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| To mashi, with love: Guess who was the most popular person on a Calcutta street on Monday: Shila Mashi, of course! On the day Metro highlighted the story of Shila Ghosh (Hearts meet and melt on a city pavement), a motley mix of students and professionals crowded the pavement near the Exide crossing to meet the spunky lady with an endearingly toothless smile. “I read about her in Metro. It is quite shocking that she needs to work so hard at this age,” said 23-year-old Dipanjan Das, who had come from Behala to meet the 83-year-old. For Shila, it was more than a pleasant surprise to have sold all her chips in less than 15 minutes, as opposed to her usual three-hour-long stay. “Aaj shob kota bikri hoye galo. Puro chaar kilo. Amake bollo amar chhobi eshechhe paper-e. Shara Bharot amake chine gechhe. Lokera eshe amake joriye dhorchhe. Kono din erokom hoyni. Bolchhe dorkar porle ora amake sahajyo korbe. Amar khub anondo hochchhe (Today all my chips have been sold, there was 4kg of them. I was told that my picture has come out in today’s newspaper. It seems the entire country knows me now. People are coming and hugging me. This has never happened before. Some people said they would help me if needed. I am very happy),” Shila told Metro before she left for her home in Bally. “It is heartening to see the wealth of emotions in Calcuttans. A commendable job by Sufia and Metro,” said Tathagata Sen, a professor at The Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society College, who had also come down to meet the lady. The Facebook page “Our World, Our Initiative”, created the previous day, had over 240 members till Monday evening with the list swelling every minute. For the organisers of the group, including college students Sufia Khatoon and Amitava Sinha Chowdhury, the day meant taking calls and being congratulated for their initiative. Arul Subramaniam from Chennai posted on the page: “I read the article … in The Telegraph. I want to congratulate Sufia for her initiative. And such a noble cause brings out so many examples of excellence from our environment.” Encouraged by the response, Sufia now wants to reach out to more people in need. “I plan to find other older people in need of help and have already lined up a few on whom we will focus our attention. I feel overwhelmed by the response we are getting. They all wish to help and make a difference. With this spirit, I am sure we will be able to create a huge difference,” said Sufia. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta |
The Metro report “Hearts meet and melt on a city pavement”, April 2, highlights the plight of so many elderly citizens in the city.
I often come across another such lady near a traffic post at the Ruby crossing. You can spot her near a traffic post. Clad in a white sari with red border, she approaches people for alms.
She may not have the mental strength of Shila Ghosh to earn her livelihood with dignity but her story is no different. She had eight sons, six of whom have died. The other two have abandoned her and she does not know of their whereabouts.
She now stays with her crippled husband in a garage near Kalighat Metro station. She has to fend for herself and her husband from the alms she manages to get.
At times, I used to give her money. One day, I saw her head bandaged and bloodstains on the dressing. She said she had slipped and fallen down at Gariahat. Some pedestrians took her to a government hospital, where she was provided first aid.
Winters are tough as there is nothing to sleep on. Blankets are a far cry. I once bought her a bed sheet and a blanket. She was elated and blessed me profusely. She also told me of a lady who had given her a cardigan. She also keeps telling me how people from various walks of life help her survive, buying her medicines, clothes and even a dhoti for her husband.
These gestures show that our city still breathes and is not lifeless, as we perceive it at times.
Debanjali Gupta
lKudos to Metro for the touching story. It is unfortunate that an 83-year-old woman has to sell chips to make ends meet. Hats off to the lady who posted this on Facebook. Wish I had seen the post earlier and joined the group.
My heart goes out to all who have helped Shila Ghosh. I will make sure to pool in something along with others. Congrats to Shila Ghosh and Sufia Khatoon for inspiring us.
Ramesh
lPlease suggest means of helping out Shila Ghosh. I can pool in a small contribution from the bankers’ community that I know of.
Dipanjan Sarkar,AVP and Section Leader (Business Banking) Yes Bank Ltd
My heart melted and I felt very proud of Sufia Khatoon and the team that helped Shila Ghosh when I read Monday’s newspaper.
It is not often that people take such an initiative to help the needy. Almost every day, we come across elderly people selling something or the other on the road but we hardly do anything.
Sufia has showed us a way of creating awareness by utilising the digital platform. I would love to be associated with them and do something for the old lady.
Neha Bhatt Mehta
As I read the Metro report on Shila Ghosh, my heart was filled with pain.
The lady has lost so much in her life and when she has reached the age at which she should be resting at home with her family taking care of her, she has to work as hard as a daily wage-earner and sit on the ground in the scorching heat and humid weather of the city. Then and there, I made up my mind to help this poor lady.
Himanshu Sampat
It would be ideal if students from the city schools and colleges followed the example of Sufia Khatoon and came together to help the old and the destitute across the city. This would go a long way in ending their miseries.
A.S. Mehta, New Alipore
Passport problem
It was not so hard to manage an appointment for a passport before December 3, 2011. There used to be many slots open. I was able to get two appointments on the same day and the appointment date was December 9, 2011. The procedure was successfully completed (File No. CA2061342688411 and CA2061342703111).
But since that day, whenever I check the status, it says “police verification (PV) has been initiated and a PV request has been sent to the DCSC office, district Kolkata. Your passport will be dispatched after Clear Police Verification Report is received at the Regional Passport Office. You would receive an email/sms once the passport is dispatched”. I wonder how many days are required for the PVR to get completed?
