Kolkata is not just a city, it is a living, breathing entity — a companion who grows with you and who never leaves your side. It tells a new tale each time you set off on a “Cholo paye paye hanti Kolkata” adventure, taking you by surprise at every turn. Kolkata is the home and the prothom prem we fell for and never recovered from, thankfully!
All the little things
While this love is intangible, there are, again thankfully, many things that aren’t. Love for the city can be sparked by the book hunts in College Street, tram rides past the Maidan, boat rides at any of the city’s ghats, by a sip of the sherbets at Paramount or a quick bite from Dacres Lane. It seeps through the familiarity of the bheer of Gariahat and the vast expanse of the Maidan, in the heritage structures and modern additions, the festive strolls on Park Street, and in the promise of maayer agamani in Kumartuli. Kolkata “shohor kache taaney thik”, and that is one embrace we can never get enough of.
So, on My Kolkata’s request, musician and filmmaker Anindya Chatterjee put these thoughts on “bhalobasa-basir Kolkata” to words, and a beautiful ode to the city, My Kolkata, was created, with Upal Sengupta and Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury, along with Anindya, on vocals. Starring Rajdeep Gupta and Sushmita Chatterjee, the video of the catchy number is directed by Aditya Sengupta.
Anindya Chatterjee, Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury and Upal Sengupta have sung 'My Kolkata' TT archives
What it means to them
Oxygen to Anindya, home to Rajdeep, friendship and adda to Upal, emotion to Somlata, family to Aditya and love to Sushmita — their relationship with the city may differ, but what unites them is their mutual love for the city. “The new anthem of Kolkata”, as Anindya calls it, the song walks us through the nooks and crannies of Kolkata — from bygone to modern times and evokes nostalgia at very beat.
For Upal, it is the “apon kore newa” of the city that makes the heart grow fonder. Homecoming, another key theme of the song, is also something most of us can relate to. Aditya, who knows the angst of separation while staying away from his home city, says “Ei sohorer ekta odbhut taan ache (This city has a strange pull).” To him Kolkata is, “a city you can always come back to.” Sushmita, who hails from Asansol, has found another home in Kolkata, returning to which is “coming back is happiness”. Rajdeep, who relived old memories during the shoot on College Street, his old para, also finds himself as connected to the city as ever.
The video of the catchy number is directed by Aditya Sengupta
A new perspective
The soul of My Kolkata lies in its new perspective. Kolkata is no more only kallolini tilotamma, but now also someone’s “daroon boyfriend”. Another motif of the song is discovering and defining the ‘new’ Kolkata that resides with sabek Kolkata. This harmony in dichotomy holds a special place in Somlata’s heart, and she rightly points out: “No other city can capture this emotion.”
So, here’s an ode that we hope will unite our collective emotions for the city through one musical bouquet, as we celebrate and “take you through the city called love”.