Nepal, Oct. 9 -- It was superb to be back in Calcutta, the city of joy.

I have been visiting Calcutta for various reasons since 1985. I first visited the city during Durga Puja and remember going around to different pandals (ceremonial structure used for religious festivals), admiring the idols of Durga Mata. I was carrying a camera and took many photographs, especially after Durga Puja, when devotees immersed the idols in the Hooghly River. After that, I kept coming back.

This time around, I found out that our first president, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, was in Calcutta to attend a medical conference. Fortunately, he gave me nearly two hours of his time at Zone by The Park, the hotel where he was staying.

It was wonderful to hear him reminisc...