After Metro published the report on PSK, I tried to seek another appointment and found that it has again become as easy as it was last December.
Biswanath Saha
Money wasted
Apropos the report “CM largesse for para club”, January 31, I wonder how the state can afford to pay the clubs when its fiscal condition is alarming. The state coffers are almost empty, yet the chief minister is busy wasting taxpayers’ money by showering para clubs with money.
Ayan Sarkar, Kasba
Wrong questions
The state higher secondary council was again caught off guard when a mistake was spotted during the physics examination on Monday (Students stumped by wrong posers, March 20). The question was, however, not compulsory and those answering it would be awarded full marks, announced council president Muktinath Chatterjee.
The problem isn’t about students getting grace marks because of faulty questions. It’s about why such mistakes should surface with such agonising frequency?
P.B. Saha, Salt Lake
lIt is most unfortunate that this year, too, examinees had to waste a lot of time because of errors in the Higher Secondary question papers. Almost every year students suffer because of errors in questions in board examinations. Such negligence speaks volumes of the decadence in our education system.
Govinda Bakshi, Budge Budge
Rabi Puja
I would like to request the state government to reconsider its decision of “Rabi Puja” at every traffic signal. We all know that good things are better in smaller doses.
I am an ardent fan of Tagore’s songs. However, the day I first heard a Rabindrasangeet being played at the Park Street crossing, I was not pleased at all. It is an absolute torture for residents.
Apart from adding to sound pollution, it is traumatising for people who live near traffic junctions.
If the state government wants to showcase the quintessential Bengali culture, it should play other songs as well.
Whatever damage has been done, I believe, can be corrected before it is too late.
Deepanjan Mitra
Too much of anything is bad. Rabindrasangeet is soothing to the ears, but playing them at traffic lights does not necessarily soothe people in a hurry for the signal to go green.
Bithi Chaudhuri
The decision of playing Rabindrasangeet at traffic junctions is doing a great disservice to Tagore. The chief minister does not have the rightful power to impose something that is as subjective as music or any other fine arts on common people. I see it as a “Tughlaqee” attitude of the minister. “Save our ears and save Rabindrasangeet” should be the slogan.
U. Chatterjee
lRabindrasangeet should not be played at traffic signals, especially in residential areas. It disrupts conversation, study time and sleep. It is on from 8am to 10pm on all days of the week. What is the purpose of playing Rabindrasangeet at such a high volume everyday? Repeated complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
I stay in a building near the crossing of Lee Road and Elgin Road. The music is so loud that I can’t study with the windows open. It is nothing but torture.
Neha
In the way of duty
It is very difficult to perform one’s duty if ministers like Madan Mitra behave in such an outrageous and supercilious manner. If police had arrested the minister, the ruling party would have blamed the Opposition for a “choreographed act”. We know it is difficult to perform duties in this politically driven state, where subordinates are constantly under pressure. However, we want the police to act efficiently, fearlessly and impartially. As far as our sports minister is concerned, instead of resorting to a blame game, self-introspection would be a better choice.
Saurav Gupta, Narendrapur
lOur respected Madan Mitra lacks the politeness generally expected of a minister. That is why he has misbehaved with the cops. Mitra is doing a commendable job in the sports department, which we had never expected. His rude behaviour is affecting his own as well as his party’s image and taking a toll on his popularity.
Santanu Mitra
DisruptionWith reference to the report “Bengal leads in... disruption”, January 10, we had hoped for a better business environment while voting for Mamata Banerjee and her party. Now we regret our choice as the situation has turned worse with the CM doing a lot of talking but taking little action in the last six months. In the initial days as CM, she had made surprise visits from fire services to hospitals. Have the suggestions been implemented?
Rajesh Kishanpuria
Bengal leads in disruption rather than development because the people of Bengal lack a strong political will and determination.
When they shift to other cities and countries they become disciplined, polished and enterprising. However, the same people living within this state break rules and act irresponsibly.
They protest everything — right or wrong. They believe everything without critically weighing them - be it theories or political parties. Protesting is a right but so is fulfilling fundamental duties. Without fulfilling them first how can they claim their rights?
Whenever there is a step towards development, political parties restrict it, thus shooing away potential businessmen and opportunities for development.
Isn’t it a shame that when the CM is assuring industrialists of full support, traffic-choking protests are being held on the city streets?
Amrita Mallik, Salt Lake
We, Bengalis, are experts in holding meetings and rallies. We don’t think about traffic conditions, the harassment caused to people. We are experts in making future plans but are least concerned about development. I think meetings should not be held at the cost of local peoples’ harassment. Otherwise, Bengal will always lead in disruption, not development.
Sayantan Biswas, Lake Town
Blackout
The “intentional” blackout at the Book Fair during the press conference with Imran Khan was disgraceful and an unprofessional way of calling off a meet. The Tiger Pataudi Memorial Meet was a symbolic stepping stone towards a progressive and peaceful Indo-Pak future relationship.
Sudip Naha, Swiss Park
lThe power failure during Imran Khan’s speech is a shameful incident for the city. If we lack the basic infrastructure then coming of celebrities would only invite trouble. Everyone knows that Calcutta has a heart, but do our authorities lack the brain?
Shourya Bhattacharya, Garia
Letters on reports appearing in Metro may be sent to:
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Calcutta - 700 001
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