Today 22nd, was another bandh. 23rd is Netaji’s Birthday, a holiday. 24th is Saturday and the weekend for many, a holiday for lucky people (in my office where we work on Saturdays too) whose leave applications were accepted, 25th is Sunday and 26th Republic day.
I just wanted to point out the really long weekend. Which meant it was important to figure out the logistics of coming in to work today, bandh notwithstanding. Luckily for me, I have an aunt who live close to work and my cuzz dropped me off this morning on his bike. And this meant I got to feel the ‘winter’ – it was shivery cold here this morning whereas at home, it’s almost like winter and yet not quite (although its only 15 km or so away…yes – pollution). I had told him to drive his bike really slow – he is a rash driver – and I am getting old and more afraid of my mortal state. The roads were empty. Mostly a few bikes and cycles and empty autos. He drove so steadily and slowly that soon, cycles were over taking us! Anyhow, reached office uneventfully (thankgod) which means no road blockage, no ‘untoward' incidents like pelting of stones, burning buses and unruly mobs.
It was fun to see who made it and who couldn’t and almost everyone had a story to tell about their commute this morning. And then there were those (who lived really close but wanted to take a day off) who called up the person who lived the farthest off – for moral support – surely he or she living so far away can’t come in and somehow my excuse of not coming in will get support – but alas, those living farthest did come in and those living closest were absent. All in all, it was a normal working day.
Also there were guests who had come in for some training session were leaving today. They had to be taken to the airport before the bandh was over and so as a safety measure we were told that we should have a sign on the car saying any one of the following: Delegates, Emergency etc. The car finally went out with loads of signs: Disability + Emergency + Delegates and the icing on the cake was a sign on the wind shield “Apod Kalin Service”! This was a typo …The sign should have read Apot Kalin which meant emergency and not Apod which meant ‘nuisance’!! Thankgod the guests couldn’t read bangla. Ofcourse the sign was changed before the car left.
Similar discussions and phone calls before we left for our homes – whether the bandh was over, were buses running, auto plying, was there any jhamela anywhere…and all of us reached home safely, as usual, through empty roads but crowded buses. Well that’s it then, isn’t it for the bandh story. Oh yes…it’s the first bandh in West Bengal for the year 2009.
Some managed to not go to work, others managed to; Daily wagers lost one day's wage, SUCI said the bandh was a total success, Oppositions said it was a total failure...it does not merely sound familiar, it is infact cliched, tired as can be, stale and infact it doesn't sound like anything, anymore and if it does, we dont hear it. It's just another day: you know, Monday, Tuesday,….Sunday, Bandh day.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Taxi, Taxi
I have to admit that the bright yellow of the taxi with the blue stripe, does add, if nothing else, a bright splash of colour to this otherwise dreary drab polluted and most beloved city of mine.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A walk in the park
It's been months since I last went for an evening walk. Just as I was getting very serious about them, I landed a job with a 6 day work week and that was that. I found some free time this Sunday evening and so I went to dear old Maddox Square. Having sweated it out in summer (trying to lose those unwanted pounds that had piled on), I thought winter would be pleasant.
Like an old hand (at walking that is), I sauntered in around 5:30pm. Some known faces, some new ones. Walkers slow, fast & furious. Ah! It felt nice. The paths were all beautifully paved - thanks to the annual overhaul for the Durga Pujas.
Two games of football in the centre green (not so green and bare in patches), a dad showing (off) his remote controlled helicopter more to others than his kid. A few kids burning scrap papers that had collected from the annual sports of a school held in the morning. Same place, same people, doing the same things (more or less) except smoky wintry atmosphere and of course winter clothes: sweaters, shawls, mufflers et al to remind us that this was - er...winter.
Good thing that - reminding us of it being winter. Otherwise one would think it was spring, in January. Very nice.
PS - Hope this does not portend a blistering summer.
