East is East

Schooling in the South, undergrad in the North and postgrad in the West of India meant it was inevitable that work would at some stage take me to the East. Placing the happenstance of being posted in Kolkata for my very first stint outside my locus of control helped cope with the initial irritation at being allotted the one zone out of four I'd have least preferred. Some people like to call it force majeure, others just desserts, but I just think it's a neat idea to get these few months out of the way in an area I might either have deep misconceptions about, or was horribly right about all along.

Here's to finding out in the next six-seven months. A few quick notes from the two days shuttling between the hotel and the office:

1. I think the brief hiatus I'd taken from learning German on Duolingo has just become indefinite - I spend an inordinate amount of brain force on wrenching out words I know from the uniquely Bengali-fied English and Hindi I hear every day.
2. The Ambassador may be out of production, but Hindustan Motors better not shut down its servicing business - a few thousand more dysfunctional yellow cabs is the last thing this city needs.
3. I like to think I've more or less mastered the Mumbai locals now, especially after the almost-daily peak time fast train rides from Kurla to Thane last summer. Kolkata, let's see what you've got tomorrow.
4. Mota-moti: I think I've understood what that means, mota-moti.