Okay so a little over a month, and I'm back to Kolkata. And home was never so beautiful. Getting a 15-day break right when the academic pressure had reached its peak, and quite an unexpected one at that. And breaks were never sweeter!
The reason for the break, though, isn't that happy. Swine Flu. Yes, that's true. It's finally hit Orissa, with a bang that too. Over 10 deaths in the state within a week, the affected number even higher, much higher. A little flashback wouldn't hurt at this point.
So the much awaited freshers party for the juniors has finally got over with (one relief, that.), though it was not even half as good as we had planned it initially. But whatever, at least they were lucky enough to get one, the way things were headed. Fast forward two days, and the university announces a tentative closure for 15 days. Rejoice. Terror. Happiness. Fear. Hope. Rush. Confusion. Humour. Trust only a university of national stature to convey as many emotions as that, all at once. The sudden freedom from all things academic, the nail-biting thinking 'next-who?' when all your college mates report fever and other swine flu-ish symptoms one by one (a whooping 70 population reported fever in all, maybe more), the ultimate terror when one of our own actually did report positive for the much dreaded flu, the rush over tickets to see who can escape the prison before anyone else. And I'm not kidding when I use the 'prison'.
Prohibited from going beyond the big iron gates which marks the entrance at any time of the day, we were no less than prisoners. And our "jail-uniform" was our swine flu mask (besides our normal clothes, of course.)
And our food was no different from the gruel they serve in prisons. And even thinking non-veg was a crime. We were told to avoid close proximity with any other human, which meant we spent almost our "prisoner"-days within our little cells, and yes, with our inmates. And with nothing to do. In fact, there came a point where people actually got tired of watching movies (back2back) on their laptops. And sleeping. So when the Big Day when all our 10-tablets-'Tami-flu' prescriptions finally ended, our joy knew no boundaries! We were all headed home. More so for the juniors, as it was their first trip back home since they joined college.
So after a good 5 days of joblessness, here I am, back in the city, for a good 10 days.
And coming to the third metro city in the country after a frustrating one month in a still developing town (I like to call it that) like Cuttack was a welcome relief! The necessary implications - KFC, Shopping, Movies (4 movies, in a span of 10 days!), KFC, Domino's, a certain birthday party, getting back together with old buddies, KFC, Shopping (again!), awesome home-cooked food, Ilish maachh, a new pair of Converse All Star, the good ol' streets of Calcutta, Mamabari, Driving, oh and did I mention KFC? :P
Sigh. Life was never better. And it is now more clear than ever that I have fallen in love with my city so much because have to stay away from. The sweetest fruit is always the forbidden one.
And with only 2 more days to go till the end of my 'mini-vacation', I can't wait for the Durga Puja vacations to come, which is about 45 days from today. Wait for me Oh Calcutta! For I shall be back before you know it, again! ;-)
