Rain, Hailstorm & Snow,all,Together

12th February 2015 was like any other day.Intensity of cold was gradually waning and relatively clear days were emerging.The day,per se,was becoming longer.In post-lunch period,clouds began hovering.By 3 pm,not only visibility was a casualty,numbers too began dwindling in otherwise sidelined offices.Market places and tourist spots, however,were buzzing with usual festive spirit.Traffic personnel and two & four wheel vehicle drivers were having tough time in the narrow stretches,irrespective of signs relating to later change in weather.

This was one day when I had almost wound up my work by 4.20 pm (something unusual,if not intended) and was in the process of checking if any item for home had to be taken/purchased from Lal Bazar/M.G.Marg.I also wished to attend to any pending or planned telephone calls before logging out.All of a sudden,there was a feeble knock and in comes a tall PWD officer with an important official letter concerning 'state' of roads in the State.It was none other than Karma Sampten,elder son of former head of the State Bureaucracy.I had seen him growing nicely as a thin and shy school-goer during 1989-94 and later was made aware that he had enrolled as an Engineering student in Kerala ,while his younger brother entered the now lucrative hospitality sector.Last,one had heard about his inroad into the Govt. service and subsequent marriage to a Royal family damsel.Today, he broke the news that not only he had produced two sons but his elder offspring was now enjoying his 14th Spring.

Before I could make him comfortable and begin seeing the urgent letter,electricity went for a duck.After offering him a cup of black tea, attempts were made to browse through the contents of letter with the help of whatever little light filtering through the windows. As very little could be made out,I began giving patient hearing to what he had to explain. I had no difficulty, whatsoever, in following owing to my prior familiarity with the subject. A ray of hope emerged and the discourse became meaningful when electricity was restored after seven to eight minutes. My new Peon, in the meanwhile, attempted to get a candle from some other room or the Guard's cabin, but of no avail .

When it was blackout for the second time, I asked the Peon to go to the nearby shop to fetch a candle. He went but returned empty handed. Next, I asked the Driver to try his luck, as he was, supposedly smarter of the two.Before he also returned with a negative answer around 4.45 pm ,we had almost summed up the discussion and were making desperate attempts to decipher the maps and plans of a new six kms road alignment for the 9th Mile under the 'torchlight' of Cell phone. Alas, light came back to disappear again for the third or fourth time.

We were so much engrossed that we did not have a slight idea of the drastic fall in temperature outside, resulting into complete darkness of the night kind. It had started raining cats and dogs and very few people or vehicles were visible on the road. Further inquiries revealed that apart from heavy downpour, the capital city had witnessed hailstorms also for  half an hour.As a result,most of the officers and staff had called it a day much prior to the official shutting hour of 4 pm. After looking here and there and sensing no more improvement in weather, I bid Good Bye to Karma and thanked him profusely to have taken the trouble of meeting me beyond office hours. He thanked me too in return for having approved purchase of his official vehicle ten months ago.

After all, how could a field officer be effective without being mobile, I thought. 

At last I could gather courage to get past somewhat receding rain to ultimately get to the vehicle under a Chinese umbrella. The very start was adventurous . Vehicle could have skidded but for the timely control exercised by the new driver. After we negotiated the first steep turn to the left, opposite Church, the whole place looked completely deserted . Dwindling hailstorm and medium intensity rain was still to be faced. The drive, therefore, had to be slow and cautious. It was wet and white scenario everywhere. One or two vehicles were seen coming from behind but none from the top or front. The view of New Secretariat looked scary. Not a single soul was seen using footpaths.

