A poet's musings

Ever since 2018, when Irwin Allan Sealy, known the country over and beyond as the poet of prose, visited Kolkata for the last time, my heart aches every time a New Year approaches and the canopy of string lights appears arching over Park Street, turning it into a fairyland.

- SWAPAN K BANERJEE

I remember with a throb in my chest how, despite the press of seasonal swarm, we could celebrate the occasion when he put up at the Hotel Lytton in 2016 and Fairlawn in 2018. Only a handful of people were privy to his gracious presence in Sudder Street, and he had kindly kept me informed about his itinerary, setting aside time specifically for us to walk around under the mellow sun with no particular destination in mind. Some time ago, I dropped him a few lines through email: "Here in Park Street, things have begun to liven up. Recently, Trincas have resumed what they call the Breakfast Buffet after more than a few decades.