The New Kolkatans.....

Kolkata is changing rapidly on every passing day. From its patent title of 'Kollolini' city its becoming a fast, cosmopolitan place to live in, winding in itself, a dream to be BIG. With all the 'DIDIS' and 'DADAS' hand shaking for a change, relying on the promises to become LONDON, America, Greece or Thailand, whatever I am not very sure of though (Puking in the understatement !!), the city is unfolding in all new ways, so as its people. Yes we are changing, we are a part of New Kolkata, We are the new Kolkatans (People of Kolkata).

Office - NEW Kolkatans:

Shuttles are the best and favorite way of conveyance of the New Kolkatans. Leaving the car owned privileged lot, hardly there is a Kolkatan who has not shown his/her running and power skills in capturing a passing by shuttle and securing a place in it. Really it needs a big tackling and political skills in securing a place in a shuttle like that among a group of similar minds, all waiting to do the same. Trust me, it is not at all easy.

Volvo and the AC buses are the next best choices. The Kolkatans love AC. They want cold. They can go to any extent to get into a Volvo/AC bus even if there is no place in the bus during office hours. The Bus conductors not been affected by these changing vibes of Kolkata, they welcome people openhearted and with open wide arms to pour in just like normal buses and We the New Kolkatans accept it gleefully. Again it needs a great talent to manage a place in an over crowded Volvo/Ac bus like that. With different body movements the New Kolkatans are very much aware, how to find and secure a standing place in these buses where normal minds fail to see any vacant area. Sometimes when they fail, the conductors take the charge. They instruct the New Kolkatans some left right bending positions to do with their bodies to find a place and secure it. The Newly boarded Kolkatans much to the discomfort of the previously boarded New Kolkatans (with same styles and actions), obey it and successfully execute it. Its not a child's play. I repeat, it needs Talent.

Listening music is the next must thing to do. In shuttles or in Volvos, The New Kolkatans must listen to music from their phones. With most of them already wired and ready from home with their ear phones place aptly, FM station properly tuned in or song already playing from memory chip, a New Kolkatan just cant avoid music while travelling especially in office hours and in AC buses or in shuttles. Those who are not very disciplined like the above, they wire themselves inside the bus. But music has to flow into the ears. They may fall on others foot, they may unbalanced themselves during these act of taking out the ear piece, plugging in, tuning the proper station, but a New Kolkatan just have to do it. I mean an office hour bus/ shuttle travel is not complete without music. Its quite a deep and serious matter and non-avoidable.

The New Kolkatans like to be very smart. Everyone must have a smart phone. Some have two smart phones. Some three. Some may have one smart phone, one smart tab. I mean whatever be the combination, the smart factor must be there. The very few sitting  non musical Hi Tech ones either start chats or get into facebook from their smart devices. They stare at different pictures in their facebook (often shared ones), sometimes staring for too long (unusual). But some Net activities must be there. Be it whats App, facebook or anything else a New Kolkatan cannot be out of the NET activities especially in buses during office hours. This is very important. The remaining non musical non Hi Tech ones start phone calls or start games. Some are movie lovers. They watch movies. A new kolkatan cannot just sit idle while travelling and look outside from the window. They are Active. They are Smart.


Durga Puja - NEW Kolkatans:

Durga Puja is the most awaited festival for the Bengali round the year and the New Kolkatans are not detached from it either. They have their own complete way of celebration. The New Kolkatans will never miss to put status update every single day on their facebook page to wish all the friends SUBHO MAHA and '......' . This will go on every single morning during the puja days. I mean they will copy their own status everyday and change the suffix only but they have to wish. SUBHO MAHA..then SHASHTI, SAPTAMI. ASHTAMI and will continue to copy and change till DASHAMI. Whatever, but they love their friends and family and they will never miss to wish via status message of facebook. They are new age tech wishers. This is NEW and COOL. Not only that, they will continue to upload some pics or check in updates on various times of the day where the world will know about how they look and all about their whereabouts. Some from time to time will check on others via facebook and will comment, like etc. This is must. This cannot be avoided and not at all in Puja. The New Kolkatans don't love crowd. Pandal hopping is not their favorite game. The New Kolkatans may prefer to go to disc in puja which is not crowded and RELAX. May be someplace else or some lounge with a Beer in hand and Country music in ears. This is Hi Fi. Standing in Queue and seeing pandals are OLD School and they are Kool/COOL. During Puja time, the mode of enjoyment is going to disc!! Well,  Lot of New Kolkatans do think like this and they end up making the disc over crowded. Crowd they don't like I mentioned, so after spending few bugs they prefer any place to do ADDA(Chillax is the new word). Some are economical, so they straight away lock themselves in a friend's vacant flat or somewhere with group from the evening and CHILLAX. They love to be completely detached from the Pandal hopping Puja Lovers. They are happy again with music, some shots and crowd free environment. For food they have Dominos. Some are not Pizza lovers. They face tough times but they manage by chips. Its Okay for them. They are happy. They can go to a restaurant any day. No issues. But Will they get this kind of puja feeling where they are locked inside a flat with no crowds. Only friends. This is different from normal weekends according to them and they enjoy to the fullest.

Another section, don't do this at all. Puja days are holidays for them. Time to sleep. They sleep (Only sleep, nothing else!!). They wake up, get downstairs at the complex puja, eat, smile and again come back and sleep. They do the Puja Parikramas(seeing pujas in the city) via website. They open the laptop, call the entire family and start seeing the pics from various websites. This is NRI feeling at home. This is special and different and NEW.