In the last century, Kolkata saw widespread change the more it embraced electricity. Our member Mr S. Ray speaks about the City of Joy, his first impressions of the city as a boy, and the sights and sounds with which we are no longer familiar.
I was born in Bihar near Dalmianagar. My father moved to Konnagar in 1955 and since then I have had a relationship with Kolkata and the Greater Kolkata area. My most abiding memory of the city in the ‘50’s and the ‘60’s is of the streets being washed early in the morning. You could hear the sloshing of water as hydrants on the side of the road started to gush water. Men with leather bags full of water would walk around the city to hose the streets down. As the day got busy, the neighbourhoods would ring out with musical calls from the ferrywallahs selling hot dalpuri (flatbread with a daal mixture) and nimki and kotkoti (savoury treats), all delights for the children. A woman peddling kansa (bronze) pots and pans would announce herself by banging a stick against one of her bronze vessels. Some of these sellers would wear a ring and clang it against the pots, using it as a percussion instrument to call out to potential buyers. Ferrywallahs are today largely a thing of the past.
Recently we saw the iconic tram of Kolkata becoming a part of history. Back in my youth the roads of Kolkata were a lot emptier, and the tram, with its slow ambling pace, looked far more majestic as it came up the road. Change, though, is inevitable with development. In the 19th century, the first trams were single-bogeyed and horse-drawn, and once the vehicles became electric-powered, the horses were taken off the tracks and more bogeys were added. Similarly, the tram has had to make way to make the transportation system more efficient. I have seen traffic control change as the city embraced electricity. In my youth, there were no traffic lights. Policemen in red turbans would orchestrate the movement of cars with their hands.
Life was indeed different before the widespread use of electricity. I remember we would study for our exams by the light of hurricane lamps. In the late ‘50’s, some parts of the city gas would still be illuminated by gas lamps. As evening fell, lamplighters from the gas company would go around lighting the lamps with long poles with wicks at one end. As darkness descended on the city and shadows came alive, the sounds would go quieter, and we would prepare for rest and look forward to another day.
I look back at those early days fondly, but I also embrace the changes that have come into our lives because of technological developments.
(𝘈𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘌𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳)

On Student’s Day, we spoke to our member Ms. S. Dutta about her memories of such celebrations. She reflected on her memories of Teacher’s Day celebrations in college and emphasised the importance of living with high ideals and strive to practice them.
I think the practice of celebrating Teacher’s Day began around the time I was in college. Today the schools celebrate it in a big way, showing gratitude to their teachers in their own way. The day marks the birthday of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the statesman and former president. But I believe the first mark of respect on that day should be reserved for one’s parents, because our first lessons in life happen under their tutelage. I feel many children today do not respect their parents the way we revered ours. They should understand that without our parents we are nothing.
The tradition of Student’s Day, which marks the birthday of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a newer tradition. I do not know how today’s schools and colleges celebrate Student’s Day, but I do believe it is important to be students and teachers worthy of celebrating. I remember some girls in my college would bring gifts for our teachers. These gifts were presented to the teachers as objects the students made themselves, but, in some cases, they were made by their parents or by professional artists. As a result, the givers of the best gifts became favourites of the teachers. I didn’t pay much heed to such practices back then, but today, as I reflect on those days, I feel that they were wrong. Days such as Teacher’s and Student’s Days are marked out to remember great men and highlight ideals that encourage honest practices.
My daughters attended a school run in compliance with the ideals of Sister Nivedita. They were always encouraged to be honest with their assignments. Before leaving for the day, the students would have to leave their assignments in lockers designated to each of them. Even the gifts they made on Teacher’s Day would have to be put away in their lockers until they completed them. Whatever they worked on and created was all theirs, so they learnt well. They were taught about duty and self-sufficiency. Every day they would walk into class and pull out their desks and chairs, and at the end of the day they would put back the desks and chairs in their designated places.
I believe such ideals need to be practiced and inculcated today. Only then will we have teachers and students worthy of remembering and celebrating.