Kolkata kills

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Since my paternal uncle passed away, I was concerned about my father as the only surviving brother. Thankfully, he was fine but my brave trip during the pandemic was a lesson in itself to take care of oneself first and foremost.

Being not sure of travel, I requested some flexibility in my leave which my 'kind' manager complied with. I took the RT-PCR test and it was negative. Immediately, I confirmed my travels. I cycled and bought a whole lot of thoughtful presents for friends and family at one go as did not have much time for multiple trips. I had to fill a Air Suvidha form to confirm all my location details in India. At the airport, there were so many administrative checks of an assortment of papers, making travelling with the Maharaja less than royal.

On the brighter side, this was one of the healthiest flights of the world because during the whole 8.5 hours, direct London- Kolkata Air India flight, not a single person sneezed or coughed.

I watched 3 movies non stop, only to take a break for washroom. Alcoholic drinks were served all throughout. I played merry go round with the seats as the flight was half empty. On landing at Kolkata, was subjected to numerous extra forms and checks.

After taking my RT PCR sample, I was counting the bars of the airport ceiling in the waiting room from 6.30 am to 12 noon, when with negative results, I was finally permitted to leave Dum dum airport.

The long wait meant I had a tasty chicken sandwich (the last one left in the small counter) and a 'lemon tea' which should be renamed 'hot sugar water'.

Having last been in India, 3 years back, I had constant throat irritation and suspected Covid-19 infection. Thankfully, my friend had warned me about extremely high air pollution levels. I reconciled to the situation as best as I could and invested in an air purifier for a sound sleep in the later days of my trip.

Meanwhile, my dad banned all cleaners from the house because of fear of Covid-19 infections. I upgraded my room lighting with more voltage bulbs as it was so dark on the ground floor. The old mattress was so hard that I could not sleep the first few night. I shifted to my sister's bed in the adjoining room with the slightly newer mattress. The home food did not suit my palate and I got violently sick. I had to ring a doctor who prescribed a medicine to stop my non-stop vomitting. I avoided food for two days. Meanwhile, I made sure my work handover was happening well before I went for official leave.

The time difference ensured that I was awake like an owl- hearing the Azaan, the church bells and the melodiless song of a Hindu temple singer (why can't they take some training?). Even the crows sang sweeter.

The floors was dirty and there were cobwebs. The switches of the bathroom had layers of accumulated dirt which was sickly sticky to touch. I invested in a mop so that housekeeper was able to clean the floors. My days in Kolkata were spent putting all the warm clothes in the sun, getting dad's house cleaned, sorting things in the house and putting things in order.

My dad did not allow me to leave the house but I insisted on doing bank work to which he finally conceded. I left in morning and had a bath/change of clothes when back. During one of the trips, I bought some much needed floor cleaning liquid, door mat, chilli sauce for chowmein and some Bengali sweets.

I noticed loads of homeless people, over crowding and many speaking Hindi in Kolkata, mostly non-Bengalis.

Footpaths were being used by two wheelers to park their vehicles and to even 'live'. Footpaths even had big cars parked on them. The polluted air made life miserable and even the Sun tried to shine weakly through but with some difficulty. Hawkers had encroached the roads and the vegetable sellers considered the footpath their private property.

Saraswati pooja was around the corner. Many pandals came up all over the streets. A public holiday meant young men and women dressed in their ethnic wear. It was flash of yellow all over the city- welcome to spring!

The white marbles of Victoria memorial hid behind smog and not fog to my unsuspecting friends. Birla Planetarium had a wonderful show on "cosmic collisions" which was great but a copy of an American program dubbed in Hindi. Does India not have anything original to showcase when we are planning an expedition to Mars?

The thrilling part of Kolkata was the exquisite temperature (a mild early 20 degree celsius with soft sunlight) and the splendid taste of the river water- straight from the Ganges.

I visited my uncle, an aunt and cousins. My niece and a friend visited my dad's house on my last day. That is the list of all my socials. One aunt even asked me to do a video chat, the pandemic had crippled the population with such fear. I asked dad to accompany me to a resort by the river but he declined claiming it is too windy for his delicate health.

