Curse of a city slicker: aren’t things supposed to be orderly?

… Nope, I learn as I negotiate the vagaries of the town and its sweet-n-sour ways

pujab

Puja Bhattacharjee | November 6, 2012


Nandaria is bright and happy during day. Salboni is a study in contrast once dusk takes over: not exactly a walk in the park for an urban dweller.
Nandaria is bright and happy during day. Salboni is a study in contrast once dusk takes over: not exactly a walk in the park for an urban dweller.

Among many disadvantages of being a city slicker is the level of expectation that comes almost guaranteed. A railway station, for instance, ought to have an enquiry counter. Or roads, for that matter, are thrown open to the public only after the streetlights are put in place. We take them for granted

Midnapore, though, is teaching me small aspects of life that I would not have encountered in an urban landscape.

I had a post-lunch appointment with the block development officer (BDO) of Salboni today, and there are two ways of reaching Salboni from Midnapore town: a train or a bus. Slightly more familiar with trains, I headed for the railway station.

Each time I am at this station, apprehension takes a firm grip over me. The first worry is the train I am supposed to take, and what time it leaves the station. Midnapore station does not have an enquiry counter, so enquiring from the ticket counter is the only, though not a very good, option. It is a very busy station and people don’t have the patience to wait while the commuter at the counter takes her time checking the train timings. They just push past you and offer their fare at the counter.

I had protested on one such occasion and was told to go enquire elsewhere — “the train is waiting on the platform and I have to hurry,” I was told, and not too politely at that.

Today I was lucky. A person at the guesthouse where I am residing had the train-timing chart and I knew which train and its time.

Usually, my next apprehension is from which platform the train leaves. As a rule, I enter the station and look for someone to pop that question to. When lucky, a ticket collector can be spotted on the platform. I don’t have faith in the loudspeaker announcements, as the voice is often garbled and I have to listen a few times to figure out what is being said.

Bad luck; no official in sight today. I made my way toward one of the officious-looking rooms, where a lady sat reading the day’s newspaper. I knocked; she looked up; went back to her paper. I approached her gingerly with my query, she told me, a little curtly, to pay attention to the announcement.

On that loudspeaker.

Luckily, I could make out what the loudspeaker said and made my way towards the correct platform. The train arrived on time but left Midnapore half an hour late, dropping me at Salboni at 4.30 pm. The BDO’s office is a few minutes from the station. I was familiar with the route, having gone there once before.

The BDO was gracious. While talking to him dusk fell and I couldn’t help but notice how dark it is outside.

I asked him if any of his staff was headed toward the station and that I would like to accompany them. As I made my way out — it was quarter to six — I realised how dark it actually was: not a single streetlight was in sight. I was silently thanking God that two other people were accompanying me to the station. There was no way I could have made it there alone — the only lights came from houses beside the street.

It was so dark I couldn’t even see if I was stepping into potholes, had there been any. Luckily one of the gentlemen was carrying a torch.

The train, Rupasi Bangla Superfast Express, was not very crowded but finding a seat was difficult. Some passengers had kept their luggage on the seat instead of the overhead storage space. One of them did not answer when I asked her if anyone was occupying the seat. Another said the seat was too wet from the rain to sit. I could tell he was lying since I saw there was no space in the overhead luggage storage.

In a more urban setting I would have argued but here I moved on to another compartment and found a seat. I noticed a few men in khakis with guns in the compartment, travelling both ways. I couldn’t tell if they were CRPF.

It took exactly 15 minutes to reach Midnapore. It had been raining heavily for the past few days. Thankfully, I got a rickshaw and reached the guesthouse in a few minutes.

 

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter