South Calcutta insights

Road defines the locality or vice versa?

I am now in Kankulia Road, south Calcutta.  This is a rented house, quite dingy but priced high for the location.  I have still not been able to vacate my own property in Sarat Banerjee Road and am forced to live in these quarters.   

Coming back to this area – it is something I have never experienced before.  Early in the morning, even before the sky is lit up there are Tapas and his father (phool-wallah) selling flowers right at my doorstep. They live in Bongaon and bring flowers from there by the local train to sell here to the residents living around here.  The business is brisk since most of these Bengalis and some non-Bengalis believe and worship different deities with flowers, fruits etc everyday.  I too have started buying different flowers on different days to decorate my small altar – jaba phool or hibiscus on Tuesdays and Saturdays for Ma Kali, akonda flowers on Mondays for Lord Shiva, and white flowers on Wednesdays (occasionally) for Lord Ganesh, yellow marigold on Thursdays for Goddess Lakshmi and so on.  Have I gone religious?  I don’t know.  I just felt I am being given the opportunity to offer flowers to God without stepping out of the house, so why not? 

Soon after there is the fish man (machh-wallah) across the road, who sits till about 9 a.m. until his mother (who is an ayah in some hospital) takes his place till noon.  Thereafter, comes the Kwality ice-cream man (ice-cream wallah) with his cart and stands right outside the window (I am in the ground floor) and challenges my greed everyday!  Did I tell you about the ‘dab-wallah’ or coconut man?  He props up his cycle around 8.30 a.m. adjacent to my door and does good business for a couple of hours.  As soon as the ice-cream man departs around 3 p.m. arrives the ‘fry man’ (bhaji-wallah).  He deep fries vegetable, fish and chicken patties till around 7.30 p.m. till the ‘puchhka-wallah’ takes over from across the street!  All this within hand-held distance of my door – it is excruciatingly painful for someone who loves food (but good food). 

And finally, it is the older generation of males in the locality (actually my age – more or less) who sit on a stone platform opposite my door till about 10.30 p.m.-11p.m.  Voila!  I feel this road should be baptised as “Wallah Road” instead of Kankulia Road.  What say you!?