City of Joy : Really ???

What attracts you to a city? Fine pictures, historical relevance, tourist interest, cool weather to name a few. Now even important question, what make you stay there?
What does it takes for city to grow on you; People, culture, language, systems, weather, or perhaps some instant connection. Having traveled in quite a few and not to mentioned calling some of them as ‘home’ I realized how important part it plays in ones’ life.

I’d known people who have issues with work or to some extent weather while moving cities. Some cities are so comfortable that that you just swoop in and love (for the place) strikes. Others have their own slow but sure charms. It makes me wonder, are cities like people we love; easy to look, difficult to comprehend and impossible to ignore. Why does it matter when all we do is spend most of our time in closed, similar looking office cubicles? Perhaps the city adds that just extra bit of spice to keep the ‘machine’ rolling until next ‘Monday’. And I just don’t mean ‘party animal’ types. Maybe some sense of comfort in feeling of an identity; who knows.

It’s been while since I moved to this new city (Kolkata) and somehow I still feel alienated, in every sense of the word; call it language barrier, cultural shock or my own delusional biases. For ages while growing up; cities never mattered; not that I had to change many but still. It (Delhi my city) was always there; taken for granted like ‘sunshine’ or rain. Now that I’m away from a city I ‘grew in’ and ‘grew with’ there is some disconnect. It never struck me that it has become part of who I’m; and with the risk of sounding cliché ‘my identity’. Suddenly it’s making a perfect sense to me why people are so reluctant to change cities as they grow old.

Get over it dude; as some of my friends would say and yes I think I should. Though I am not a great believer in ‘future plans’ (of course except for my travel itineraries) but I surly never imagined to be writing this blog on a topic which never mattered; on a city I never knew existed (figuratively) and the fact that it bothers me so much. Sitting right here I know; I need to get rid of this place or perhaps this feeling and I will but until then each day is as big as year and all I see is ‘beyond’.