My Coffee House Experience

Starbucks may have revolutionised the coffee house culture in the world but many don’t know that India had its own “Coffee House” way before Starbucks was formed. Ask any Bengali about the song, “Coffee Houser Sei Adda Ta”, and everyone will immediately recognise the famous Manna De number. Such was the importance or rather popularity of “Coffee House” that a whole new song got composed on it.

Whenever I would hear the song, I longed to be there where famous people like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Manna De himself and many others graced the premises of the old building. I would imagine how it would be to sit in one corner and have “adda” sessions with friends in the midst of a crowd that probably housed many upcoming famous people.

This summer my dream came true when I got to visit “Coffee House of College Street” as it is fondly called. Honestly speaking it had nothing of my imagination. I has always thought of coffee houses in their present avatars like a CCD or Barista. But “Coffee House” had the old world look to it, which I assumed they preserved with a motive. It was a huge hall of red coloured cemented floors and walls. Dozens of chairs and tables were arranged in an organised manner around the place. I, along with my companions took a corner table of four while at the same time glancing over the many occupied tables with interest hoping to see a known face. Though I didn’t really experience an adda session there, I could well imagine what it would be like to sit there and chat with friends for hours. How I longed to sit there and experience it. As I sipped my cold coffee, I wondered was it in the environment of the restaurant that such intellectuals were born or was it something else. Well, whatever it was for me it was an experience that I would hold dear for ever.

A childhood fantasy ….

Enid Blyton, the lady who rules my childhood memories. The author who taught me the meaning of adventure, independence, fun, friends, gatherings, lemonade, secret clubs, sheds, summer holidays, winter breaks…oh!! So many things, things that I can still identify with even after many many years.

Me and my friends worshipped her. We went a step ahead than others and actually formed a secret club in the hope that we would solve brilliant mysteries and make our parents proud. At the tender age of 9 or 10 we could go out with our pockets filled with a torch, notebook, and pencils in search of adventure (now I wonder, if only adventure could be searched!!!). But once we would reach our so called “destination” all our courage would wither away and we would be scuttling home like terrified puppies. And that marked the end of our adventure.

Today, after many many years, the childhood dream to explore the unexplored came true. My friend and I walked a lonely road talking to glory about life, our frustrations, our aspirations etc, when we came to a dead- end of a road. The end was by an incomplete house that overlooked a stream. Standing outside the house, I wanted to go in desperately, but my mind was continuously warning me not to trespass someone’s private property. (oh! the so called societal norms!!!) After much persuasion from my friend and now I thank her for doing so, we entered. I immediately went for the terrace to get an overview of the stream and the overlooking hill. Oh!! how I loved the place and what it had to offer me. Just wanted to sit down there and spend hours (crying maybe?).

Well anyway, moving on, I did manage to fulfil a childhood dream of going somewhere, doing something that was prohibited but at the same time childish. Just loved the moment when I became a child again and relived my Enid Blyton dreams!!

Does HE exist???

I have often asked myself what God means to me. What is the thing that makes me believe in the existence of the Almighty. But I can never get a straight answer. I just know that there is someone mightier than me somewhere who listens to me and becomes my strength whenever necessary.

I have grown up seeing religious festivities around me. My house has a “seemingly” very powerful God; Narayan. My mother has always said that He is the one who guides our lives and makes things better for us. In school too I would sing prayer hymns with everyone, never understanding its importance or necessity. However, in my adolescence, I could not make myself believe in the existence of this supernatural power. I always felt that this was just a believe my mother had that made her strong. I never saw anything good happening because of Him. Actually I could never see things in that light, could never believe that someone else could make our live better. Often I would ask little things from Him, some very materialistic others being tangiable things. But never did my wishes come true, never did I see any change taking place.

But all these things suddenly changed. When I look back today, I feel it was an overnight’s change that dawned on me. Suddenly I started believing in His existence. I thought why not give Him and myself a chance; why not try to believe in Him. So I did that. But the real change or rather development came when I visited Mathura in the year 2006. I went there with the rather cliché thought of finding a dirty place thronged with thousands of people battling it out to show their believe in Him. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise. I reached there at around 8 in the morning when the temple had just opened. The place was being cleaned and washed and in the background “bhajans” were being played. The whole atmosphere was totally different to what I had expected. The place actually gave me the jitters. Suddenly with a start I felt that yes HE EXISTED.

That was the day when my believe in Him and His powers changed. I slowly started respecting the Almighty. I started thanking Him instead of asking Him, and that was where the major difference occurred. I realised that even before asking Him anything we need to thank Him for all we have. Ever since I have been doing that and have had a rather peaceful life.