Standing outside the gate of Fort William at 6:30 am on a chilly winter morning in Kolkata, you wonder whether this is worth it all when a cruel breeze from the Ganges opposite stings your face, making you shiver.
Well, one look at the car owners and you feel this is how life should be! Thoughts of class equality go out of your head as you see cars straight from the royal garages along with their royal owners descend on the common man’s path and make them stare with open-mouthed awe! The cars and the people in them make you go back to years bygone when these cars were the emblem of the families they belonged to. The charisma still remains; the ‘zamindari’ attitude shines through, what with the dazzling dresses, huge sunglasses and high heeled leather boots that the traditional ‘benarasi’ has given way to. You see the Fords, Fiats, Buicks, BMWs, Austins, Rolls, Pontiacs, Chevrolets and envy their chiseled bodies, stunning you with the reflections in the early sun.
As the day dawns to a close you feel a bit reflective…the day has given a glimpse of the old-world charm that characterized Bengal of the British era, the lives of the rich and the famous. I gaze with reverence at the wings of a Pontiac as it slowly exits the ground with a huge trophy. The elated smile on the winner’s face of the Seagram’s Royal Stag award reflects the mood of the day… a perfect winter carnival.
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