 Up towards the  Zero Point it was almost dull and drab scenario. Movement of tyres was leaving a deep impression on the vacant road. Near the tri-junction of DHH , Raj Bhavan and Zero Point, It was heartening to see two sincere traffic constables, still on duty under a 'white' canopy. I waved at them to show my appreciation for their service even in such an odd hour. I was not sure if they noticed my hand. While picking up  a bit of speed on our approach towards TNA and Mintokgang , the driver kept underling his version that it was snow and rain together and that hails had disappeared some time ago. I, on the contrary, based on my past experience, felt that when it snows, rain simply goes off. So whatever was seen now, could not be snow. Anyway, the normal journey of five minutes to my Quarter from TNA took almost ten minutes as we had to take adequate precaution in tough up hill situation.            

Near the gates of Hotel Siniolchu and VIP Colony, the driver's apprehensions or feelings were likely to be confirmed. Rain almost had subsided and the white layer began becoming prominent all over the SX 4 car  and surrounding areas. When we entered our abode after a tough and rather long drive, it was almost snow kind of situation. I was, therefore, tempted to get down twice to capture this awesome scene into my tiny cell camera. Still no  other vehicle was spotted. The fellow colony residents were,presumably either away or watching this congenial bounty of nature from an indoor setting. I could make out that it was going to be a very cold evening and night during which normal electric heater or blower would be rendered ineffective, rather Mahesh, if he had decided to return for the day, had to make arrangements for Pakoras followed by a bonfire.

Ultimately, when I was indoors, a friend waiting for his  key joined me. I did utilise the brilliant photo opportunity both in front yard  and rear portion of our Duplex flats. The fall from "top" had almost stopped by 5.15 pm. The issue still under inquisitive confabulation was whether we really  had a snow fall .Subsequent to a bite of Upma and hot cup of leaf tea, prepared swiftly by Jaya, I checked the snaps taken .Later,say within an hour, I walked down the ' white' and isolated drive-way, carefully and cautiously. The very touch and lifting of a handful of white matter confirmed my positive doubts. Same was compared with similar God given stuff collected from the backyard around 6.00 p.m. and the remnants of same at 8.00 a.m., next morning. It was nothing but snow, though the layer was thin on roads within the colony and the Circuit House area. Whosoever was undertaking morning walk with two of us, exchanged positive notes upon fresh photography and felt a different kind of elation and smile. Those playing Badminton indoors, too ventured to peep out and relish the scenario which was both attractive and inviting. Our locality had become a land of renewed beauty and excitement,for a change.

Shall I say, home is where, heart is?

Wonderful Legacy of Past

Victoria Memorial, Kolkata,1-2-2015

Dakshineshwar Temple,on the banks of Ganga,Kolkata

Continuity and Change in Kolkata

One cannot have enough of Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta. The vast, versatile and vibrant metropolis, owing to its unique and lively character cannot be covered adequately in a feature. Even a book on this highly cosmopolitan and interesting ’city of joy’ would fall short of its potentials and expectations. It is not that books or articles, sometimes highly critical ones, have not been attempted. Both exercises have enhanced the prestige, name and fame of the writers, apart from highlighting the unforgettable key players.  A few Bengali, Hindi and English films based on life in the city and its historical & artistic traditions do always see the light of the day. Since this writer is fresh from a visit to the city, why not make a humble attempt to get enrolled in the exclusive group or be on its fringe even?

One has visited Kolkata even when it was Calcutta, when a single left wing party ruled this intellectually inclined, artistically gifted and politically volatile State for over 25 years. One also saw the beginning of decline of the said party from close angles in April 2009.Change anywhere is good to talk about but sustaining the change should be equally significant. There are not many success stories on this count. The World, however, moves on. It should.

First thing that immediately catches one’s attention on arrival in the city is the combination of prominent and all pervading blue & white colour, a favourite of the person who fires the shots at present, but subsequent to years of struggle. The present colour scheme has replaced the earlier favourite of red. If my active and talkative driver Jhantu Das  is to be believed, pavements, railings, boundary walls, poles, fly overs etc. are painted afresh every  6 months and the contract for same is awarded to close followers, if not sycophants, per se. In the same way, tiny Chinese electric bulbs of same colour combination try to make a statement at night in public places. Perhaps another redeeming feature is the recent fixing of poles having three flower shaped lights not to overcome darkness but to add to the burden of the fragile State Exchequer in the name of aesthetics. Almost all of them are located right below existing tall poles already having functional yellow Sodium Vapour lamps. More than Rs 200 Crores of the tax payer’s money has been reportedly spent in the process.

