Nostalgia

I would not be doing justice to this blog of mine, if I don't write about the place so close to my heart, the place where I spent the first 18 years of my life, the place which gained the title "Island of Peace" from India's then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Silchar... As I close my eyes, I can see lots of memories flooding back, fresh as if it was just yesterday....

Home Sweet Home

The similar start of every morning... The battle between Maa and Me... Mission "Jaago Subha ho gayi"... I have beared all kinds of tortures from tickles to pinches to pokes to hard slaps on the face to a bucket full of water all over me, just to wake me up before she left for office... I never understood the logic she gave me though... She wanted to see me have my breakfast before she left...

The day Maa came back from the hospital cradling a Bundle of Joy in her arms... The way Duke, my dog tucked his tail between his legs and ran, the first time he heard her crying... I had my fair share of battles with her too over petty things, over the years as the Bundle of Joy (whom I eventually named as Puchki) grew up to be a 5'7" tall teenager.

Going to the Bazaar with Baba on Sunday mornings... Insisting him to get Jalebis from Paras Sweets... It was always him when it came to demands... Maa never actually entertained them and all credits of spoiling me goes to my "Babi"...

The smell of Shutki (dried fish) and Shidal Chutney, wafting from the kitchen... A smell not all Bengalis can appreciate, but a smell that holds a special place in my heart... A delicacy I insist on relishing, everytime I visit Silchar...

As I walk out of my home, to the Streets (which as a matter of fact are always broken beyond repair)... I can hear people conversing in the Sylheti dialect... "Kemon achish?" becomes "Kemon asos?", "Kobe eli?" becomes "Kobe aisos?" and "Ki kheli?" becomes "Kita khaisos?"... U can still see some of the oldest models of scooter on the roads and of course, the cycle rickshaws... Mostly its a two-seater, but sometimes a 3rd person also squeezes in... The long drives down till NIT Silchar or Silchar Medical college or Assam University has a charm of its own... 3-4 months old movie being played at Devdoot and Oriental Cinema hall, though once in a blue moon Devdoot does play new releases...

Oh!!! & the pristine meter gauge railway track... How can I forget that... The 'Ghatghat Ghatghat' sound as the train moves and the kind of feel as if you were sitting inside a pendulum... The untouched beauty of nature you can see as the train moves from Silchar to Lumding...

The sunset over the Barak river... One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen... And as the majhi rows his boat back to the shore at the end of the day, my heart sings "Apna kinara nadiya ki dhara re..."

As I cross the Barak bridge, leaving the main town behind and reach udharbond, I can't help but stop at one place... Kachakanti Kali Bari... The one place I find peace... Then as I pass udharbond, there comes the vast expanse of greenery... The tea gardens has a different kind of an aura. One has to see to believe the sheer magic of this place... It is a rare treat of beauty, serenity and tranquility.

I finally reach the Airport at Kumbhirgram... almost 20 Km away from the main town... The airport is next to the Kumbhirgram Air Force Base... and supposed to be the second busiest airport of Assam...

As my flight takes off for Kolkata, I can see the Barak winding its way around the whole town... No doubt its called as the Barak Valley...I can see the Barak Bridge... I can see the District Sports Association Stadium... I can see miniature houses...

Then as the flight gains altitude and goes beyond the clouds, the view of my dear place is lost... But somewhere inside my subconscious mind I do remember every detail... every sound, every taste, every smell, every voice... May be this is called as Nostalgia... A feeling of sadness and longing that is not akin to pain, and resembles sorrow only as the mist resembles the rain...