An old cafe located in one of the most  busy streets  of Kolkata , the Indian Coffee House is not just a myriad of emotional walk through the essence of earlier Kolkata but is also a national heritage building.

Masked  with faded walls,  and numerous round  tables,  ancient ceiling fans, and old paintings on walls, waiters  here are dressed in white uniforms and  white turban, resembling the royal staff of the olden days,  who are carrying dining cutleries with themselves and walking from table to table collecting orders.

The Indian Coffee house in Kolkata is a present day picture of the vivacious Calcutta in the past. Though it may look like a claustrophobic building which is at the twilight of its existence, but it’s  claim to a glorious  past resonates within the intense discussions of  politics from young men and women to aged  gentleman dressed in middle class Bhadralok Style.  Interjected by puffs of cigarette smokes and cups of tea around the table, the place has always been the hub of intellectuals.  The nostalgia here lies in the songs of Manna Dey, and how  eminent personalities like  Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen, Mrinal Sen, Sunil Gangopadhay  and many others occupied the spaces of Coffee House from time to time.

Probir Bhattacharrya, a frequent visitor  in the Indian Coffee House says, “ I’m 70 now. All my children  are settled in abroad. But coming to this place with my friends doesn’t make me feel lonely at all. We meet here every day in the evening to talk about everything. As this place has been my hangout spot from my youth days, so coming here reminds me of my valour and courage in the past and also that there is a very special attachment that brings me here.” “We speak about our old age problems, about politics, and about our family” he added.  Apurbo Ganguly, a student of Calcutta University says, “ I love spending  my  evening with friends after a long hectic day. Whenever we plan to meet we always choose this place.” College students, debaters, musicians, teachers fill the Coffee House at any given point of time and its hard to find a seat.

Today as the building stands in all its glory and prowess, irrespective of its age, any admirer would proudly accept the fact that over centuries this building, formerly the Albert Hall, during days when  Kolkata was the capital of East India ruled India has aged gracefully enough. This is one of the few examples where a heritage site has seen a transformation and evolved itself perfectly with the age it has been existing in.

The essence of the place situated between dilapidated structures of Old Calcutta, overcrowding and dwindling book markets of the Boi para,  is itself a time travel- a travelogue of the city’s glorious past back from the days where youth indulged themselves in passionate  politics and fiery rhetoric. The Indian Coffee House suffices for a grandeur that any outsider in Kolkata would fail to understand. Although parts of the city may change with the emergence of globalisation but there are few places in the city which will surely sustain their pride in future days to come, and the Indian Coffee House is one of them.

The post The Indian Coffee House Kolkatta : The Claim To A Glorious past ! appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

Happy, the Clown aka Pravin Tulpule is one such face that someone will never forget in his life. Seeking happiness in every bit of life is what he thrives on.

A magic lesson at the age of 13, was somewhat a life changing experience for him which eventually changed the course of his living. Following the traditional form of profession, Pravin Tulpule  became a naval officer. But somewhere down the line, the magic lesson  remained with him.

It all started in the year 1999.  As a naval Officer, he was entertaining a crowd of children, who were suffering from Cancer. One of them was a boy who played and danced with him. All the children laughed out their pain, their grief. Ignorant of their grim reality, they enjoyed every second of the hour  that came as a precious gift of God. But as time waits for none, happiness even  does not lasts for long. Within a couple of days the boy was gone.

Happy says that many of his wishes must were left behind in the dark but he  unknowingly fulfilled one, which was to meet a Joker. This led Pravin Tulpule Happy to a life long journey where he left his Naval services 2 years before he could collect his pension and decided to walk on the path which is less travelled. He served the country for 17 long years and retired as lt. Commander Communications Specialist. Happy dedicated his life to spread happiness and began his journey to celebrate life.

An every year resource person of Anjali International Children festival,  Happy the Clown comes only to spread happiness. He travels all the way to Bhubaneswar from Mumbai just to spend time with the specially abled kids from across the world visiting the festival. Apart from this he also visits paediatric wards and orphanages across the country. By shuffling a pack of cards and performing some breathtaking tricks Happy can make any child roll out in laughter.

This festival has become an integral part of his life where he loves to meet these children. “ The  joy that I get from the kids visiting my workshop is something that I look for. There is no other  parallel for this. People  come here with passion. I  share a  very light moment with them and the happiness that I  get to see in their faces brings me joy. It gives me a satisfaction to see when some of them who are not even able to hear and talk are  smiling. When I go back I  have 10 more daughters and sons. What more do I need. It’s my sheer selfishness to come here. This selfishness is actually  the happiness that I get to see in their faces,” he said.

Happy tries to seek humour and moment in every work of life. Pravin Tulpule believes that there  is no point of being serious. Life is too short. So spread happiness. Calling himself India’s only clown magician, Pravin Tulpule even adds to fool us by believing it.

The post The Man Who Celebrates Life appeared first on Youngisthan.in.