Like an old hand (at walking that is), I sauntered in around 5:30pm. Some known faces, some new ones. Walkers slow, fast & furious. Ah! It felt nice. The paths were all beautifully paved - thanks to the annual overhaul for the Durga Pujas.
Two games of football in the centre green (not so green and bare in patches), a dad showing (off) his remote controlled helicopter more to others than his kid. A few kids burning scrap papers that had collected from the annual sports of a school held in the morning. Same place, same people, doing the same things (more or less) except smoky wintry atmosphere and of course winter clothes: sweaters, shawls, mufflers et al to remind us that this was - er...winter.
Good thing that - reminding us of it being winter. Otherwise one would think it was spring, in January. Very nice.
PS - Hope this does not portend a blistering summer.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Through a smog, hazily
Smog does have its advantages afterall. Victoria Memorial does look dreamy and nice! [Instead of a cold empty marble, OTT relic of the Raj].
Friday, January 09, 2009
Almost made it to the list...
When I saw the Top 10 most polluted places on Listverse I kept expecting Calcutta to crop up as I scrolled down the list in reverse order. India was there on the list twice - Sukinda (Hexavalent chromium and other metals) and Vapi (Chemicals and heavy metals). Calcutta however, didn't make the list.
I wasn't too convinced. I mean, I am living here and know what it is like. Feel vindicated today (vindication ruined somewhat by coughing and gasping and a heavy choking feeling in my lungs) by a report in a daily which said that Behala Chowrasta - epicentre of 6 routes and 1500 autos plying was the most polluted crossing in Calcutta. And these are the controversial two stroke autos (major pollutants). At a height of 15 feet, the Respirable particulate matter (RPM) is 115 micrograms per cubic meter. National upper limit is 60.
Dunlop is 110, Tollygunje is 109 - all merrily adding to pollution count in Calcutta.
Applause! for being top most in something, anything and for me and a million others who survive despite it!
And what with only 8 autos banned since the ban on two stroke autos started on January 1, 2009, this means, there are 66910 still left merrily increasing the RPM. Political parties are still hemming and hawing...first ruling party imposes the ban. Opposition opposes it (at the fag end and just before the ban is to begin) and ruling party wakes up to "what will happen to rozi roti of the two stroke auto drivers" on first day of the ban! [Yet another normal democratic political excercise in West Bengal...more or less follows the same pattern only issues vary, opposer and proposer vary].
And Listverse...Calcutta might be making your list soon...hope I live to see it (as I cross Behala Chowrasta everyday and RPM is responsible for irreversible lung damage)!
I wasn't too convinced. I mean, I am living here and know what it is like. Feel vindicated today (vindication ruined somewhat by coughing and gasping and a heavy choking feeling in my lungs) by a report in a daily which said that Behala Chowrasta - epicentre of 6 routes and 1500 autos plying was the most polluted crossing in Calcutta. And these are the controversial two stroke autos (major pollutants). At a height of 15 feet, the Respirable particulate matter (RPM) is 115 micrograms per cubic meter. National upper limit is 60.
Dunlop is 110, Tollygunje is 109 - all merrily adding to pollution count in Calcutta.
Applause! for being top most in something, anything and for me and a million others who survive despite it!
And what with only 8 autos banned since the ban on two stroke autos started on January 1, 2009, this means, there are 66910 still left merrily increasing the RPM. Political parties are still hemming and hawing...first ruling party imposes the ban. Opposition opposes it (at the fag end and just before the ban is to begin) and ruling party wakes up to "what will happen to rozi roti of the two stroke auto drivers" on first day of the ban! [Yet another normal democratic political excercise in West Bengal...more or less follows the same pattern only issues vary, opposer and proposer vary].
And Listverse...Calcutta might be making your list soon...hope I live to see it (as I cross Behala Chowrasta everyday and RPM is responsible for irreversible lung damage)!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Louis Braille birth bicentennary
January 4th 2009 was the birth centennary of Louis Braille.
