They bear the unbearable heat for a living and to make others’ lives easy, delivering essentials.
My Kolkata spoke to a few heat warriors to find out how they are coping in this extreme weather.
Roma Das, house help
'Nowadays, the families I work with are giving me water and sherbet'
Roma Das has been waking up an hour earlier so that she can finish her work and get back home before noon. Roma, 65, is a domestic help who works in three houses during the day and three more houses in the evening. Usually, Roma’s day begins at 5am. She cooks for her family of three before leaving for work around 6.30-7am. But with the heat getting unbearable, Roma has started waking up at 4am so that she can be home by 11am.
“Kaaje to jetei hobe tai bhor charte-te uthe barir kaj shere niye chhotay kaaje jai. Shokale teen bari kaaj kore egarotar moddhye bari dhuke jai. Tarpor baire thakle purey jachhe gaa haat paa. (I can’t skip work, so I am waking up at 4am to do my household chores and leaving for work by 6. I work in three houses and try to return home by 11am. After that it is impossible to stay outside),” said Roma, who works in Behala. In the evening, Roma works in three other houses.
Roma has been working as a domestic help for 45 years but feels this is probably the hottest April she has experienced in the past few years. "Kaath phata roddur ekdom! (A Bengali proverb to describe extreme heat; literally means it is so hot that the wood might crack.) Eto gorom kono baar hoye na (It is not so hot in other years),” she said.
Despite the heat, Roman says she doesn't like taking unnecessary leave. “Ami kamai kom kori, tai amake shobai bhalobashe. Ei gorome shob kaajer barite jol, shorbot dichhe. (Everyone loves me because I don't take leave that often. Nowadays, the families I work with are giving me water and sherbet).”
For precaution, Roma carries an umbrella and tries walking under trees as much as possible. She eats panta bhaat to keep her body cool.
A kalbaishakhi is what Roma is praying for to bring some relief.
Ganesh Gupta, ironing shack
'I sometimes splash on my face and fan myself with a folded newspaper'
Ganesh Gupta spends nearly 12 hours a day ironing clothes for a living but he fell ill because of the heat recently and has since cut down on his working hours.
The 52-year-old father of four has been working from a small shack near Raja Rammohan Roy Road since 1992.
“I try to keep the shack open all day because customers mostly want the clothes in the evening. So, whatever I collect in the morning needs to be ironed in the next seven to eight hours. But working with burning coal in this heat is very difficult," said Ganesh, who usually works from 8am to 9pm with a lunch break in between.
Ever since heat took a toll, Ganesh irons clothes till 10am and then again after 4pm. His elder son, Vikas, helps him out sometimes.
“There's no electric connection in my shack. So there's no way I can arrange for a small table fan. So, I try to rest in between work and drink water. I sometimes splash on my face and fan myself with a folded newspaper," Ganesh said.
Ganesh’s summer diet is strictly vegetarian and includes sattu ghol, rice with vegetables and dal, and sometimes puffed rice as an evening snack. He believes non-vegetarian food heats up the body.
Sumit Kumar, delivery executive
'The hot air is extremely dangerous. I wear a full-sleeved T-shirt and also change it if I sweat a lot'
It has only been a few months since Sumit started working as a delivery executive with Blinkit. He has worked through rain, storm and cold but finds working in the heat the toughest.
“Rain or storm makes riding the bike difficult but the heat affects your health. When you ride the bike, a gush of hot air hits your face and body. You will not know but the heat will make you dehydrated even if there's no sweat,” Sumit said.
Sumit feels lucky to have been offered water by customers, good Samaritans on the road and fellow executive partners.
To stay safe from the heatwave, he keeps a wet handkerchief on the back of his neck and wears a helmet that covers his face properly. "The hot air is extremely dangerous. I wear a full-sleeved T-shirt and also change it if I sweat a lot. I also try to stay in shaded areas as much as possible. Heat, cold, storm, or rain, nothing can be an excuse for us. Our work will continue."
Tapan Bhowmik, rickshaw-puller
'Trees are being cut down daily to build tall buildings and malls. If they cut down 10, they plant one'
Tapan Bhowmik aka Haru da has been pulling a rickshaw since he was 15. Seventy now, the heat is taking a toll on his health, work hours and earnings.
With the mercury hovering around the 40° Celsius mark, it has become difficult to pull the rickshaw in the late morning and afternoon. "Shokal shokal chalate parchhi, dupure oshombhob gorom. Doshtar por khub koshto hochhe. Eto din serom gham hochhilo na serom kintu ekhon gheme snan kore jachhi. Raate thik kore ghum o hochhe na gorome. Ekhon bari chole jai abar bikele chalachi. (I am taking trips in the morning as it's very hot in the afternoon, especially after 10am. There was not much humidity till a few days ago but now I am sweating profusely. I am unable to sleep properly at night because of the heat. I am going home in the afternoon and coming back for trips in the evening.)
Closure of schools and colleges has affected Tapan's work hours as he ferries students to school in the morning. These trips usually fetch him a little more than regular trips.
Tapan also complained that people are still bargaining over the fare in this heat. Asked if he is asking for more because of the heat, Tapan said: "Chart-e jaa bhara ache tai dite chay na oneke. Tarpor barale cholbe? Ajke shokalei paanch taka niye torko korlo ekjon. (People are bargaining on the fixed fare on the charts. How can we increase the fare after that? This morning, a passenger argued for Rs 5)".
As a precaution, Tapan has a shade affixed on his rickshaw. He is also drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated and wearing comfortable clothes.
Tapan has his own explanation for the increase in temperature. "Prokriti cholbe nijer mote, amader taal miliye cholte hobe. Eto gachh katchhe charidike erom toh hobei. Lomba lomba bari uthe jachhe, market-mall uthe jachhe gachh kete kete. Doshta katle ekta lagachhe. Tate kissu hobe na. (Nature has its own rhythm, we have to adjust to that. Trees are being cut down daily to build tall buildings and malls. If they cut down 10, they plant one. That won’t work.)
Sujit Mandal, fruitseller
'I am bringing less stock and trying to stand in the shade with my thela'
Sujit Mandal goes around seven to eight neighbourhoods in south Kolkata, selling fruits. The heatwave has thrown a new challenge in front of him. Besides trying to protect himself from the scorching sun, he is also struggling to keep the fruits fresh.
“The sun rays are extreme even in the morning hours from 8am. I can keep going in the heat but I am always worried about the fruits. There's no way I can keep them away from the heat and many fruits like bananas, grapes, papayas can go bad in extreme heat," he said.
Sujit is now buying fewer fruits from the wholesale market to avoid losses. "If I am unable to sell the fruits, I won't be able to store them for long. As a precaution, I am bringing less stock and trying to stand in the shade with my thela."
