing could wipe that smile off our faces.

My picture for today is of three pairs of feet belonging to the little girl, Chikoo and me.

Day Sixteen

I took my sister out for lunch to a quaint, little Italian restaurant today called Piccoli Tortini. We ordered a bread basket, a pizza and a pasta. Each one was yummier than the other. We also got a complimentary vanilla and strawberry cupcake- simply because this little sister of mine is so cute.
The food there was delicious. It was full of flavour and the herbs and spices danced in our mouths.

What was so lovely about the experience was how wonderfully they had decorated the little restaurant. There were wooden tables with comfortable chairs clothed in cushion-y material. There were small figurines everywhere. There were mirrors along the walls and a dainty chandelier hanging from the ceiling. They served us in the most exquisite china- pure white bowls and plates, forks with tiny embellishments, wooden pizza pans. My eyes lit up as the waiter carried the bread basket toward us. My picture from today is one of that lovely cutlery.

 

Day Fifteen

Allow me to talk about the most sinful of all foods.

I went to a little roadside sandwich walah today with Bum. We asked for a chocolate sandwich and then stood by to watch him make it. (You may want to cover up your keyboard with plastic before reading on.) He took three slices of bread and laid them down. He then took a large slab of gorgeous, dark cooking chocolate. He began to slice thick strips of chocolate on one of the slices. He covered that layered slice with another and continued cutting strips of chocolate on the second slice. Once all the bread was covered up, he generously squirted Hershey's chocolate syrup on the bread. He finally covered it with the third slice and put it into the toaster. I was already drooling at this point and I could barely contain myself. I stood there squirming with twiddling thumbs and sweaty toes. Once toasted, he wrapped foil around a plate and put the sandwich in the middle of it. I stepped forward to collect it, but he wasn't quite finished yet. He took out another big slab of that dark-brown goodness and started to grate chocolate all over it! He grated and grated until he had covered the entire sandwich in a large mound of little curls of chocolate. Then he began to cut up the chocolate into long strips again to top up the curls!! My eyes had popped clean out of their sockets at this point and my tongue was lying on the ground. I nearly fainted as he picked up the chocolate sauce once more.

My fingers dug through the loose chocolate shavings and goo to find the edge of the bread. As I  bit into it, my teeth sank into what seemed like a hundred layers of molten, warm chocolate. My teeth, tongue and mouth were instantly coated in rich delight and my eyes closed involuntarily as the aroma filled my mind and the flavour glided over my tongue. God, it was scruptiously delicious.

Day Fourteen

There was this thing that I wanted. I wanted it with all my heart. I worked hard to earn it. For once, I was sure I deserved it. That I had proven myself worthy of it. I gave it my all. I spent today waiting anxiously to know if I would get it. Every time my phone rang, my heart raced before I read the caller's name.

Later at night, I got the call I had been waiting all day for; but not the answer I wished for. I didn't get what I so ardently wanted. I was, least to say, disappointed.
However, I realize that we live in a world fraught with competition and it's nearly impossible to always have what you wish for, not even when you think you deserve it. We have to learn to take it in our stride and be optimistic about what lies ahead.
The end of one dream merely points to the birth of another.
If I may quote Eugene from Tangled, "Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream."

My picture for the day is of a half-eaten bar of Snickers I found. After receiving this news, a little chocolate and quiet helped me keep myself composed and picture the glass as half full. I have a friend (known to this blog as 'Bum') to thank for that bit of chocolate which was so comforting when I needed it the most.

Unknowingly, Bum, you brought a smile to my face.

Day Thirteen

BANOFFEE PIE.

A spoonful of all the layers will contain a grainy crunch from the crusted pie, thick, creamy, luscious caramel paste, bananas sliced superfine and layered within the paste and heavy whipped cream which somehow floats light as a feather inside the mouth. Banoffee pie from Tart is nothing short of SINFUL, HEAVENLY, INDULGENT, GORGEOUS, SENSUOUS, PALPABLE BEAUTY.

I shall close before I drool.

Day Twelve

Today's happiness came from going for a movie with one of my best friends. As we later observed, we have been friends for 13 years now and not once have we fought. Aah, those lovely childhood friendships. I call her Gosu, short for Gosudasvenoy, short for Komitet Gosudasvenoy Besopasnosty.

Gosu and I went for a hindi movie called 'Queen'. It was about a timid girl from Rajori, Delhi whose family is all set to get her married when her pragmatic fiance calls off the wedding. Overcome with grief and disbelief, she decides to use her flight ticket and go on her honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam all by herself. There, she's initially lost not knowing her whereabouts or the language. However, she's befriended by a single-mom-socialite maid who works at the hotel she's staying in (and who coincidentally shares her fiance's name). She now has a tour guide and ends up having a great time with her. A few days later, she says a highly sentimental goodbye to her new-found friend and boards a train to Amsterdam.
Intermission
In Amsterdam, she finds herself at a hostel where she's forced to share a room with three other guys (1 Russian, 1 French and 1 Japanese). After ignoring them and refusing to sleep in the same room for the first couple of days, she warms up to them and begins to unwind her uptight little heinie. Her three roommates turn out to be sweet and fun- resulting in overnight deep bonds of friendship between them all. They spend their days traveling on a budget and discovering Amsterdam. OOOH ze blossomings of ze foreign friendships ooooooh. There's an small love angle with a cute Italian cook who talks passionately about food, who challenges her to make money by selling Indian food at a fair. So she makes pani puri which sells like popcorn. Her good-for-nothing fiance shows up and tries to win her back, but she's too busy having fun with her friends to pay him any attention. It's soon time to part ways and more sentimental goodbyes are said.
She goes back to India, returns her engagement ring to said fiance and walks away happily toward her home to upload pictures on facebook from her adventures.

I forgot to mention that her name is Rani, which translates to Queen in English.

Even though this story sounds silly and sad, it was well shot, had some interesting dialogue and a steady stream of sad jokes and good music. Gosu and I were besides ourselves with laughter and had all of the tiny cinema hall straining their heads to look for the source of this incessant barrage of cackling.

My picture for today are the seats we sat in.
(Did I mention we bought the cheapest tickets and sat right up front?)

Day Eleven

Today I was reunited with a group 'selfie' with two of my most idiotic college friends. I could easily write paragraphs of emotional lines about how crazy I am about these two water buffaloes, but they would be received with nothing but rolling eyes and bubbling laughter. This picture made me laugh out loud when I saw it. It pretty much sums up our friendship over the last two years and just how much we mean to each other.

BUGEYEZZZZ.