Locomotoring

We are approaching the Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh. This is also the time when Kalboishakhi, i.e., nor’wester, starts up. Literal translation of Kalboishakhi is “calamity during the month of Boishakh”. Kalboishakhi, while always expected around this time of the year is totally unpredictable. It is marked by localized torrential rains preceded by 40-50 mph winds, gale speed, in the afternoon. It comes as a violent burst and lasts briefly. The rain and cooling are eagerly awaited by all. They also cause a lot of destruction. Back in the days when waterways and small boats were a popular way of getting about, Kalbaishakhi would invariably result in significant loss of life. Ditto with damage to mud houses whose roofs would get ripped off. In modern day Bengal, the most significant damage comes from uprooting of large trees and electric poles. There is still loss of life.

Unfortunately, the climate change has resulted in fewer but more violent storms. We may yet experience this burst during our week in Kolkata. What we are surely experiencing right now are some wonderfully breezy mornings and evenings. The open windows let it the sounds of civilization – chirping of birds, blare, honking and beeping of vehicles – and mixes it in with indoor sounds, the creaking of the fan, the flapping of the curtains, whistling of the pressure cooker, clanking of the kitchen utensils and more.