Also known as the city of palaces, Kolkata had the distinction of being the first Capital of the country till 1911. The huge, imposing and attractive Gothic structures all over lend a certain regal and feudal touch. Some of them would make it to the ‘heritage’ league. They both impress and inspire. Be it Maidan, Espalanade, Park Street, Camac Street, AJC Bose Road, Elgin Street, G.T.Road, Shakespear Sarani, Middleton Street, C.R.Avenue, China Town, or Mirza Ghalib Street. The city is full of life even late at night, apart from having a relatively low crime rate. A person placed in any income group can survive here due to easy availability of low priced meals, which are paid for willingly without any distinction, based on class or paying capacity. A plate of five mini Kachoris and a Jilebi for Rs. 35/- at Sharma Tea House near PG Hospital is worth mentioning.  Its football and strike crazy populace cannot possibly have any competitor elsewhere in the world. Lately, Cricket too has found a pivotal place in the daily life of people. Fans and followers if they love you, they love you from core of their heart. The moment there is a cause for feeling hurt, they can go to any extent.

Despite rapid improvements in power, infrastructure and road fronts, expected level of investment is not taking place. There are handfuls of multinationals setting up shops and the old city based giants, such as, the Birlas, Tatas and Goenkas do not miss an opportunity to migrate to other green pastures. Its remarkable cultural and tourism assets hardly receive the attention they deserve; rather, the local residents dominate the lower and middle class tourist groups in all the known tourist destinations and circuits elsewhere. If it comes to being vibrant and cosmopolitan, it can beat any other place, big or small. One is no longer required to learn the local Lingua Franca.  One gets adjusted easily if not submerged or integrated.

As far as following, maintaining and sustaining the old Indian ethos is concerned, Kolkata will have no match. Burning example is Durga Puja. By and large, one sees well behaved people, fewer instances of rash driving, negligible road rage etc. While a few leftover Trams remind of the bygone era, hand pulled rickshaws, despite official ban, bring embarrassment, more so, due to continued awareness about the human rights. Giggling girls with ear phone on are seen talking on cells while crossing the roads or with a boy friend in toe, or sipping tea from an earthen cup with a shared & cherished cigarette. Married ladies, by and large, wear beautiful bright shade silk and handloom Saris. Some do fall for decent Salwar-Kurtas. However, college going or call centre type boys and girls invariably settle for tight pants & tops with thin sweaters or half/ full jackets. Morning walk cutting across all age groups is fast catching up. Like the early Ninetees in Mumbai and Delhi, here too ladies wearing Saris or other Indian dresses have begun using more comfortable sports shoes. One sees all this variety in equal measure in the bazars, temples, social gatherings or a Book Fair.

Last named placed is extremely lively even if the setting is crammed up, with relatively narrow passages and no fixed or earmarked area for eating joints, water, toilet etc. The portrait makers and girls and boys writing catchy slogans on the T Shirts on the spot do impress. Another noticeable feature is visit by nuclear families as an unit and equal emphasis being given to responding to book or entertainment or ‘Tiffin’ needs of everyone.  Some groups after getting exhausted do indulge in impromptu song and merry making. If you develop headache while browsing through books, many vernacular TV Channels are there to entertain you on the spot. Even a minor encouragement or instigation has the potential to gather a good crowd within minutes.

