Kolkata Calling this Christmas Holidays

“Kon maathe je chute berai, Shokol chele juti..aha ha ha ha..
Aaj amader chuti re bhai, Aaj amader chute, aha ha ha ha……”

(…Which meadow shall we run through with my companions today…..aha ha ha
It is our day of freedom after all, it is our day of joy……aha ha ha)

— Tagore.

But only He and He can have a song for every emotion. Both Ridi and I have been humming these lines since yesterday, when we sat down to pack our bags. We are off to Kolkata for a 10-day holiday!!! Itinerary, frozen; To-dos, drawn up; Must-eats, dutifully listed down; its truly Kolkata calling. Looking forward to –

1. Poush Mela in Shantiniketan. A dream, a dream, a dream….
2. Morning cuppa ( tea in a ‘bhar’, Kolkata’s famous earthen cup) near Howrah Bridge.
3. A tour of Burra Bazar since my husband has only crossed it in a taxi and never went in the gallis and shops.
4. Lunch at 6 Ballygunj Place – no, I hate eating fish and rice Bengali style over dinner.
5. Another lunch at Bhojohori Manna. The Andheri one in Mumbai is a poor poor cousin of this famous eatery in Kolkata
6. Morning Puja at Dakhineshwar Temple
7. Visit relatives
8. An afternoon sortie of College Street.
9. Kewpies and Bohemian – don’t know how we will manage the time. But they are in our radar.
10. Saree and Kurta shopping at Gariahat
11. Wild-life gazing in Sundarbans.
12. Loitering through Park Street
13. Devouring rolls at Bedouin in Rashbehari Avenue.
14. Try and catch a play/concert at Nandan or Rabindra Sadan or….
15. A quick raid of the local fish and vegetable market. Absolutely the sight of the fresh veggies and fishes in Kolkata. No wonder they taste so good.

Have we been able to cover it all? Maximize our 10 days? Let us know if we have missed anything!!