Unique flower market of Kolkata at Mullick Ghat on the banks of the Hooghly

Flowers are required for any ritual from different pujas and birthdays to wedding and death. When the requirement is for bulk supply, all eyes focus on the wholesale market at Mullick Ghat in Kolkata. It is located on the banks of the Hoogly River opposite the Howrah Railway Station and comes to life with the first rays of the sun. The flower sellers arrive at dawn by train with the fresh flowers from their far-off villages. It is not just about flowers, but innumerable decorations with flowers that has survived for well over a century. Rammohan Mullick built the ghat in 1855. It was in memory of his father Nimai Charan Mullick. Another ghat known as the Jagannath Ghat, built by Shobharam Basak in 1760, stands right next to the Mullick Ghat. The history of how the flower trade originated at Mullick Ghat is not known. However, it might have links to the religious factor related to pilgrims heading to Puri. Today, this ghat is one of the most vibrant, active and crowded sections of the Hooghly along Kolkata. Mullick Ghat market: Saying it with flowers for well over a century. In the words of a member of the seller’s association of the market, this part of Kolkata attracts innumerable people every day.

They come from different parts of Bengal regularly and the market caters to all kinds of budgets. This is [one of] Asia’s largest flower markets. It is a fact that like other businesses elsewhere, this has also dwindled. The sellers have to be content with negligible profits. However, the endless varieties of requirements for different rituals and festivals that happen throughout the year brings home something extra. As a veteran explains - “Ever since the pandemic, the sales at the market are not encouraging or healthy at all, and we are just able to make ends meet.” When one comes across a flower or a flower decoration when in Kolkata, one must remember that such a creation is a result of the hard toil and daily struggle of countless people. They include those who grow them and transport them from far-off villages to the market in Kolkata.

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For our eyes only – the blind ones and eye donation

Some people are born blind and they never get to see the world around them. They are visually handicapped and get their schooling in specially designed classes. They use the Braille to learn to read and write and their teachers ensure that they develop various types of skills that could help them to adjust to a new lifestyle where they have darkness for company. These people listen to the sounds and try to visualize the scenes. Of course, some of them become singers, others go in for sports while others get employment where blindness is not a hurdle. One thing they have to guard against is their vulnerability, especially if they are girls or women.

Another group lose their eyes due to accidents or diseases. They try to get eyes donated by someone else. This concept is gradually gaining acceptance. People agree to donate the eyes. The agrrement is made during their lifetime and implemented after death. It is a noble gesture for the donor. Many people have benefited from this sort of eye donation. However, success depends on the condition of the organ and the speed at which it is transported to the recipient.

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No escape from the jaws of death

Death is said to be a great equalizer – as long as he is alive, man runs after money, after fame and recognition but when his journey stops, he is just a body minus a name. His close near and dear ones will shed tears, will remember him once in a while and, gradually, he will be relegated to a photo hung on some wall.
In spite of knowing these basic truths, man feels on top of the world when he gets the better of someone else. He devotes his time and energies in trying to pull down the other man to prove that he is superior. But, at the end of the day, all he would need is a six foot hole in the ground or a mound of wood on the pyre.

There are very few men who lead isolated lives. It is the nature of man to always be in the company of others because then only can he get an opportunity to blow his own trumpet and show off his talents, for whatever it may be worth. As long as he is in service, he need not worry about the company of others – he gets them at all levels. In office, among colleagues. At home, among friends and relatives.
But, once he retires, he has to look around for suitable company. And, one of his first stop is at the morning walkers who can be seen in parks – they get together and share memories and thoughts as they walk around the park and, occasionally, sit on the bench to take the weight off their feet.
From a distance, they may appear to be a well-knit group but, in reality, they are all worried about when their time will come. And, this fear takes hold once someone passes away. The departed might not be one of the group but was certainly one of them because all of them are retirees –that is the common bond. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Some live years after retirement, others do not

It is a fact that we do not have any control over our birth or death – these are two things that happen and, because there is birth, there has to be death. Of course, while birth is predicable to a certain extent depending on the condition of the pregnant mother, death is totally unpredictable. It just strikes without giving any warning or advance information.
Therefore, after retirement, every man dreads that moment which would be his last breath on this planet. Man is not immortal and has to take leave from this world one day. But, for some, it may be a long drawn process when he is ill and bedridden while for others it just happens when one least expects it.
Like a friend of mine – he retired a couple of months before me. In his service, he was a go-getter. He would get involved in any social activity and his very presence lent strength to whatever it was. He played the tabla well and, hence, in any gathering where singing was involved, he would be there.

He was also a member of the employee’s union and attended meetings with local authorities and even with national labor leaders. And, he was not just an avid follower of yoga but a yoga teacher also, long before it became a fashion statement, thanks to our Prime Minister.
Well – one day I came to know that he had suffered a stroke and one portion of his body was paralyzed. It was just unthinkable that a person who did not have a single ounce of extra fat on his body, who could perform difficult yoga asanas with ease, was lying in bed depending on others for his daily activities.
Well – he did recover and, after some months, could begin walking but, finally, he passed away. (to be continued …)
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