Coffee World at South City Mall

After spending an afternoon in South City Mall, we decided to grab a bite at Coffee World. A couple of Cold Coffees, a Sandwich and a Waffle topped with a scoop of ice cream.

A Seafood Detour for Dinner

Sometimes dinner plans are not really plans. They just happen.

I had gone to pick up my wife from work and, by the time we were heading back, it was already quite late. Which meant going home, cooking something and then eating it seemed like far too much effort. So, naturally, we did what any sensible couple would do — decided to eat out!

After a little discussion, we zeroed in on Ocean Grill in Salt Lake.

We had never been there before, so we didn't quite know exactly what we were getting ourselves into!

A Seafood Buffet!

And when you're hungry and faced with a buffet full of seafood, restraint isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind.

There was quite a fantastic spread of seafood, with enough variety to keep going back for "just one more plate"... which, of course, somehow turns into several more plates. There is something particularly satisfying about a seafood buffet where you can pick and choose, try a little of this, go back for more of that, and convince yourself that you're still being sensible because it's mostly seafood!

And then came the desserts.

A buffet isn't truly complete unless there is a dessert section that makes you pause and wonder whether you should have left some space. Luckily, we had.

There was a large selection of desserts, and after all that seafood, we somehow found the necessary capacity to sample a few.

So what started as a simple "let's grab something to eat since it's late" turned into a rather enjoyable dinner at Ocean Grill.

Proof once again that some of the best meals are the ones you don't really plan for!

A Close Call on VIP Road

I had gone over to Kaustav's place to spend the evening doing what I quite enjoy — Model Railroading!

This time, it was his wonderful Wrightsville Port N-Gauge layout. There’s something strangely therapeutic about sitting around, running trains, watching them disappear into tunnels, emerge from stations and generally behaving far better than real trains ever do!

After what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening of running trains, we finally said our goodbyes and headed home.

And then came the slightly less enjoyable part of the evening.

As we approached the VIP Road Flyover, we were diverted onto the old road bridge below. Nothing particularly unusual about that — Kolkata traffic has a way of sending you on unexpected sightseeing tours.

But then we saw why we had been diverted.

A section of the flyover we were supposed to be driving on had collapsed.

And just to make the scene a little more dramatic, there was a trailer truck wedged at one end, apparently having come down with the collapsed section.

We stopped and looked at it, and suddenly the thought hit us...

Had we been there a little earlier, we could have been on that very stretch of road.

A few minutes' difference. That's all.

We had spent the evening happily running little trains around a miniature world, completely oblivious to the fact that, on the way home, the real world had just thrown us a rather serious curveball.

Talk about being saved by a whisker!

That evening, the trains may have been miniature, but the reminder of how quickly things can change on the real road was very, very real.

The Potter Across I had ignored ever so often

My trips to Beckbagan Market are usually for one of two things — meat or bird seed. Today, it was the latter. My ever-growing aviary, it seems, has an ever-growing appetite!

So, there I was, picking up some bird seed, when I happened to notice the shop opposite. I had seen it many times before, but had never really paid much attention. It sold earthen pots, and frankly, pots aren't exactly the sort of thing that normally catches my eye.

But today was different.

What caught my attention wasn't the pots themselves, but the person sitting inside the shop, quietly painting them. What looked like ordinary earthen pots were being transformed, one brushstroke at a time, into colourful little pieces that could easily double up as flower vases.

I stood there for a while, watching.

It was one of those wonderfully ordinary Kolkata moments that you can so easily miss if you're in a hurry. No grand studio, no fancy signboard, no elaborate setup. Just a shop tucked away inside a municipal market, a few earthen pots and someone patiently giving each of them a little bit of character.

It also reminded me why I enjoy walking (or driving) around Kolkata with a camera. The city has this wonderful habit of hiding little visual stories in plain sight.

You just need to keep your eyes open.

And sometimes, a routine trip for bird seed can end up giving you something far more interesting to take home — a photograph and a little story.