Another anniversary which would have come and gone for visually un-impaired (In light of this post, "sighted" sounds incorrect) people like me. I saw it on the news and read about it. And my visually impaired (VI) colleague had mentioned that he would be taking part in a procession which would incidentally start quite close to my home, on Sunday. I did toy with the idea of joining it. But then what with the now on- now off auto ban and Hazra more being the nerve centre (a huge auto depot and close proximity to TMC chief Ms. Bannerjee's home), I decided against. The rally did happen, peacefully and some 700 people had participated and the procession ended at Rabindra Sadan.
This morning, I saw him standing near the large room usually used for training and workshops. "Can I help you with something?". I have this urge to help him although he is very self sufficient and makes the long commute from home and back alone, everyday. Infact, it's me who needs frequent help in navigating the crazy traffic on Kolkata roads.
"Actually, I am telling everyone (who passes by) that we - he and RS the other VI collegue - are holding a small exhibition of our Braille Unit (the NGO where I work is probably the only NGO with a braille printing unit, atleast in this part of India) on the ocassion of Louis Braille's bicentennary. The exhibition consisted of a variety of tools and equipments, a good majority of which he had made himeself and now are available in the market were laid out on tables. The rest of the staff went around and asked questions about each equipment and its usage. Most of them were teaching materials. Braille alphabet in bengali and english using bindis; Set squares, protractor and even a compass, clock, abacus etc adapted for the VI. There was a set of braille playing cards. Identical to normal ones except the card - say four of hearts written in braille in a corner. We had great fun taking out cards at random and showing them to S and each time, he answered correctly: he is fluent in braille! One of the older staff told me to stop testing him. Afterall, he made the set. "We needed S to make a fourth for playing 29 (a game quite similar to bridge)!!
The exhibition was an eye-opener, literally. Not very different from other people am I? I didn't even remember. And that despite spending the best part of the last two months helping to develop various materials which talk about Inclusion of PWDs (people with disabilities) all the time. Inclusion and not assistance.
Another anniversary which would have come and gone for visually un-impaired (In light of this post, "sighted" sounds incorrect) people like me. I saw it on the news and read about it. And my visually impaired (VI) colleague had mentioned that he would be taking part in a procession which would incidentally start quite close to my home, on Sunday. I did toy with the idea of joining it. But then what with the now on- now off auto ban and Hazra more being the nerve centre (a huge auto depot and close proximity to TMC chief Ms. Bannerjee's home), I decided against. The rally did happen, peacefully and some 700 people had participated and the procession ended at Rabindra Sadan.
This morning, I saw him standing near the large room usually used for training and workshops. "Can I help you with something?". I have this urge to help him although he is very self sufficient and makes the long commute from home and back alone, everyday. Infact, it's me who needs frequent help in navigating the crazy traffic on Kolkata roads.
"Actually, I am telling everyone (who passes by) that we - he and RS the other VI collegue - are holding a small exhibition of our Braille Unit (the NGO where I work is probably the only NGO with a braille printing unit, atleast in this part of India) on the ocassion of Louis Braille's bicentennary. The exhibition consisted of a variety of tools and equipments, a good majority of which he had made himeself and now are available in the market were laid out on tables. The rest of the staff went around and asked questions about each equipment and its usage. Most of them were teaching materials. Braille alphabet in bengali and english using bindis; Set squares, protractor and even a compass, clock, abacus etc adapted for the VI. There was a set of braille playing cards. Identical to normal ones except the card - say four of hearts written in braille in a corner. We had great fun taking out cards at random and showing them to S and each time, he answered correctly: he is fluent in braille! One of the older staff told me to stop testing him. Afterall, he made the set. "We needed S to make a fourth for playing 29 (a game quite similar to bridge)!!
The exhibition was an eye-opener, literally. Not very different from other people am I? I didn't even remember. And that despite spending the best part of the last two months helping to develop various materials which talk about Inclusion of PWDs (people with disabilities) all the time. Inclusion and not assistance.
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