As a visitor, I'd seen this phrase 'Brigade Chalo' scrawled on every available space on every wall of the city. I soon learnt what it meant - that the 'Brigade' was the parade ground or the maidan. This maidan is a fabulous place - originally created by the Brits as a buffer zone to protect Fort William. The maidan is known as Calcutta's lungs! Now it has become a recreational area for the people of Calcutta. There are many sports clubs, mainly football clubs, but you can also see a lot of cricket being played by all age groups. During the kite season, this is a wonderful place to fly your kite. Colorful sheep graze, and you are likely to see a donkey or two as well, lazily moving around. The maidan is used for walks, and for lounging under the beautiful shady trees. Children can have pony rides, and there are also country-made merry-go-rounds for the little ones. The ubiquitous phuchka-wallahs have their baskets and trays all along the road, along with the ice-lolly stands and other utterly dubious but utterly delicious and totally charming street food stalls. (Oh how I love Cal!). Anyway, this maidan, or Brigade ground is also the place where wonderfully colorful political rallies are held. The photographs show people from the villages coming in and on buses. There is an assortment of transport that brings people of all age groups - from the old to little babies, all decked up in their finery for a day in the city. The buses are decked with flags and banners, and it is all very festive! It is another matter to ask what the government has done for these people. It is a rally day, and a day off from the regular everyday chores in the BIG city! Check out the man in the black tee on top of the bus in the second picture. I was fascinated to see that he is wearing a cross on a chain around his neck! I guess that is the spirit of Bengal, and which I hope will never die -
I thought Serena Williams' comment, which NDTV aired, was very, very true. She said that she did not like to play in India, because as she said: you live in this fabulous 5-star hotel, but as you drive out of the gates, you come face-to-face with so much poverty. This was something that had upset her sensibilities greatly. And, how true. We, in India, have gotten so used to these contrasts that sometimes it doesn't even register. Okay, so it is our reality. But, what we can do is to contribute our mite to reducing this terrible difference. We can start at home by being polite and decent with those who serve us. We can do something for their children. We can also associate ourselves with organizations that work with the destitute and deprived. What we have to guard against is the thought that --oh it's only us, and how much can we do when there is such a sea of poverty. Fact is, every little bit counts, every tiny little bit. One thing we simply HAVE to understand is that man's dignity is what he prizes the most (and by man i mean man, woman and child). No matter how downtrodden or how wretched poverty may have made him. What he needs more than anything else is that his human-ness be acknowledged, and that he be treated in a manner that does not destroy his dignity. Instead of using 'ayeii', 'tum' and 'tu', why can we not use 'aap', and 'bhaiya'? for in God's eyes we are all brothers. If we give of ourselves and of what we have, if we treat them well, the positive energies that are released will resonate in the world, and some good WILL come of it.
I've often wondered what people mean when they say 'spirit of Calcutta'. This picture made it all clear....
My husband took this picture while on his way to work in Howrah. The time -7.30 in the morning. Along the way, he passes numerous abandoned factories that stand as a mute testimony to Calcutta's once-industrial might. People say that there is still some activity going on in these forsaken places. Small scale industries have set up base in them...(nothing, not even a building is wasted in India - they all get recycled). The setting of this picture is the gateway of one such abandoned factory. The man is a barber, and you can see how carefully he has set up his work station. Using the factory boundary wall as his inner wall, he has carefully tied a tarpaulin to the parts of the wall that jut out. (Could this have been a sentry box once?). He has the tools of his trade in the blue box that you see in the corner. After taking out his instruments, he probably uses this box as his stool. There is a shell of a battery with a small pattiya on top, which he uses as a chair for his customers. On the wall behind him is probably a mirror large enough for the customer to see if his hair has been cut properly, or he has been given a clean shave, or his moustache and beard have been trimmed the way he wants. With a small stick broom, the barber is sweeping his salon, for to him it is a salon. (There is a small place in the wall where he keeps this broom). Obviously he is proud of it, or else why would he take the trouble to sweep the earth and keep it clean. He also obviously respects the fact that his customers need to be comfortable when he is attending to them, hence the tarpaulin, for it affords shade. Look at the barber himself. He is neatly groomed from his hair to his sandals. He wears a watch. This is a clear indication that he respects himself. To surmise: he probably has a family; wife, kids, maybe old parents and maybe even a sister or brother. He has huge commitments which he tries to fulfill in the best way he can. He is neither begging nor stealing. He is earning his livelihood in an honest and dignified way. This gentleman, no matter how difficult his job, ensures that there is food at home, that his family has clothes to wear, and that the children go to school. He is not letting the conditions in which he is carrying out his trade affect him negatively; he is not allowing himself to be depressed. He is carrying on with his life, and seeing to it that his family is also carrying on with their lives. No matter that housing is a problem, running water a luxury, the price of basic food far too high, and that everything but everything costs a lot of money. There are huge demands on energy, both physical, and mental - physical strength just to exist and mental strength to remain reasonably psychologically stable. Yet one sees to it that there is the occasional outing to the city, maybe catch a movie, maybe have some of the tasty street food available everywhere. However it is that he feels life should be led, he is helping his family live. He is not allowing any of the numerous hurdles, that living in the way he is forced to live, affect him. He and his family too have their place under the Indian sun. There is a task to be done, there is a family to care for, and there is a life to be lived. There are responsibilities to be shouldered, but there is also fun to be had. There are the numerous festivals that lighten the spirit and bring an element of fun. There is Indi-Pop and Bangla-Pop that add zest. There is the circus of politics to debate and opiniate about. There are the Shah Rukhs and Aamirs that make life really enjoyable and worth living, and give us the dialogues 'we shall overcome' to face life boldly, and assure us that at the end of it all 'aall izz welllllllll!' And, there you have it--the spirit of Calcutta.
