Why is Kolkata called the "City of Joy"?

Kolkata does not have some of the modern technological marvels or glamorous infrastructure some cities can boast of. It is also not the trend-setter of the corporate and rapidly automating world. It does not have an extremely affluent population either. Nor is the weather here the most comfortable. Then how come, of all places, Kolkata came to be known as the “City of Joy”? Does the city really deserve this grand title in a country famed for being, among other things, the fastest growing large economy and its richness of culture and diversity? Let’s find out.

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Kolkata’s charm does not lie in skyscrapers. It does not reside in an extremtly fast-paced, hyperactive lifestyle, like many of its counterparts who had their roots at around the same time in the colonial era, possess. Kolkata has none of that. Instead, life here moves in the slow lane. Its charm lies in the pauses. Like the pauses between the kisses of two passionate lovers taken to catch their breath and appreciate the beauty of their beloved before they immerse themselves in each other again, Kolkata makes for the most fulfilling of experiences for those who see through their soul and do not forget the pauses.

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Kolkata’s charm lies in its people. In its architecture, culture, traditions, spirituality, crowds, traffic, chaos,  lifestyle, passion and above all the amalgamation of all these into something ineffable. Call it magic if you will. Its seamless way of preserving the past while embracing the present, its liberalism, its acceptance of everything and everyone into itself like a mother figure, that’s where the beauty of Kolkata lies. This is one place in the world that treats your arrival as a homecoming. It embraces you with the first breath you take here, catching you unawares. To the more self-conscious, it may seem non-consensual at first, but soon you get addicted and start yearning for it. The charm is indestructible because it is intangible. You can feel it in the air, in the colours, the sounds and the scents, and even when all your physical senses are shut.

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Kolkata is a city of stark contradictions. It offers experiences on either extreme of the emotional spectrum. Moderation is an unpopular concept in Kolkata. On one hand there is abject poverty, and the affluence of the elite on the other. On one hand, there are anxious entrepreneurs expeditiously climbing the ladder to success while on the other there is the quiet lethargy of an evening parar adda (informal neighbourhood get-together-cum-brainstorming sessions, if you will). At times your mind may oscillate between whether your experience was one of sincere hypocrisy, or that of hypocritical sincerity. Whether it is the seeming apathy for human life that makes you question your faith, or the effortlessly casual gesture of humanity that restores it, Kolkata will never fail to astonish you, and what was probably at the time of planning simply one innocuous visit will change your attitude towards everything forever, for better or worse.

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Seemingly unperturbed by the fact that his roadside stall is now sheltered in the shade of a skyscraper as opposed to the century-old tree which used to protect him earlier, chai (tea) will still be served by the chai-walla in bhaands (earthen cups). Whether you are having a moment of quiet solitude at the Maidan, or getting dirty playing rough football in the rain, you will cherish either memory forever. Durga Puja will never fail to be the big book of nostalgia; be it the first time you held your teenage crush’s hand and explored the pandals or when you and your gang explored the city on foot into the wee hours of the morning till you dropped. The debates over socio-political issues with total strangers whilst commuting to work, buying each other snacks in the local train, will never end. That is because in Kolkata, there is subconsciously no such thing as a total stranger. You are a part of the same city everyone else is and that is a bond incomparable to any other. Irrespective of whether at that moment its obvious or not, this bond implies that everyone's destinies are but helplessly intertwined.

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There is never a dull moment in the city. It’s a place with a living soul and a beating heart. Kolkata is an emotion. No sooner than you step on its soil, it hits you like a wave. Try to oppose it, you will be swept away. Become one with it, and you will be surfing before you know it. But while you surf, do remember to have a plate of puchka or ghugni in your hand to satiate your taste buds. Trust, let go, and the city will catch you. Its got your back. There’s no such thing as control here. Trying to find logic in it is the most illogical thing you could do.  Because all that exists here is sheer madness. So much so, that to live it all, one life is probably never enough.