KOLKATA : Coming of age

Kolkata, the heart of West Bengal lies amongst the hearts of a race which is famous their almost god-like devotion for culture. The love for fishes, afternoon naps and bhaar’er chaa is woven into the essence of every Bengali. We have a knack for  anything old and would rather prefer to spend a night reminiscing than being out in the city. SO what happens when a city full of these people decide to go upbeat? Why it comes off brilliantly of course! Recently the whole city was shaken of her personalized shoulders and had taken a step to keep the cultural game alive. Two events held within the span of two months showed how much we Bengalis are capable of change. The  Ahare Banglaa Food Festival and The 21st Kolkata International Film Festival! People are getting into the whole global food deal and turkeys are sharing freezers with chickens quite often. Seeing this change leave it to the Bengalis to introduce some culture in the whole affair. The Ahare Bangla Food Festival featured live performances and a fantastic array of dishes to choose from. The Taglines which followed the advertisements were quite a chuckle. Tags like “Koel er Kachakachi” which loosely translates to “Cuddling with the Cuckoo”.

The name itself is a brilliantly witty pun in bengali, please excuse me as it can’t be translated. Food from around the globe were being prepared as fast as the gathering crowds gobbled it all up.

Next we come onto the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival. He who has passed through the Golpark region in the recent days can’t have missed the posters clouding the streets. One look at the Posters tells us that they are the brain-children of a brilliant mind. Colorful and Familiar images were used but with unique twists which made them Kolkatan.

Here we see the Columbia Pictures Logo but with the Signature Victoria Memorial Angel of our City.









The 20th Century Fox Logo with the Bengali Twist.

Looking upon these recent events it can be said with utter surety that the Bengalis have joined and advanced quite a bit in the race of modernized culture. A race famous for being megalomaniacs (sorry for the stereotyping) has taken to growing the events around the year. There was a time when The Book Fair was the only thing to look forward to. But now more and more events crop up to keep us from working too hard. Who wouldn’t love a day away from their mundane hardworking lives to let of a bit of steam and embrace some culture while they’re at it? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :- 

Swagato Basak is a first year B.com student from Bhawanipore Education Society college.When he is not poring over his huge pile of books he prefers to read,write and photograph the grand event called Life.