The Great North-South divide??

I take the tube to office every day. The tube rail in Kolkata parlance is the metro rail, a notch above or shall I say, a class apart from the suburban train lines, which is used by the Oh so uncool (this is usually accompanied by a slight flutter of eyes and twitching nostrils) people living in the North and beyond.

Kolkata to its residents is divided in two very sharp parts - the new South - shining malls, wide boulevards, costly acreage - apartments and condominiums, urban chic and the old North - crumbling mansions, narrow lanes, close-knit families and old-world views.

This divide extends to food habits (illish and khichuri vs prawn and aluposto), football clubs (East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan), cultural choices (malls/multiplexes vs theatres), shop names (New Groceries vs Bipiner Mudikhana - both being local grocery stores), restaurants (KFC vs Golbari), Bangal (migrants from earstwhile East Pakistan and now Bangladesh) vs Ghoti (original inhabitants of the land) etc. etc. Some more on this Great Debate on the latter at a later date.

You will find a Lake Gardens or Moore Avenue in the south, while there will be a Dorjipara or Chaltabaagan in the north. Every third dude in the south will be a gym-toned and potential member of M/s. Brashness Incorporated - a Rahoul, Rajiev or Rakesh, while his northern counterpart will be tongue-tied and shy Nepo, Goja or Bhoja. For every short-skirted Neha or Priyanka from the south studying in Loreto or La'Martiniere there will be a doe-eyed, sari-clad Swapnosundari or Sreeparna studying in Aryakanya Vidyalaya or Mahakali Pathshala.

The Kolkata Metro is the bridge joining the metaphysical gap, between the happening (to some) New Age south and so-yesterday (hearsay) North.

While returning from office every evening, I used to see a couple at the metro station- so obviously in love, giggling, laughing, whispering to each other - the boy distinguished by his attire and mannerisms to be a Southerner, laptop chugging, smooth shaven, gelled hair - styled at some salon by a beautician, by the looks of it. The girl, quite sweet in countenance sported saris normally and the occassional salwar suits, with timid downcast eyes of a doe in flight, typical Northie....

For months, I saw them - became a sort of daily habit, checking them out standing in their usual place, deeply engrossed in each other. All of a sudden, I missed the couple for several weeks. Then one evening, found them again, the lady now sporting sindur on her forehead, her hair coming down in enchanting waves to her petite waist and her man, proprietorily holding her arm, striding to catch the very train, I would take to my southern destination..

It set me thinking, that for all that we speak of the unbridgeable divide of the North and the South - the twain does meet and for all that we read of a loveless world - love really does exist..

Office timey a metror byastota,
Jatri manusher onyomonoskota,
Varakranto vir-varey - Sojoteny bojaye rakha durottota;

Eri majhey ghotey akosmikota,
Jokhon sochetonota vangey durottota,
Ghottey parey kono ovobyota - Kinba ghotey prem;

Byasto manush byasto thekey jai,
Duranto prem aro duranto hoi,
Jibon choley taar joibik niyomey,
Premer porinoti khojey porinoy,
Othoba, hotath pawa shunyota......