A Page from the Journal of a School-going Mother



A typical Calcutta morning.

Parna Das Basu writes about the plural everydayness of Calcutta, the City of Joy.

5th September’22, Elgin Road, Kolkata 

8:15 A.M

As I return after dropping my daughter to her school, the footpaths turn fragrant magically. The street vendors start arranging their wares and open their shacks for the day. The food vendor just next to the school already starts frying the Tadka masala in his giant Kadhai, a handi of rice boils along in a smaller urn and I catch the whiff smiling because the best aroma in the world is a pot of boiling rice. 

However, the Tamil Anna cleans up his space thoroughly before he starts steaming the Idlis. His customer base being a large and a loyal one, starts teeming up with cups of hot milk tea from the neighbouring tea and bread stall. 

The Kachodi sellers, too, start deep frying the Kachodis, their potato curries emitting out a spicy appetizing aroma. The bright red Jalebis wishes a bright good morning. Almost in all the street food shacks in that place keeps preparing delicious teas all-round the day. No, I haven't tasted from all the tea sellers there but for this one in the picture I have shared. But can you avoid the aroma of green cardamom boiling in the milk?

The tea shop in the picture here prepares assorted teas. The seller politely offers a seat and asks if anyone would like a fresh sandwich. I guess, the backdrop of the shady leafy tree welcomes the weary office goers or pedestrians to sit under the shade for a while sipping a hot cup of tea and maybe a sandwich. 

The street food shacks of Kolkata are like a sweet fairy tale and you need to dig in the tale to enjoy it through and through. The more you dig in, the more fragrant the tale becomes borrowing flavours from the different layers that keep stacking up day by day.

Parna Das Basu is a co-owner and co-contributor at KolkataFusion. 

Email: parna.basu84@gmail.com

Picture Courtesy: Parna Das Basu.

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