India attunes herself to the clock at Allahabad. In December, somewhere
in the western corner of the country, it is still pitch dark and somewhere
towards the eastern front, it is already the middle of a sunny morning.
Calcutta stays between these extremities At 6 A.M it is still the early morning
at in the winding streets of the city. Similar to its geographical
position, Calcutta is not at the far end of anything, rather it is on at the
crossroad of countless matters. The city once embraces itself as
the second most important place in an empire where sun never sets. The
city, still known as the city of joy, colloquially. Calcutta can do justice to
each one of these titles. However, it cannot agree to for one of its
widespread misconceptions. There are multiple
instances, when this city has been branded as “The Bengali City”, the home for
the Bengalis. The city can never accept this perception. Calcutta is not, and
never was a Bengali city. It is geographically
within the limits Bengal, the majority of its inhabitants are native Bengali
speakers. Nevertheless, the city, never was a Bengali city. The true essence of
Calcutta is in its cosmopolitan tradition and history. Anybody who has the slightest doubt
about this can rediscover the soul of the city by taking a walk around its
down town area around 6 A.M.
