When I was on the train from Shalimar towards Patna two weeks back, I went through all the recent memories I made while in my home city. It was very red-letter since it was the Bengali New Year, or Noboborsho, as we call it. I had really hoped to explore more of what I wanted, but the heat was so intense and grueling that I had thought better of it and stuck to the places I HAD TO visit!

After running several errands I went on to visit my comfort zones of the South City Mall, where I got to live out two of my most anticipated plans. The first one was to catch on to the third installment of The Fantastic Beasts series, The Secrets of Dumbledore. I was not expecting much, just wanted to get a taste of the long-lost wizarding world from a Muggle viewpoint. However, the film did not disappoint! I loved every second of the heartwarming charade between very interesting characters who are leading up to the epic battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Also finally, went for Italian cuisine in the new place called Veneto right in the food court of South City Mall, where we devoured pizza and lasagna with sparkling wine.

While I sat around in my house doing nothing on the day of the New Year, it was not devoid of family time filled with love and laughter. There is essentially nothing I like more than spending time with my folks. In the continuation of this family spirit, we pounced on the next chance and went to the birthplace and ancestral home of the Tagores, the Jorasanko Thakurbari. I was really surprised by the richness of the place, but I’m sure I could have enjoyed it more if the weather was a bit easy on the sweat glands. Anyways, we reached the place via Metro and got a real sneak peek into the lives of the most famous family in Bengal. The family influence continues even to this day, through the works of Sharmila Tagore, Sunando and Pranati Tagore. It was an odd pleasure of being in the room where Kaviguru Rabindranath was born, and where he breathed his last. His contributions to Bangla literature and Nobel Prize took the language to new heights of development. Two of his compositions are now the national anthems of two countries: India and Bangladesh. He coined the word ‘Mahatma’ for the saintly leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. His ties with China, Russia, the USA, and Japan have showcased a sphere of great interest at Jorasanko. The enormous house, sprawling across 35 thousand square meters, is a must-visit for all Kolkatans and visitors to the City of Joy.

So, what did you think about my city so far? Like it? Let me know in the comments below!