Erstwhile Calcutta in her septuagenarian and Octogenarian era and my experience of growing up:

 

The morning shone bright and sunny in the summer of 1971. An enlightened joint family of south Calcutta was waiting in the waiting area of our nearby locality of a renowned government hospital for the big announcement of my beautiful mother’s pregnancy news. The big clock on the lobby wall stroke 0845 am. Doctor smilingly breaks the excitement of the waiting family and asked them to visit mother and the new born baby boy. Doctor pronounced the boy as healthy, fit and fine from all angles. Grandpa, Grandma and dad and other visitors from family blessed my mother for giving a natural healthy birth and used to visit her while in hospital with home cooked food on a daily basis. As ill luck would have it, an impending doom fall upon the baby boy on the fourth day of his healthy birth in hospital. The Nurse on shift duty was given the responsibility to feed the babies lying on the series of cot side by side. The Nurse fed all the babies with one spoon instead of feeding with separate spoons. Sadly one of the babies infection contaminated my stomach and affected badly for which I have to pay a heavy price for this grave mistake committed by the Nurse on duty. I suffered for 6 long months as my stomach goes for a toss in whatever food I used to take at that time. I was not even allowed breast feed as milk becomes difficult for me to digest. Later I learned that I used to soil my clothes 65 times a day and my mother along with family members become skeptical about my survival as I almost turned like a lizard. It was so horrible and a difficult moment for my family indescribable. Finally my Granddad’s elder brother who was also a physician recommended Dr Khirod Mukherjee, the only child specialist in town at that time of the era. Prior to that my grandpa’s elder brother suggested a medicine before taking me to the specialist. Fortunately that medicine spelt magic and I survived the torment instantly with much relief to my mother and family members. Now I am blogging to tell the rest of my upbringing in a joint family and the Calcutta of 70’s and 80’s.

I had a memorable childhood consisting of cousin brothers sisters aunts and uncles. Friends played an integral part of my life’s growing up moments. Cricket, football, badminton, volley ball, hide & sick were the memories clusterd upon my mind body and soul. Reading books which till date is an interesting habit imbibed from my father which helped restructured the thought process and social mixing. Cinema of those era has trickle the nerves and enthuse the funny bones especially the western films starring Gregory peck, Charlton Heston, Audrey Hepburn or Alfred Hitchcock movies. The type of movies of those era has cast a evervescent impact and motivated the gesture of the dreamed heroes of those times. Musical soiree of both western, hindi and bengali numbers of any type be it movies or modern songs has always illuminated the inner soul and put the mind in a tranquility without abeyance.  We used to have gramophone and the long playing records whose mono sound has a terrific musings at that time. I witnessed the funny moments of various small time earners used to throng our residential premises be it bear charmer or snake charmer or gymnasts or monkey charmer and we pride the moments of their visit by giving 50 paise or a rupee for their show. Holi was the unforgettable moments of the season which congregates all family members along with my friends whose preparation starts a day earlier for readying up with the balloons and other color items to start the next day with our readied stock of colors.

Calcutta those days was so open and empty that one can walk the streets without much steering of crowd. I always knew Calcutta as a city of culture and thriving intellectuals.  Humbleness and soft spoken Bengalis always enthuse the day asking each other’s well being over a cup of tea and biscuits. People talk to each other of any class without judging the weight of the pocket.  Honesty and helping attitude thrives amongst the people during anytime of the day. Corruption amongst the people was minimum. Number of good souls feels the atmosphere than the bad ones. Caring and the warmth was imbedded inside the character of yesterdays Bengalis. Elders were respected and anyone caring for a smoke will always hide the smoke if confronted with the elders. That’s the respect for elders always existed. Football was the heart and soul of Bengalis of those days with the famous clubs like Mohunbagan and Eastbengal.  Eden gardens cricket match was much awaited and was always filled to the brim as Bengal was mad about games specially cricket and football.