December 26. 6pm. “Button, as soon as the aircraft touched down at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata, I knew I was back home.”

“But Kolkata is home for you!”

“Absolutely. Even though I’ve spent more years in Mumbai than in Kolkata, somehow Kolkata is in my blood. It’s like my own kin.”

“How is Mumbai different from Kolkata?”

“Mumbai is sheer energy. She doesn’t let you rest even for a wink. She is also extremely greedy. She’s like Dracula. Once she tastes blood, she wants more. There’s no hanging up one’s boots. Kolkata, on the other hand, let’s you be. She let’s you rest, cruise and live life on your own terms.”

“I guess both are unique in their own ways.”

“True. One day, when I am grey and 80, I’ll come back home. Will you join me?”