Having lived all my life in Bhubaneswar, memories with didi and friends we have in a way shared our formative
years together. From the decrepit and dusty look with just a few stores open to
a complete makeover with huge billboards and glossier banners and the flyover with a thriving
nightlife, I have seen it all.
As a kid I
remember those walk downs to bake shop, for the extra cheese pizza and the end
of the term treat of hot chocolate fudge for having scored an A-grade in my
exams. And of the faux Santa, going all during new year times haha hehe,
outside the ‘Modern Bazaar’ market building ,departmental store, doling
out small lil gifts to kids who passed by the shop. Market building or Unit 1
Haat was one of the first of its kinds in Bhubaneswar, and was known for its imported
products, like the nice vegetarian food down the streets foods Dhai Bara's to rasogola’s and well let me tell u there was many few restaurants in cities but my own fav. Priya Restaurant Masala
Dosa south Indian foods,
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| One of the best Restaurants in Bhubaneswar”. Review of Priya Restaurant |
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Make me
grilled , exotic herbs, olive oils, chocolates (other than the usual
Nestle and Cadbury), Hershey’s Chocolate syrup etc. all unheard of at that
point in time. For me the first time I ever saw the Chocolate syrup add was at
the back of an old battered copy of an Archie’s comic brought from one of the
second hand book stores in the precincts of the S complex, which ever also the
source of my weekly supply of Enid Blytons and Nancy Drews, with yellowing
pages and dog ears, with names of previous owners scribbled on them, rubbing
shoulders with Mills and Boons, The Inscrutable Americans and what not. Priced
at just a measly thirty five bucks they definitely came in cheaper than the
first hand ones, with their cellophane film still intact on them, from ‘Fact
and Fiction’, the only pragyan bookstore back then at center. It still is a
surprise at how much those Bookstore owners (i.e. second hand books) know and
the ease with which they pronounce the names of even Indian authors.
My childhood is fraught with memories of late night movie
shows at kesari talkies and then of coming all disheveled and bleary eyed and leaving
all bright eyed and sometimes puffy, after sheding copious amounts of tears for
the estranged lovers or the cancer afflicted hero, scrutinizing the movie to
the minutest detail. Those were the days of the hand painted posters, of the
lead actors canoodling and the villain smirking, with the sidekick running with
a gun, all in gaudy fluorescent paints, before making way for the printed ones.
sometimes the drive back to the master canteen station with Rapunzel, with the music on high, karoaking to the songs, through the pot holed roads, .. its been beautiful... loosing myself to the deluge and the greenery, watching wet birds take flight, a scared wet mongrel run for cover... Could life get anymore idyllic feels great in evening time ...
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| courtesy pix- Bhubaneswar Diary. |
As I entered my teenage years so did kesari, it now had Inox
theater in bhubaneswar, TGIF, Barista big malls etc and later on came in the lounges and discs for the nouveau riche Indian
middle class and their prodigal progeny. In the days of yore, it had the most
eclectic of crowds thronging it, but as time passed like any reckless teenager,
kesari has its darker stories to tell. Stories of call girl racketeering in one
of those dodgy gullies leading into the complex, of gigolos looming and
haggling with potential customers, of drunken brawls having gone awry and of
drug peddling. Kesari also happens to be one of the favourite haunts for
courtship, although I’ve also seen couples parting ways and the usual BPO
crowd, the suave executives and gold chain jangling businessman.
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| courtesy- Google |
So all in all,
movies theater like every other place in
Bhubaneswar is a microcosm of sorts,
effervescent and dazzling with life and light, and the ‘relieving’ cow and
scampering dog with street urchins providing the necessary comic relief. but this city is changed its lot look a like kolkata these days with many hotels ,malls ,cafe's ,CCD's ,Restaurant's food courts, ice cream parlous i guess everything u can find . all this making this city look wonderful to watch in night time..and of course
we all know its the city of temples :)
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| Famous Ram Mandir ! courtesy - Snata Nayak pix |
Ps: this was the piece that was to come out in the Outlook city limits,
in this week’s issue... but could not see the light of the day :) cyaa..!
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