I realized days were flying. I had promised to do some shopping for my friends in UK. Medicines, food and cosmetic items, I ordered online.

It was tough living in Kolkata during the pandemic. I could not take it anymore. I made a day trip to Bolpur to buy lovely handicrafts as gift items. Though I bought all the beautiful stuff I wanted, most of the tourist spots were closed all over West Bengal. For example, in the deer park in Bolpur, I saw only one deer from the main gate which was too far away.

Back in Kolkata, my friend suggested Zomato. It saved my day as I ordered egg chicken rolls, fish fry, mutton cutlet, mughlai paratha etc. I wanted to order food from outside but my elderly father was hassled about ordering, delivery and the process of sanitization as most Calcuttans that the whole enthusiasm was washed away. Again, I fell sick from home food. It was a struggle to negotiate on daily menu as the food combinations at home, probably the cooking oil being used was different. Finally, I bought some strong medicines so that if I fell sick again, I had immediate relief.

My cousin's son was born and it was nice to welcome him to the world. "Coronial generation" is here. Meanwhile, I had to complete some work which meant getting some certificates from different government agencies like legal, police, hospital etc. It made me do a good round of Kolkata like never before.

I remember getting excited to see a tram in Park Street and snapping a photograph.

A policeman came up to me to make enquiries. It dawned on me that I must look like a terrorist with my head and face covered in scarf and a mobile phone in my hand, clicking photos of mundane things like tram. I explained to him that the taxi drivers were asking for additional fee of 20 INR on top of the meter and he helpfully suggested to take an empty bus. Not sure if anyone could believe the excitement of seeing an old tram 😊

Barely surviving, I logged into work after my official planned break and learnt that my 'kind' manager had removed me from the projects for good because it was 'too much' to give me a 'reverse handover'.

One of dad's friends arrived from USA and it was nice to host them. They remarked that the house looked so lively with my presence (and cleaning). They were the first visitors since the pandemic started. Managing the social set up, looking after them and what was left of the last days of work would have been nicer if Indian men recognized that serving food to guests, folding clothes, dusting, cleaning etc are as much responsibility for men as women. With lack of social visits, people were living in siloes. The pandemic had probably set our social lives back by several years and made introverts even more inward.

I checked if I could extend my stay with the Airlines but the change charges were too high. People in my circle had passed away from Covid-19 because they caught it from long distance journey. I had made the perilous journey to see my father. It could have killed me too. With the numerous visits I needed to make outside, my dad rightly thought that I could have brought infection home. It is all risky business and we simply had to learn to be very tolerant and respectful as family members.

Open communication is key to good relationship and it works both ways. One must learn to express oneself.

As an oasis of greenery in the sea of pollution, I happened to visit the South Park Street cemetery. Many great people had died in their 40s and they had been recognized for their services like Alexander Cunningham (Founder of Asiatic Society), Hindoo Stuart, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (Presidency College, Head) among others. It was lovely to reflect on their achievements. Lovebirds were here too.

I took the RT PCR test and was negative. Accompanied my dad's housekeeper for long due medical examination and hopefully, she will take the treatment required. She had spent a lot of time and energy making my stay as comfortable as possible.

For 2 INR, you could get first rate, specialist medical treatment in Kolkata. The government hospitals were very crowded because of high demand.

The pandemic might have put all routine medical examinations in the backlog. India does take care of its poor and can definitely do better.

Most important thing in life is to look after yourself. No one will do it for you.

During this pandemic, Kolkata killed my stupid thoughts that people can be brave and value relationships above all. There was all evasive fear.

Everyone is struggling- first learn to survive and foremost. Relatives don't want to meet and friends arrive on the last day.

To top it all, air pollution kills

When I suggested to my cousin that I shall die happier but sooner in Kolkata, he recommended investing in an air purifier to extent our lives 😊

To summarise, we all agree wholeheartedly, pandemic is the biggest kill joy of the century and in 2022, the city of joy was a city that kills.

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Photos

Cat on a nap
Two wheelers parked on footpaths

Derozio
Anglo Indian Renaissance

Footbridge in Kolkata
Near Dakhinapon