Story: The Disruption That Put Things In Perspective - A Few Thoughts

Story: The Disruption That Put Things In Perspective - A Few Thoughts

Aniruddha Sarkar

16 April 2023, 10 AM

#01

Yesterday, on Bengali New Year's Day, i.e., 15th of April 2023, we suffered a disruption in power supply around 10 PM night.

These days, such disruptions are very uncommon. It may happen mostly due to electrical faults. The power demand also surges in peak summer, and the circuit breakers may sometimes trip.

However, disruption is a disruption.

All the plans are thrown out of gear.

There was no fibre optic cable-based high-speed broadband internet connection. The reason is that the router had no power.

There were no alternate arrangements like kerosene lamps.

There were a few candles at home. We pressed those into service. A few torches were also pulled out.

It's a hot summer here in Kolkata. The temperature is hovering around forty degrees centigrade and above these days.

No air conditioners, no ceiling fans.

We could find a few handmade fans made of palm tree leaves, popularly known in Bengal as Haath Pankha, meaning hand fans.

I remembered, a few years back, I took my children to a fair ( popularly known as Charak mela) on this day at Arjunpur, near Baguihati, a North East Kolkata settlement, close to Kolkata Airport.

This fair starts on The Chaitra Sankranti day, the last day of the Bengali almanac, and continues till the next day, the Paila Baishakh ( meaning the first day of the month Baishakh, the starting of the Bengali new lunar calendar year).

There is a famous Gorakhsha Basi Siva temple in the Arjunpur locality. The Lord Siva is known here as the Lord Garakshanath, the saviour of the cows.

That year, the Charak mela (mela mean fair) started the day before, on the Chaitra Sankranthi day. The deity, Lord Garakshanath, traditionally visits this Charak mela premises on that day.

The Bhaktas ( disciples) perform a few acrobatics on top of an erect pole placed in front of the Lord. Those may also include piercing the body with iron nails, walking on the fire bed barefooted, etc.

Over the years, such public demonstrations of self-inflicted injuries have by and large stopped.

However, the Charak mela ( fair) has gained its place of eminence as an annual local popular event for trade and commerce by ordinary villagers from all over Bengal.

The Bengali New Year's Day happened to be the last day for this two-day-long fair.

Many ordinary village people travelled from distant places to sell their handicrafts, dress materials, utensils, home implements, furniture, and food items, like pickles, jam, jelly, papad, dry sweets, and many other attractive homemade products.

Children enjoyed merry-go-rounds (aka Nagar Dola).

Traditionally, the cottage industry is very strong in Bengal. These small rural entrepreneurs needed some outlets to sell their products. Such fairs provide that opportunity.

Ladies from the local households also purchase their essential items of daily use from these fairs at a good bargain. It is a tradition that has been going on for millennia. Even, large shopping malls could not dent into this space.

#02

I noticed an old lady selling hand fans ( aka Haath Pankha, made of palm leaves). It was around 7 PM. In another two hours, this fair would be over for this year.

The old lady was desperately calling us and pleading to purchase a few hand fans.

I told her we don't have any power supply stoppage problems here in Dumdum. We don't have any use for these handmade fans at home.

She then told us her story.

The day before, she started very early in the morning on a local train with all these handmade fans from her home in a far-flung village. Again she has to return after selling all these. Unfortunately, there were not many takers that year. She could not sell much.

She started weeping.

I felt awkward. To pacify her, I asked her how much she would charge me if I took half a dozen. She said one hundred rupees.

The prices offered were very attractive. That was much less than the prevailing market rates. I agreed to take six.

My daughter was asking me whether we need so many hand fans.

I said these are very cheap but good in quality. Let us purchase. We shall find some use at home, someday.

The old lady selected six best quality handmade fans for us. I paid her one hundred rupees.

I asked her, how do you travel back home with this unsold load? She said, my grandson is here. She pointed her finger at a little kid who smiled at me.

I realized this little kid was already learning the tricks of the trade from his grandmother at a very early age. Poverty was a great teacher.

The old lady placed her hand on my head and blessed me.

#03

Yesterday night, at our home, as I wrote this story in candlelight, I could distinctly visualize the struggling face of that old lady as God Incarnation Herself!!

I was also simultaneously using this handmade fan. The hand fan was perfectly delivering a cool breeze.

Sometimes, we purchase something more out of compassion than any other reason.

God Almighty reminded me today that this purchase was a household necessity.

In all the rooms, my family members were also swinging these hand fans.

We heard that due to festivities on Poila Baishakh, there was a high demand for gang men to attend electricity supply disruptions. The repair and supply restoration services would be delayed. Kolkata Electricity Supply Company (CESC) has requested the consumers for a little patience. They also clarified, that there was no shortfall in power generation.

Finally at 2-30 AM, well past midnight, the electricity supply was restored.

Sometimes, a four-hour disruption in service allows us to assess things from the right perspective.

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