Daily Human – Kolkata – 8/9/21

I am back in Kolkata after a long time. I went to college in this city. During that time I had lots of friends in the city. I love everything about this city.

I went around the city, visiting a lot of places where I had spent a lot of time during my college years. A lot of memories came flooding back.

I didn’t feel so great though. For some reason, there was very little joy in revisiting my old stomping grounds. It was very odd.

Then I realised why I felt like that.

One, it was my friends who had made that place special for me. Without them, it wasn’t as special. I realised that Kolkata the city was almost incidental. Like a background. All the things I loved about the city – the food, the adda, the vibe, the footpaths etc - had all felt so special because I was with friends. My friends had made the city appeal to me so much. Without them, it didn’t feel that way.

Second, it reminded me that most of those people had now become very distant. I was no longer in regular contact with them.

Me, the city and the friends who made the city so special had all grown apart. We will never be together again.