

A poem by Sufia Khatoon on the enigmatic beauty of old Calcutta (now rechristened ‘Kolkata’), inspired by a photograph of an old building in the city by Kounteya Sinha.
Image credit: Kounteya Sinha Photography
Oh Calcutta! I walk past
Your history, standing tall
In a modern world, your blue
Windows, your red brick walls,
Reminds me of age old tales,
Mystical, mysterious, magical.
Oh Calcutta! I touched, I saw, I felt,
The lost soul of a city, Reviving
To my creative calls,
I have longed for your winter winds,
I have woven my passionate strings
In your warm heart, I have seen
The world at large, but I come
To your crumbling ruins now
And then, a reminder of your
Beautiful memory, I hold in my
Vision for the world to see.
-Sufi….21/1/16
Inspired by Konteya Sinha photography because world is inspiring and full of creativity….
A note: Inspiration as we creative minds think comes to those who have crossed the blurred walls of reality into the beyond of imagination…sometimes this world and it’s illusions we are able to recreate in our creativity through words, paintings and pictures. Konteya ‘ s pictures of the world have really inspired me… as he is a traveller who seeks higher truth through his lens.
This picture is a nostalgic reminder of the roots we belong to no matter where to travel. Calcutta is home and this poem is a dedication to it. That’s why it’s beautiful and the poetry came in an instant. One pic of Konteya that has really made me stand and look at it was of sea waves crashing in a creek… I am still finding the exact words to capture it in my poems.
Inspiration and creativity has one language… It transcends through us and flows into the universe… so like my poem inspired you Lopa to share it to your creative world and Konteya’s photography inspired me. I am sure someone else too will get inspired… Let creativity recreate the lost harmony of this world through divine vision. Thank you Lopa and Konteya for you love and support.
About photographer Kounteya Sinha
Kounteya Sinha
Award winning journalist Kounteya Sinha is presently the UK correspondent of The Times of India – the world’s largest English newspaper. Kounteya is one of India’s youngest and most prolific foreign correspondents. In just seven years with The Times Group, Kounteya has to his credit over 7000 articles – from foreign policy, defence, espionage to arts, culture and travel with over 10 millon hits online.
He has interviewed presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates, tech giants like Bill Gates, whistleblowers like Julian Assange and the who’s who of the world on multiple occasions . He was the first Indian journalist to be invited by the Nobel Prize Committee to cover the awards three years in a row in Stockholm. He is also the first Indian journalist to cover the recent Russian war in Ukraine and several other important conflicts around the world .. His stories are regularly used by the government to frame policies.
He has worked in London for the past three years before which he was posted as senior assistant editor in the political and national news bureau in Delhi. He has won at least a dozen awards for his work.
More poems in New Year 2016 Literature Special
Horizons – By Ipsita Ganguli
Poetry – By Gauri Dixit
Kadambari – By Dr Ampat Koshy
To Chiyo – By Joanna Sarah Koshy
Silverfish – By Dr Amit Shankar Saha
The Screen – By Daipayan Nair
Unearthing Life – By Anand Sehgal
Reminiscences – By Mallika Bhaumik
Talk of Shades – By Ananya Chatterjee
Musings in New Year 2016 Literature Special
I Want You to Have a Good Time – By Santosh Bakaya
Short Stories in New Year 2016 Literature Special
Noelle – By Ronald Tuhin D’Rozario
The Price of the Fumes: A Short Story – By Fatima Afshan
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