My generation was not born to swanky shopping malls and upscale restaurants and high rises. Shopping was all about Gariahat and for special occasions New Market. Park street had a presence all through but was non existent for me. It was beyond our reach. It was mostly street food for us- the alur dom, alu kabli* man outside our school or egg rolls and fish fry in our para* or rather in every para and a few small restaurants in Behala* where the under average Chinese food seemed irresistible. Birthday cakes were either homemade or the buttery sugary mass of a chocolate or strawberry cake from Monginis or Kathleen. I would hear about a certain Flurys on Park Street from a privileged lot at school, but for a plump hairband clad 12- 13 year old and that too one with a low self esteem, a happening place like Park Street seemed as distant as the moon! That does not however mean I was underprivileged by any standards. I had a good school, good clothes, heaps load of food to eat (being the only child), great books to read etc. It was our way of life sans cafe, computers, branded clothes, dvds, ac, cars etc. A no frill good life it was.
The city underwent a phantasmagorical transformation. What's ironical is the fact that though the change was sudden it was also smooth in the sense that it soon and with ease merged into and onto the fortified walls of a tradition and culture hugging city and soon became a way of life for many like me. The day and age of shopping malls had arrived. These were the days of experiments with food, lifestyle, boutiques, salons. Calcutta embraced these with open arms. I embraced them with open arms and so did many like me. Some criticized too and expressed disbelief in what the city of was coming to. I on the other hand loved being a part of the change.
Having said that it's impossible to stay in the city and feign indifference to another Calcutta, real in every sense of the term. With each floor being added to the intimidating towers, some homes started looking like playhouses. With every sparkling, shining chic stores peeping out of the corners of the road, the dimming lights in some parts seemed even more dull. We asked for more almost forgetting that many didn't even have enough.
One fine day as I clambered onto an auto to make my usual run to office, I noticed a group of women and children huddled on the pavement. One lady who I assumed to be a mother to the girl she was talking to, pointed at approaching pedestrians and pushed her towards them. The child too obediently scurried forward with open fist and the all so familiar 'begging for alms' phrase. I wonder what the mother must have gone through to push her daughter to a life as this, or was this a way of life for them as simple and routined as brushing teeth or eating three meals a day. The irony is what seems routined to us is probably luxury for them and for many like them- three meals a day...
This also reminds me of a splendid day with my friends in Park Street. The food loving happy lot emerged from Flurys with goodie bags ( I had come a long way since my school days and I now actually thought Flurys wasn't good enough. Ah the snob!)and loitered around a pavement near KFC. A group of young girls approached us for money. We did part with very little of what we had but the girls were not satisfied and tried snatching the packet from Flurys. When we didn't yield to their demand and scolded them for their conduct they tried to hit one of our friends with a loose wire that was hanging near us. We were furious. We even thought of complaining to a traffic police nearby, but then let it pass and went our way, to another mall and back to our ways. Now that I look back and think about the incident I can't really blame the girls for their arrogance. They claimed a drop in the ocean of restaurants, high end stores, tempting ice cream shops, 'stare at your face' burgers and fries. We refused to part with that drop knowing fully well that we would have lost nothing but they would have gained a lot. I don't claim to understand their situation because I never had to live their lives but I don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that it ain't an easy life. I am not ready to give up on my city ways and nor do I intend to be preachy here but if we give up on a few things sometimes, even teeny weeny things that won't make much of a difference to us, we can perhaps make a difference in a lot of lives.... or so I think. Whether we want to or not is up to us, up to you. It's a half done bridge over troubled waters waiting for our approval....
*alur dom, alu kabli- I don't really want to translate this because it wouldn't sound nice in any other language. Let's just say these are mouthwatering streetfood.
