‘Ladies’ seats in Kolkata buses

Kolkata is probably the only city in India where there are seats reserved for women in public transports like the bus, the mini bus, the private bus and trams. There are special ‘ladies only' trams also in some tram routes frequented by women who go to work – other women and girls take advantage of these transports when available because these ensure adequate security as well as privacy.
In the local trains of Mumbai and Kolkata, there are compartments reserved for women commuters where men are not allowed to board – once again, it is from safety considerations.

But, the reservation of a few seats for women in public transports in Kolkata is something that defies logic. It is implemented to such an extent that, in case men occupy these seats, the very sight of a woman approaching sends shivers up their spines and they to get up with a wry face to allow the woman to sit.
Those who occupy these seats have to literally fight their way through the mass of sweating, smelly men to first reach the coveted seat and, once again they have to elbow their way out of the men to get down from the bus. It is difficult to appreciate their regular tussles for the ‘ladies only’ seat. In any case, when all these reserved seats are taken, they have to travel like any other ordinary commuter.
Why then should there be seats reserved for women when they have to face so much hardship? It was probably OK 30 or 40 years back when the number of working women was much less but, today it is out of place.
In other metros, women travel just as their male counterparts rubbing shoulder to shoulder. They occupy seats as and when they fall vacant and do not bother much about the man sitting next to her. In the age of women’s lib, the women have learnt to assert themselves – why then should the women of Kolkata still want these privilege?
It would be of interest to know that in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Nashik, there are women bus conductors who can give the men a run for their money. They do not tolerate any nonsense and can take on the men on equal terms. That is as it ought to be. The women of Kolkata should fight for removal of such silly privileges. (to be continued …)

(Image courteous wikimediacommons.org)
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Insider view of the world of Bengali magazines

While Mashik Romancho was handled by a single individual who had people around him to carry out the numerous activities associated with the publication of a monthly magazine, the setup in Mashik Rahasya was totally different.
It was more or less a one man show – there was a man who did the type setting but, the editor himself was the proof reader. He was a middle aged bachelor and cooked his own meals.
I first met him when I located the office of the magazine – it was a single room on the main road and opposite the Scottish Church College. The clanging of trams and they trudged along the road and the smoke belched out by the buses kept the atmosphere polluted. And, in the midst of it all, the editor would be seen either poring over some manuscripts or busy correcting first-off prints in the role of a proof reader.
When I introduced myself, he was happy. He was familiar with my writings and now it was time to take the familiarity to the next level. He invited me to his home for lunch. Since I had no other work planned, I agreed and we walked down lanes and by-lanes to reach his house. The location was in north Kolkata and narrow lanes and by-lanes gave it a distinctive look.
I was surprised when he took a key from his pocket and opened the lock – it was then that I realized that he lived alone. Later I came to know that he was a bachelor.
Anyway, he offered me a seat on the only wooden chair in the room and then lit the kerosene stove and cooked up a meal of sorts. Finding the door open, his pet cat entered, looked at me and then curled up in a corner of the room – it was its lunch time. (to be continued …)


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Growing up days – the British Council connection

British Council situated on Theater Road was another wonderful library – its proximity to St Xavier’s College made it an obvious choice for its students. The range of books here was good and its attraction was the magazines that they would issue. Of course, it was not in the immediate vicinity of cinema halls, hence the students who visited were more of the studious types.

I, for my part, was enjoying my new found freedom and would borrow magazines from here and then walk down to the USIS to pick up some books and end my trip with a movie.

The distance from my college to British Council and from there to USIS was quite big but was never a deterrent because as I walked down Chowringhee Road, I would take in the scenes around me. The Chowringhee Road runs parallel to the Maidan – better known as the greenery of Kolkata – and is always busy with fleets of cars, taxis and buses. The cars were private ones, and the buses were Government CSTC buses. And, of course, there re the trams that plied on the fringe of the Maidan. (to be continued…)

School days – my first train journey

Growing up in a large city like Kolkata has both its advantages as well as disadvantages. In the 1950s, there were an abundance of buses and trams on the roads and school boys were experts at boarding and alighting from moving vehicles. Connectivity between points was also superb. Hence, the need of using bicycles for commuting was remote.

I was no exception. I rode a bicycle for the first time when I had gone to Kanpur – I worked there briefly for a couple of years and, since transportation was a major problem there, I had no other alternative but to learn cycling.
As regards train travel – this also never materialized during mu school days. However, at the fag end of my schools, I got an opportunity to travel by train, thanks to an aunt of mine. She was a nurse in the Railway Hospital and she took me with her on my first ever train journey. It was from Howrah Station to Palta – the next station.

Subsequently, I have traveled by train to different destinations throughout the country – sometimes on official duties, at other times on holidays with my family. And, the experiences that I have gathered on the way have helped boost my confidence levels because, once you are faced with a situation, the best in you is bound to come out. (to be continued …)

School days – traveling by trams

Trams on the roads of Kolkata used to be aplenty in the 1950s and a section of people, that included office-goers and students alike, preferred this pollution free and silent mode of travel. These vehicles were operated by the Calcutta Tramways Corporation or CTC and the driver and conductors were usually from Bihar.

Elderly people used to travel in these trams early in the morning and just relax on the seat as the world passed by with fresh air billowing all around. It was an unparalleled experience, especially when speeding through the outskirts of the grassy stretch of the Maidan.
Incidentally, the trams used to have two classes – the front portion was the first class and the rear portion was the II Class. Obviously, there was a fare difference and most of the passengers in the II Class used to be non-Bengalis engaged in various professions that involved manual exertions.
Of course, in my school days, I hardly ever boarded the tram but would watch from the bus as it overtook the slow-moving trams – the problem with trams was that it had to follow the set down lines and could not overtake. In case of jams, it had to wait for the jam to be cleared.

At times, the overhead contact made via a pulley mechanism would get dislodged and the tram would stop. It was then that the conductor would alight, move to the rear of the tram and, by using the attachment cable, put the pulley back in the slot so that the electrical contact was re-established. (to be continued…)