Where Are We From

The first questions that someone asks us apart from our name is where we are from. It is a tiny foray into the lineage from where one belongs. The very small need to find an opinion regarding a person. I guess the human mind is designed in a way to stay in packs, the moment there is a problem we start looking for people around us, that gives us strength. But how do we cultivate this brand of strength in a world that is changing dimensions faster than a hummingbird. Where do we find ourselves or we give in to losing in into an abyss.

Kolkata what a city. It is like a living breathing hub of activity. Days spent in office and nights under the lights with music, stories and storytellers. It was during one of these evenings when I met Mrs, Sriti. She never told me her first name. Apparently, Mrs Sriti was a regular in these gigs for her stand up comedy specials. Every word out of her mouth was laced with dallops of wit and humour. If one was really lucky you could also pluck out the sarcasm, but that was only for the skillful. Just like any other evening, this Wednesday evening I could see Mrs. Sriti working the crowd, moving from group to group. A snippet here, a laugh there before making her way to me.

"So what bellows in your mind, spit it out!" Mrs. Sriti smirked.

"Slog worth a day and evenings watching you perform is interesting enough." I replied.

"So tell me a joke young man, or are you too rich for comedy?" Something about her eyes, everything funny went out of my mind. A little red faced I said, "A priest, a rabbi, an Imam and a monk walk into a bar."

"Good God, a spiritual one liner, please don't come into comedy!" She wailed.

"In a world which prefers that a horse walk into a bar, rather than people what is the point of having bars, rather have stables."

She chuckled. "See! now that is good word play my boy. Ah! how you boys have changed over the day. Can't even ask you where you are from without taking a look at your instagram travel stories." " It doesn't matter where I come from, what matters is to what I got from there. I learnt humility in Patna and tehzeeb in Lucknow. I understood food in Delhi, I learnt how to eat in Mumbai. Agra taught me love while Hyderabad threw me to passion, don't they make my adventures glorious."

A playful smile worked on her lips. She lit up a cigarette. Long and white. Slivers of smoke came out of its ends. She inhaled the smoke and produced small rings from here mouth, very delicately. The smoke in its ever changing ethereal form and she said, "It is easy to get lost in this transient life, it is beautiful, it is secluded but remember eventually you reach someplace where you wanted to be and this is where you were always from. Its the looking that takes heart."

I am from Kolkata and my heart beats in sync with this city. One day some place near or someplace far yours too will find its rhythm. Till then I'll keep looking.!