.....the rapidly changing face of India....

....the porters no longer easily available .....nor do they throng upstairs near the Upper Class waiting Hall to collect their postcard if at all any arriving frm Chhapra/Siwan/Balia....the one I hired had a mobile ph....the Quintessential survival tool now...Kolkata no longer looks a hectic city anymore as it was 20 yrs ago...the traffic flow reasonable nd thr r no overloaded Bus'with people dangerously travelling on the footboard, as it was a common scene two decades back....a solitary tram or two & whole city draped in light blue shade to wipe away whtevr Red was thr which was the City Colors under the Marxist....Didi's Calcutta looks difft.....though the Strand Rd with its fossilised business est.looked just as same as I had left some 15 yrs back....simply fell in love with Victoria yet again...the lawns,the waterways nd the imposing facade erected whn the Empire was at its Zenith....this is the beauty of Calcutta, the maidan, the Sports clubs, the wide rds nd boulevards in the heart of the City...the Lungs of the City....also holding its place ,the sweetmeat shops nd the traditional taste unmistakbly Bengal....there was something amiss on the street though....the Unique wooden chassis Bus, with decorative window panels nd Aluminium,Tin panels,now,taken off the rds....replaced by more modern looking transport...with the Double Decker totally extinct....last 30yrs sees an unprecedented globalisation nd the Indian Cities losing its Unique status....untouched, though,is Madhupur 228kms west of Calcutta in native Jharkhand State...the Ramchandra Bazar same....one of the oldest Municipality,inaugurated by no less thn the Mahatma....Bansi Maharaj's kin still latching on to the slot without a structure, selling some fabulous sweetmeat...the fish mkt ,nd the Goat meat mkt under one heritage roof,untouched nd resitant to change....the nxt gen sellers r thr ,couldn't find those faces whom I still remember vividly.....the rural populace now dominating & thronging the Bazar as never before...nd merchandise overflowing....felt liberated as I sifted thru the crowd,popping in & out of small time shops...the heat & humidity unbearable....soaking a steady gaze of older gentry who unmistakbly recognised me....some old frnds perchance seeing me & hollering at the top of their voices my name....felt at home ...the undulating terrain,the far flung extent....dotted with Kothis of Bangali Babus, now in disrepair nd usurped....the Anglo Indian habitats of Bungalows now in ruins....shining though was Carmel Convent whr I learnt my ABC & 1,2,3 ,getting a fresh coat of paint in the vacation as it is customary nd usual practice....the air felt fresh, laden with fragrance of usual flora,the walk trail the same as I had last left 30yrs back.....!!!!!