She sang Rabindrasangeet and organized dance recitals

Here is the eighteenth unforgettable character in my life …

She is a lady who has lived life the hard way. It could have been very much better but things did not work out as she would have liked. She was certainly not at fault but when the dice is stacked against you, you have to accept the consequences.
When I first met her, she and her husband used to organize majority of cultural programs in our township. Some of these were under the banner of the Bengalis, others under the banners of Officers Club or other such agencies. She was like an elder sister and was the ‘didi’ of all Bengali women. A great singer, she had the aptitude of training others to sing like her. Practically no cultural program was complete without her direct involvement. Her husband did the coordinating work and she concentrated on the actual rehearsals – the duo was always in demand and in the limelight.

However, suddenly, her husband fell sick. It was a peculiar skin disease and could not be controlled by any type of medication. There used to be blisters on the exposed portions of the body. The Doctors diagnosed it as an allergy. The illness had disastrous results because he gradually became an invalid and would struggle to walk down to the office. He opted for voluntary retirement and shifted to a rented a flat in the neighborhood. Most of his savings had gone towards his own treatment. Hence, he was in financial difficulties. Ultimately, he passed away and his wife moved over to Bangalore to be with her son and daughter-in-law.
The son had completed his Degree in Engineering and got a job in Bangalore where he met a local girl and married her. But, the mother who spent most of her life making others happy now finds herself at the end of a dark tunnel with only memories for company.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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My good old grocer still waits

Here is the sixteenth unforgettable character in my life …

He used to be my local grocer and a very special one. When our township was set up way back in the seventies, the number of shops was extremely limited. Permission to set up shops was issued to only those who had considerable influence. This gentleman was one of the lucky ones. As is the usual practice in these situations, the person who sets up shop must have enough financial strength to extend credit facilities to the residents – he had that. That was why people flocked to his shop. They maintained ‘books’ in which the balance would be struck – and payments made in installments that suited the customer. My good friend, the shopkeeper, would provide add-ons to ensure that no one left his net – these included incentives like home delivery, accepting orders over the phone etcetera.

His shop would always be crowded and since he enjoyed monopoly for several years, he still survives. He does not stock a huge variety of items that he used to do earlier because competitors have entered the scene but the advantage is not lost. He was well known for quality goods, he has maintained that. The oldest member of his family is no more, those of the next age group are too old to move around freely, his son is a Chartered Accountant and has a life of his own.
Therefore, it would not be long when he would decide that he also is losing steam. Till that happens, I hope to continue to meet him at least once a month – whenever I go to the township to withdraw money from my bank or to post office to send my medical bill to Bangalore by Speedpost for reimbursement.
Till recently, I used to buy selected range of groceries from his shop. No, I do not have any credit system with him; rather, we have a relationship that goes beyond that of a customer and a grocer. He stills opens his shop as a matter of routine and knows that in the age of shopping malls and credit cards, his concept of doing business has ceased to exist.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

East Coast Railway to run 186 special trains during Rath Yatra

Tax on the 326-year-old Jagannathpur Mela waived

Pollution in Subarnarekha river a matter of concern


He loved model planes and aero modeling

He practices homeopathy with a smile

My friends who used to sell saris


The Big Sick is Anupam Kher’s 500th film

Suicide Squad 2 - the sequel - to start shooting in 2018

Shooting started in Paris for Tom Cruise starrer 'Mission Impossible 6'


900 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya by coast guards

Death toll in the London Tower fire rises to 30, could go up to 100

ISIS carries out its first attack on Iran - at least 12 dead