Contrasting Worlds! (For better or for worse?)

Last morning in a deliberate (and desperate!) attempt to set ourselves free from the shackles of our hectic schedules, a few of us went out on an early Sunday morning drive to the not-so-well-frequented places of Calcutta.

Sincere advice --- Next time you're freewheeling around like me, just observe what's around you.

One of our stops was a road-side eatery in the city. (For Calcuttans, we were near the Calcutta Stock Exchange!). While we sat, waiting to greet steaming cups of tea and hot buttered toasts, under a gray clad morning sky, I looked around me. The waiters were rushing around with plates to be served, waiting on the incoming cars, greeting regular customers with smiles and 'How do you do?'s, the man at the stove cheerfully doling out order after order, other early risers sitting around in clumps sharing a laugh or two (rather loud ones at that!). It was a quiet, serene and fresh way to start a Sunday! The delicateness and intricacies of the surroundings made you forget all the worries and just wanted to make you sit there all day long, staring at happy faces. 

And then i happened to glance behind me. Just a meter away from where we were sitting, stood clusters of police patrol vans. Reason being that the local police headquarters and the State Government;s office was nearby. There were proper police sand bunkers laid out, with somber- faced, rifle-clad policemen in them. Noticing my gaze, my Dad simply pointed out, "They always have to be on the alert, lest an attack take place."

Enough to shatter my illusion of the peace and quiet.

Contrasting worlds, ain't it?!

P.S: To all the men on duty, I salute you for the dedication and devotion you display. At all times. We, civilians, tend to get away from work with small excuses like sickness, birthdays, anniversaries. But for you, life seems work and work seems life. Sans complaints! Immense respect for you!

A salute to our city's police!

A resident of south Calcutta, this morning I heard a loud bang downstairs and I immediately rushed to my window overlooking the road! A truck had collided with a passenger bus. By the look of it, it seemed like it was the truck’s fault. Like it always happens, the passengers, conductor and pedestrians all gherao-ed the truck and demanded that the truck driver come out, blocking the roads entirely! I was about to get back to my work, assuming that the fight below would turn into nothing less than a brawl, when out of the blue I saw two traffic sergeants approaching the scene. By then, the truck driver was literally being heckled by the crowd. My fears for the truck driver subsided when the sergeants intervened, took the truck driver aside, heard the plight of the conductor and passengers and asked the bus driver to make way for others. Within minutes, the traffic snarl had vanished. But on the sidelines, the sergeants were carrying out on the spot verification of the papers of the truck and license of the truck driver. By the time, I relayed the entire story to Dad, who’d joined me by then, the roads were all clear. No police, no bus driver, no truck driver.

Over the past few days, the police of Calcutta have been very alert and on the go. There has been a definite change in the force and it can be seen. Today’s incident just instills more confidence in me!

A salute to all those who man the city and try to make it a safe place! :)