The other side of calcutta

For the last few months I have been living in Calcutta in a place called Barasat.  Even though I was born and brought up in Calcutta I never visited this suburban side of the city before.  Barasat is in the 24 parghanas, north and is yet to look anything like a city.  However, this place is plush with greenery – every where I set my eyes I see the top of swaying coconut trees, supari (betel nut) trees, khejur (date) trees, guava, banana and even  a plum tree close to the house I live in.  Actually, this sight meets the eye from the fifth floor flat with ease, but the scene is entirely different when I look down – the busy, bustling and noisy JessoreRoad is right below.  

Amidst the huge trucks, luxury buses, cars, speeding ambulances, screeching police jeeps looking for right of way I see a new form of conveyance – the van, as it is known locally.  This is an amazing piece of vehicle and I wish I could upload a picture (sorry my laptop camera is dysfunctional) but I shall try to describe it as visually as possible.  The front part is half a cycle which pulls a flat plank of wood propped up on two huge wheels; the driver of the van sits on his cycle seat and gaily carries 4-5 passengers sitting on the plank behind him without a care.  Little children are made to sit in the middle of the wooden plank and are invariably surrounded by adult passengers – safe and sound.  Even though called a van it is absolutely open to the skies and now during the rain the different umbrellas covering the passengers make a pretty picture.  Honestly! 

More on Barasat and the cat who adopted me as the caretaker of her newborn kitties coming up in my next post.    Goodnight.