I am and will always be work
in progress material – I am never the finished product as I am never done
with my learning or refining existing knowledge. Now how is that related to Kolkata summer?
After retiring from corporate roughly four years back and
settling for a laid back life style in Bangalore Suburbs, it took me just a few
visits to Kolkata, a couple of Bengali weddings to attend, a little bit of soul searching
and some practical adjustments to take a final call - to return home, for good!
What
practical adjustments?
Flat readiness
The preparation had started last year around this time so
that we could move to Kolkata by June 16. Our Kolkata flat needed, if not a face
lift, at least a coat of Royale which got done in October last year just before
Durga Puja. I can seriously make a case study of that any day.
Moving
Furniture
If I bring all furniture from Bangalore, I will end up having
4 TVs (though I and my mother are mostly glued to cookery channels on just one), 2 Fridge,
2 Dining table, 2 Divans, 2 Beds, 2 ward robes, 2 Book cases - You already get
the drift about the point.
No, the point is not about having everything double – It is
about the available square feet area in Kolkata flat – 300 Square Feet, roughly.
Renting
out Bangalore Flat
I decided to rent out our Bangalore flat as is – fully
furnished however there were no takers for that as most of the prospects that
came to see the house had their own stuff. So we sold a few items (Washing
Machine, Fridge, car etc.), managed to bring some items to Kolkata through a
packer and mover and kept the rest locked in a room.
Dealing with reputed packers and their insurance company is going to be one great power point presentation forewarning others not to follow my foot steps, particularly when you shell out your hard earned money.
Kolkata Connect.
I have never been able to take Kolkata out of my system. I
missed the city a lot. Everything about the city is nostalgia, particularly for someone who has been away from home, for work for 15 long years.
Books in College Street or Oxford
Theater and the fairs (Mela)
Mayapur and Nabadwip for Krishna and Chaitanya fans.
Kamarpukur and Jairambaati for Sri Ramakrishna and Holy mother Sarada
Dakhineshwar and Tarakeshwar for goddess Kali or lord Shiva
Belur and the Cossipore Udyan Bati for disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda
Gandhighat or Serampore Ghat for the Ganges view
Tram and the ferry for quick and cheap rides.
Metro and the local trains
Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year) and Rabindra Jayanti (Tagore's Birthday)
Durga Pujo spread across five days and the Lokhi puja in every household
Politics and People
Street chowmein and the black tea in earthen cups
Biryani and the fish fry.
Mango sweet sour soup (Aamer Talk) and the pointed gourd (Potol) for lunch
Rickshaw puller and the high end car owner sharing the same enthusiasm for football
Seriously, the list continues. I will add here, once I do the Calcutta walks that is so much on the rise now.
Most critical adjustment
I missed all of these and yet dreaded trying most of them during summer. I had completely lost the habit of dealing with heat here and its impact on my body, that has aged by 15 years.
My enthusiasm to relocate back used to get
diffused each time I thought of the summer here. Coping up with this
temperature was the most critical adjustment that crossed my mind several times,
particularly after getting used to Bangalore weather.
Mere Apprehensions
I waited for April to end before writing this blog. Though I
do not have to commute or travel to work (as I work from home), the need to
visit banks, shops, relatives, weekend trips, friends day out is an ongoing affair, which means I am exposed to afternoon heat at least once or twice a week.
Even without AC at home as my mother is prone to breathing
problems, it really was not unbearable, after all, as I feared. There is an unspoken secret anticipation for rain, every morning and that sort of adds to the ability to withstand heat, driven by a cooling factor - hope.
Our choice of beverages must have
something to do with the calming effect on us in spite of the degrees moving higher..
 |
| Curd and Ice |
 |
| The Black Tea Ritual |
 |
| Sattu Drink |
 |
| Ice Tea |
I am still learning. Still work in progress.
While I add a few more liquid remedy that I have had so far like a tall glass of Mango juice or sweet and salt fresh lime, I am sure I have many more things to learn to combat heat.
