“BANGKOK,” said a very well travelled person the other day, “is the new Kolkata.”

The swirl of conversation around him came to a halt, as suave and soigne people considered this. On the face of it, of course, the two cities in question barely brook comparison. Even though both are south Asian metropolises, there are vast differences between the two. While one has never been colonized by a European power, the other was once the sparkling heart of British imperialist rule. While one is definitely Buddhist in character, the other rejoices in a diversity of religions as well as languages. There are huge differences in cleanliness and pollution levels, with our own Kolkata, now a crumbling relic of its glory days, coming out a shabby second.

But of course the man had a point. For he was talking of travelling, and of the Asomiya traveller in particular.

Suddenly, it seems, the Asomiya traveller is everywhere. Whether it is in the backpacking hostelries, or five star resorts, in not-yet-discovered-by-the-masses inns or posh hotels in the metros, and indeed in anything else in between, the distinctive cadences of the Asomiya language, along with its dialects, are heard all around the country these days. So, too, are the diverse tongues of the several tribes who live in these valleys. And indeed, one is quite likely to bump into a fellow Asomiya while throwing coins into the Fontana di Trevi, or enjoying the scenic beauties of the Rocky mountains, as well.

It was not, let us remember, always like this. Unlike his neighbour, the Bangla bhadralok, the Asomiya was not famed for travelling. In this, he was, till the other day, more like his neighbours of the hills, the Khasis and the Mizos, for example, who were loath to leave their beautiful surroundings to journey out into the rest of the country. The Asomiya was rooted to the soil quite definitely in those days, and was not known for having itchy feet. “Travel” in those days meant a visit either to the “native place” if one was in an urban place, or to a relative’s home in some other town. Sometimes, one went on religious pilgrimages, though that was usually a rare event. A highlight was the trip to Shillong, where one would usually stay with relatives. One could, and was expected to, talk of the joys of walking around Ward’s Lake and going up to Upper Shillong for a long time afterwards.

Of course, there were people, even then, who had an adventurous bent of mind. Once the travel bug hit them, they did everything they could to go on journeys, first across the country, then around the globe.

Perhaps it was from these intrepid travellers that the bug spread. Gradually, people began to venture out, at least at intervals, beyond the confines of the State. A must, among the Asomiya gentry of those earlier days, was a trip to Calcutta, which still had much to offer. In any case, Delhi and Bombay were too far off, and very poorly connected to our region. Bangalore was still a tiny town, and as for Chennai, one only went past it on the way to Vellore, for medical treatment.

Calcutta, on the other hand, was comparatively accessible, by train or by air. The more intrepid sometimes made the trip by car in winter, for a lark. And indeed, it was good fun, with stops in the Circuit Houses and Dak Bungalows along the way. At that time, the joys of Park Street beckoned. Flury’s was a must-do, as indeed were the many restaurants which offered cuisines that were unavailable in Assam in those days. Puchkas on the maidan, all kinds of fish curry in Bangla eateries, and of course the rich variety of sweetmeats and Mishti Doi were delicacies that evoked slurps in anticipation for months ahead of the planned trip. People tried to stay in Assam House as far as possible, for Russell Street was handily near Park Street. Besides it was cheap, and safe, and was so much like home that one was quite likely to bump into many friends and relations there.

In any case, a few decades ago, the Bangla language, and culture in general, was much more familiar to the average Asomiya middle classes than it is to the youth of today. The Asomiya family always “took in” a play or two in Calcutta’s famed theatres. Those with an interest in music were assured of top quality recitals taking place in the city’s halls. And for the die hard shopaholic, New Market and Gariahat were pure heaven.

These days, with the Asomiya traveller becoming so adventurous, Kolkata hardly figures in his list of talked-about destinations. He has “been there, done that” so early on in his life that it barely merits being talked about. It seems unutterably downmarket to talk about poor Kolkata, now that the charms of its markets have been so convincingly surpassed by malls everywhere.

Indeed, with train and air connectivity becoming so much better, and people going out to study and work outside the region in droves, there is barely a corner of the country that generates the kind of excitement as a travel destination that Kolkata once did. Thank goodness then, for Bangkok. Close by enough to be an affordable destination, but far enough away to qualify as “abroad”, it is now the “IT” destination for people for whom travelling is still an aspirational activity. Its malls and street shops entice in ways that New Market once did. Besides, the Rupee –Baht exchange rate is not nearly as murderous as is the Rupee-Singapore dollar. Besides, the nearby beaches also provide dollops of exotic excitement.

The “trip to Kolkata” used to be a recognised part of genteel middle class life. This has been, convincingly surpassed by the “trip to Bangkok,” making it, as the gentleman remarked, “the new Kolkata.” Perhaps it was in recognition of this phenomenon that our LGB Airport was once turned into an international one, with a weekly flight to and from Bangkok.

A parallel development has been the emergence of Gangtok as a drop-by hill destination. Gangtok, with its towering snow clad mountains, polite, friendly, welcoming people and tourist-friendly policies, seems to have replaced Shillong as the new “short break” destination for the Asomiya person. In any case, the capital of Sikkim is probably one of the finest hill stations in the country today, easily surpassing neighbouring Darjeeling, which has become dilapidated beyond belief. Places such as Shimla, Nainital and Mussoorie, too, are so overcrowded as to be off-putting. Ooty, Coonoor and Mahabaleshwar are still all right, but they are too far away from our corner of the country to make an impulse dash to.

Previously, Guwahatians would rush off for weekend breaks to nearby Shillong’s cooler climes, thereby enriching the economy of the place. True, the Asomiya person was never made to feel welcome there. No wonder Gangtok is now the new Shillong. It is in any case now much more accessible than it used to be. One can be in Sikkim within a few hours of starting out from Guwahati, by train, and then moving on by road. All Things Considered, the widening arcs of the average Asomiya middle class person’s travel itinerary do seem to speak much about him, do they not? Whether economically, or from the point of view of pure travel lust, the Asomiya is definitely evolving into a more travel-savvy person, is he not?

MITRA PHUKAN