My favorite place to be in the entire world is my Grandmother’s house in Kolkata, India. It is my sanctuary, a place to get away from it all and be with my favorite person. My Grandmother(from my Dad’s side), whom I call Didi, has been living in this huge three story house since 1981, but the house itself is 70 to 80 years old.
The house is one of its’ kind. With a beautiful wrap around balcony connected to the main bedroom and numerous windows that are opened the minute sunlight is able to sear through and create a warm glow in the entire house, there is nothing to make the house look dark and gloomy. The house has no carpeting and instead a cool, smooth, and deep red colored concrete floor. When it becomes scorching outside, the floor comes in very handy. My favorite part of the house is the rooftop. Half of the rooftop is a small bedroom that I get to sleep in when the weather is not too hot and the sky is clear. The bedroom also has a window with a magnificent view of the neighborhood below. The part that is open is, row by row, filled with a wide diversity of plants that includes deep red roses, bright colored vegetables, and the religiously used marigolds. The house is filled with various types of artwork. From paintings of Mughal princes and princesses to small idols of Hindu gods and goddesses, there is history and storiesbehind every piece of art.
Food is an important aspect of the house. Didi is known throughout her friends and family for being gifted in the kitchen. Since I was just a small baby, there are pictures of me eating Didi’s crisp brown fish fries, zesty curries, and colorful dishes of mixed vegetables. From the minute I wake up, I can smell the delicious aromas in the air. In the morning, Didi usually makes fried bread called loochi and a tasty vegetarian dish called aloor dam, which is potatoes in a thick tomato sauce. Throughout the day, Didi makes tasty Bengali sweets to intensely spicy mutton curry. She makes it all.