Kolkata has a plethora of great personalities. Be it the domain of science, art, literature, dance, drama or films. By making a passing reference to Ramkrishna Paramhansa (RP),Swami Vivekananda (SV),the Belur Muth and Dakshineswar temple in this piece, some justice is proposed to be done.Much against the apprehensions pertaining to traffic jams, rushing through famous Howrah Bridge, leaving behind the splendid Howrah Station building and now narrow G.T.Road, I made it to Belur Muth. What impresses to begin with, is that vehicles have to be left far behind. Thus devotees or the tourists from all walks of life have to walk together in a clean and green campus. Within no time, simplicity and serenity take over, overlooking the Ganga River (How the Hooghly takes this name is difficult to comprehend).The main temple having RP as a presiding deity, is a magnificent specimen of Hindu architecture. Even while undergoing renovation it leaves an impact. The general ban on photography, nevertheless, dissatisfies. A good walk follows for 15 minutes. Soon to be seen are gigantic Ganga River (rather clean for a change), boats, steamers, bathing people and roaming Saints or Mahants.

Visit to the museum was an eye opener. What I could not get inside the temple or surrounding areas, I could gather here and that too to my utmost satisfaction. One learnt afresh about RP, his mother, how he felt after his deep and long Tapasya and subsequently began getting worshipped as the reincarnate of Goddess Kali. The almost original models of the ancestral houses of RP, and Narendranath, his disciple later known as Swami Vivekanand, displays of speech delivered by SV at the World Assembly of Religions at Chicago, New York Hall, nine of his disciples who took Sanyas to carry forward his work etc. leave one simply amazed. Exhibits of some Britishers, such as, Sister Nivedita, who took Indian names while pursuing social work, too captivate.

By taking Ballygunj Bridge (probably first of the three bridges over Hooghly) one gets closer to a very eye catching yellow coloured Dakshineswar Temple. Situated on the banks of River Ganga, it was reported to have been built by the efforts of a Woman Zamindar after she was denied entry into the famous Peeth of Kolkata-the Kailighat Temple. On an average, 400 to 500 devotees stand in queue at a time for a 'darshan' of the Goddess Kali. In contrast, I make it in five to seven minutes, thanks to the administrative help rendered by an ASI of State Police. Photo opportunity at the courtyard of the main temple, surroundings and the vast Ganga River is a real treat. Later an attempt to see the home of SV in a congested area proves unsuccessful. Though the giant statue at the entrance was awesome, the whole complex was reported closed for lunch. I could have seen the home of late Manna Dey, the famous singer at the nearby Shimla Street, but time was not on my side. Hurriedly I collect a handicraft item from 'Tantuja' (W.Bengal Handicrafts) as a souvenir from Kolkata.

No account of Kolkata would be complete unless one mentions pony rides, romantic pairs, budding sportsmen and mouth watering street food, all around the Maidan. Artistic Graffiti, Maach-Bhaat and lively footpaths too should not be ignored. The supply of fish reportedly at present falls much short of demand and the issues of encroachment on footpaths together with mushroomed growth of slums can never be resolved. Whichever party has attempted to touch these has had severe setbacks. And on a footpath of Shakespear Sarani, very close to the home of Sri Aurovindo, one evening I got what I was looking for-a haircut. Goolam Rasool, probably a Bangladeshi, rendered a very good service by his experienced hands when almost all the saloons of the locality were either shut or had 'Unisex board' hung outside them. Before I sat down, he agreed to use a new blade and my hanky instead of his over used and dirty 'apron'. Without getting any hint, my moustache too was trimmed to my requirement. Unlike in other places, he refrained from talking about making weekly contributions to Police, toughies and petty Municipal staff. At the end of the session, he just charged a paltry sum of Rs.25/.I was simply shocked keeping in view the time devoted, effort made and overall quality of service. I, therefore, paid him double of what he had desired.

In a few minutes, leaving behind the human world of footpath, I head for the ultra modern Airport. Getting into the flying machine I kept thinking about simple and kind service providers like Rasool, who manage to survive in our cunning and mischievous world without making a fuss.