In my city

Every step I take makes me whole again...

Walking 'bout the streets I know so well,

This is my city.

The air's polluted

Carbon particles suspended- I take in a breath

The sixty-thousand people of Calcutta breath in this air everyday.

The roads are dirty, strewn about

Mangy looking street dogs rush in and out

The majestic river Hooghly...

Stinks!

Well, who cares?

It's the river of Hooghly or the drainage canal of Keshtopur

This is my city.

People rush about, every way

People rush about, night and day

Beggars on the footpath

Stretch out their claw-like hands – ignored.

I drop a coin into each outstretched hand

Knowing that most of them are frauds.

For this is Calcutta – the 'City of Joy'!

'Tis where I live.

'Tis where I was born – 'tis all I have known

The eternal traffic blocks the road,

The city's waste jams the drain,

The city's smoke clouds your brain,

But your heart beats, blood flows, and your soul

Is free...

The shout of the policeman, frustated

The driver blows the horn in revenge

The cry of hungry babies

And their hungry mothers, scolding

People cheating, and being cheated

In every corner

The smog, the din, the endless confusion

Yes. That is my city.

I turned my steps around

Homeward bound,

A girl of eight, from the slums downtown

Hair damaged, and old old dress

Holding a baby in her arms, with so much pride

And a strange light in her eyes – the light of innocence!

And a smile...

Which shined like the only star in the sky...

Yes, this is Calcutta,

The 'City of Joy'

'Tis where I live, 'tis where I will die

My soul – is one

With the spirit of the City...

Walking 'bout the streets I know so well,

It feels like home.