My Graveyard Shift Cab Ride Through The Streets Of Kolkata - Journal Day-14
I muse as I ride a cab to catch a flight at the ungodly hours of the day.
It's 3:15 in the morning. I'm on my way to catch a flight to Jaipur, the other end of the country, in the west of India. The night sky is dark grey, with some slate coloured clouds hanging low. Though it is pretty warm and humid during the day, it is pleasant now. Despite the cloud, it seldom rains at this time of the year unless there is a norwester with gusty winds and an occasional hailstorm. In Bengali, this is called Kalbaishaki. The word means calamity during Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May), which is the beginning of the long summer. This Kalbaishaki brings some respite from the scorching heat and humidity of the long summer months. The air cools, the dust settles due to the rain, and the earth breathes a sigh of relief, though it leaves destruction in its wake. The petrichor, the smell that the dry earth gives as it gets drenched after a long dry spell, after the shower, is intoxicating, though in our busy city lives, we are hardly conscious of enjoying it. Even when there is no norwester, there is a constant cool breeze from the south, during this time of the year, which gives some relief. But there is no sign of any storm now. Kolkata is going through a dry, hot spell. The temperature is 36°C. The temperature will rise as the sun beats down on the Earth ferociously, punctuated by occasional gusty winds and quick showers, before the monsoon arrives, bringing some relief.
Kolkata, one of the most congested cities in the world, looks forlorn at these hours of the day. The city streets look different at this time of day. The otherwise congested roads and localities are now empty. The streets are empty, barring a few stray dogs, squatters and the traffic police at nearly all crossings, mostly to coax money from the hapless truckers or some random vehicles, not to make our lives easier and safer. Bright street lights dazzle the eyes. The metal shutters of most shops are down, and the glaring street light is bouncing off some of them.
Most major crossings are barricaded, forcing vehicles to slow down. It is as if most drivers transform into Formula 1 racers, speeding toward their destination and destruction, and the traffic administration must slow them down. Most of the major flyovers in the city are closed to traffic. Or, are we at war? I don't know what administrative logic compels the Kolkata traffic police to place so many barricades on the road at night. These roadblocks are present even during the day. Sometimes, the heavily congested roads can feel like a nightmare for drivers, navigating the unruly traffic and the roadblocks. The traffic slows down, and the temper of the drivers and commuters soars along with the mercury.
Trucks and large trailers frequently fill the streets during this graveyard shift, transporting luxuries and essentials of civilisation smoothly and efficiently. So many things we take for granted in our modern urban life are possible only through these movements. Trucks that ply, without our being conscious of it. These trucks transport goods and services across, even to the remotest areas. Transporting goods across geography is the oldest sign of civilisation since the beginning. Trucking is the wheel that makes civilisation move forward.
I also saw a few food delivery men delivering hot meals, even at these ungodly hours. These food delivery men mostly work for a pittance. They do not have any prospects for the future, nor any social and financial securities. They might not be slaves, as the dictionary meaning suggests, but in all practicality, they are. While they may not be like the slaves who built the Roman Colosseum, they nonetheless assist in constructing the modern Colosseums for the kings of Capitalism. They are slaves because they have no other way of earning a decent income to feed their families. Gig workers, as they are called, are the new slaves of capitalism. No prospects, living hand to mouth, daily, delivering goods and services, while the wealth of modern capitalism is built on their sweaty and toiling shoulders. Contemporary capitalism, instead of giving people opportunities, as it claims to do, throttles people with limited or minimum opportunities, leaving people no choice but to toil like menial workers without any prospect. It is such a loss to humanity. These people are the modern-day slaves. And, we, the educated middle class, the conscious keepers of society, remain complacent. The truth is in front of our eyes, naked and shocking, if we care to look. No archaeological digging is required. No anthropological analysis is necessary. It can be seen only when we want to see it. But do we want to?
A few tea stalls are open to serve their customers, even at this hour. We stopped in front of one of the tea stalls to have a quick cup of hot chai (Tea in English), full of milk and sugar. The sting of the hot, milky and sugary concoction kicks one to alertness. It helped my driver transition from being drowsy to alert, allowing him to drive me safely to the airport. The driver taking me to the airport picked me up from my home half an hour ago. To ensure he reported on time and didn't oversleep, he parked the car in front of my house late at night and slept overnight in the car. He said it's his regular practice whenever he needs to reach for a pickup at ungodly hours. Again, here is a man, smoothing the wheels of capitalism, without any complaint, with a matter-of-fact attitude.
It's no wonder that it's said that the city never sleeps. The invisible wheels of civilisation keep rolling as we, the fortunate ones, sleep comfortably on our soft, cosy and warm beds.
It is said that to be born in poverty is not one’s fault. But to remain poor is. But where are the opportunities for one of these kinds to make a better life? They say education will help one earn a better living. Really? Many educated young people lack regular and decent opportunities to earn a living. Our economy is not generating enough jobs. To have dignity is a basic human right. But if the economy does not provide meaningful earning opportunities, men lose their dignity to make ends meet.
Even for most, basic education is becoming expensive, let alone university education. No wonder people born in poverty remain in poverty for generations. And, those born in affluence, the middle class and the rich hog all the opportunities and benefits of economic developments. No wonder there is so much conflict and strife in society.
As I near the airport, I can see a fleet of cars, presumably all going to drop off or receive passengers. Some are travelling away from the city, some are travelling into the city.
I have reached my destination, the airport. The airport is another story. It is filled with busy people hustling about, the entire area illuminated by artificial lights as bright as daylight, manicured lawn carefully planted with curated trees, clean and evenly paved roads, showcasing modern, impersonal efficiency at its best.
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As I enter the airport terminal, I enter a portal that transports me to a different reality. It is the reality of perfectly coordinated efficiency, where personal connection and empathy are as far apart as chalk and cheese. Everyone is treated as a persona non grata, trying to harm this edifice of capitalism unless, of course, one is a VVIP or related to them. The security personnel treat everyone with disdain as if all those passing through the terminal are a security risk. For the sake of the safety and security of the passengers, they are denied humanity. The whole process of the security check robs passengers of their dignity. But who cares? It is the little people who are travelling. Those who matter need not go through this undignified process of security checks.
But modern men, travelling for leisure or work, cannot do without travel by plane either. The world has shrunk since the advent of travel by Aeroplan. The distance that once took days, weeks and months can now be covered in just a few hours. Thanks for travelling by flight. Man always wanted to fly. With air travel becoming cheap and efficient, it has come within the grasp of most of humanity. But with air travel, the romance of travel is no longer possible. The enjoyment of slow travel, soaking in the scenery, getting to know the fellow travellers, eating together as one travels with the unknown people and the uncertainties of reaching the destinations at odd hours of the day, is not possible when we travel by air.
You may think I am against air travel, but quite the opposite. I am not opposed to air travel and its benefits: seamless efficiency, speed, punctuality, and some basic comfort. Air travel may be devoid of the romance and adventure of travel, yet it has helped humanity stay connected.
I am against human beings being treated as cattle devoid of all dignity.
I wrote previously on the topic. Here is the link if you want to read it.
