From being all decked up for Durga Puja, to tilting neon lights to Maa flyover — the story of Calcutta’s long journey
This story was first published on October 10, 2021
One of my first memories of Calcutta is a huge neon sign in Chowringhee in the winter, somewhere between Grand Hotel and the Park Street traffic lights. The sign moved: it was a teapot tilting forward to pour tea into a cup. In a few seconds, it became upright and tilted forward again. I would have been five or six years old, but the image flickers in my mind, a point of entry into a history. It made me realise, early, that Calcutta was a city of wonders. I had never seen a moving neon teapot in Bombay, the city I was growing up in, and was convinced I wouldn’t see one anywhere else. It was specific to what Calcutta, and Calcutta alone, had to offer.
One of my first memories of Calcutta is a huge neon sign in Chowringhee in the winter, somewhere between Grand Hotel and the Park Street traffic lights. The sign moved: it was a teapot tilting forward to pour tea into a cup. In a few seconds, it became upright and tilted forward again. I would have been five or six years old, but the image flickers in my mind, a point of entry into a history. It made me realise, early, that Calcutta was a city of wonders. I had never seen a moving neon teapot in Bombay, the city I was growing up in, and was convinced I wouldn’t see one anywhere else. It was specific to what Calcutta, and Calcutta alone, had to offer.