North Kolkata Calling !!

The name of the shoe shop was probably ' Bhattacharya &Co' and it was situated on the important crossing of Hatibagan of North Calcutta. I used to frequently visit the shop for my requirements of foot wears. I was around 38/39 years of age when I had the opportunity to meet the proprietor of the shop who was eagerly showing varieties of shoes according to my choice. Somehow we got down to a casual conversation when I asked him about the age of the shop. I don't remember the actual words that he had spoken but I could still recollect that he suddenly became sentimental. Soon I realized that he was too attached to the shop and went on and on to convince me that it's  old -perhaps the oldest footwear shop in Hatibagan. Finally when he stopped I asked him an impertinent question. " And how long do you expect the shop to last -I mean do you expect the next generation to stick to it ?" He looked exasperated and thought ...

       "Art is strong wine and it needs a strong head to keep it." I have read the above line somewhere and since then kept it in my inner dictionary-for a long long period- unaware of its  use or relevancy. I often dwelled upon the said line on various phases of my life and wondered what had inspired the Author ( probably it was Maxim Gorky or Fyodor Dostoevsky) to have penned out such a line.  Myself, being somewhat bent towards the Art World, I take this opportunity to relate some facts about a friend of mine. He was a young musician trying to establish himself in the music world. Of course he had all the requirements & trainings to become a successful Harmonium player (both as a soloist and an accomp- anist ) yet the Artist within him gave him no respite from his uncertain & unpredictable mood swing. He went along  the world according to his terms. I could still remember the day when he brought alon...