“Miss u Kolkata”is the latest album by Rajesh Roy a Keyboardist-turned-singer/producer. I heard the title song on Radio Mirchi, Kolkata, when I was in Kolkata recently. In the title song ‘Miss u Kolkata’ Rajesh Roy has got the sentiment of a NRK (Non Resident Kolkatan) aptly. Some of portions of lyrics say “Born and Raised in Kolkata, Love U Miss U Kolkata” then “School college education prothom (means first) infatuation “ and so on… The song took a special place in my heart not only because it was depicting my similar emotions but got to listen it at a time when I myself was on a nostalgic trip of Kolkata.  Though I was born in Hyderabad but being raised in Kolkata I call myself a NRK.

On this visit I realized how much nostalgia that city has for me. In my earlier visits I was not having enough time to go round the city but this time I actually explored the city on a journey of rediscovery.
Yes I rediscovered Kolkata by walking down the lanes in Esplande/Dharmotolla to Chowringee to Park street to Camac street, by taking the metro from Park street to Rabindra Sarovar and then a ‘share’ auto to Jadavpur Thana, by boarding SD4[a bus route] from Rashbihari to Dhakuria, by alighting a local train from Dhakuria to Sonarpur. All these sojourns were a trip down the memory lane and its then I realized the tons of memory these places hold. Why should it not be, I spent my enitre growing up years (more than 18) in that city. Every nook and corner of the city is having the pebbles of memory for me to collect of which I have got only a palmfull but a lot is still left and don’t know how many more trips I require to collect all of them. In last 3 years a lot of things have changed like many old buildings gone, shops, cinema halls closed down, new buildings, shops, malls have taken their place but the localities are still there, which remind me of good ol’ days :) .

How strange it is that you realize the contribution each thing has to your life after you have moved on. Maybe after many years if I move away from Bangalore I’ll feel the same for Bangalore as well same Nostalgia…. but will I ever be able to become a NonResident Bangalorean (NRB) ???