The relentless onslaught of heat has forced many Kolkatans inside their homes.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the city was 36.1 degrees Celsius but it felt like 43 degrees, thanks to the humidity that was enough to torment people but not enough to cause rain.
There is a spurt in the sale of air-conditioners and usage of the machines.
But there are many who don’t have the option of staying home or using an AC. The Telegraph spoke to some of them over the past few days.
Ice-cream sellers
Buddhadeb Sardar, who sells ice-creams in Tollygunge and Mudiali, has been venturing out with his cart every day. But at the end of the day, the bulk of his stock remains unsold.
“The roads are deserted. The schools are shut. Most children are staying home because of the heat. They are my main customers,” he said.
Mondal pedals his way through SP Mukherjee Road and various lanes till he can. When the sun is directly overhead, he finds a shade under a tree and parks his cart.
On Thursday, he sold stuff worth less than Rs 1,500. For every Rs 1,000, he gets a commission of around Rs 160 from his distributor.
Surajit Mondal, who sells ice-creams on a cart in Behala, is no better.
“On Wednesday, I sold half a dozen chocolate bars to students going home from tuition in the evening. I had sold barely four items till then,” he said.
Drinks break
At the Park Circus intersection, a camp has been offering cold water, glucose and sherbet to pedestrians for the past few days.
Minati Basu, a domestic help, has been a constant at the camp. She drinks a glass of water and glucose each.
“The bus ride from College Street is exhausting. I carry a bottle of water but it gets so hot by the time I reach Park Circus,” said Basu, who lives near Hedua. Basu leaves home in the morning and reaches Park Circus by 8.30am. By 1.30pm she finishes work and stops at the camp before catching a bus home.
Apart from Park Circus, such camps are operational at Gariahat, Moulali and other places, too, said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of IHA Foundation, which is behind the initiative. “Many people are sitting at the camps for a while before and after drinking water. They want a moment’s rest,” he said.
AC mechanics
The workload of men who repair and install air-conditioners has doubled.
Sumit Pramanik, 26, is one of them. He works for a contractor hired by an electronic appliance company. He has been attending eight to 10 service calls every day, compared with around four in May.
Each call takes up at least 30 minutes. Attending the outdoor unit often takes him to the terrace. But fixing machines is not the only draining job he has to endure.
Pramanik lives near Bakhrahat, a 10-minutes’ drive from Diamond Harbour Road in Thakurpukur.
He rides a bike to the houses of customers, most of whom live in Behala, New Alipore and Tollygunge. That means he has to ride close to 85km every day, much of it under the scorching sun. “By the time I reach home, I am exhausted. I cannot spend time with my family,” he said.
Anit Ghoshal, a contractor for another AC maker, has over a dozen mechanics working for him, mainly for installation of new machines.
For the past few days, he has seldom seen 100 per cent attendance.
“They are talking ill because of working in this heat. I am trying to curtail the afternoon shift but there is a lot of pressure because of the surge in demand for ACs,” he said.
Sales team
Kanishka Pal, who sells current accounts for a private bank, was headed to his Salt Lake office from his Garia home on Wednesday. He had a conference call to attend from 9am.
When he was stuck at the Avishikta signal, it was 8.55am. He realised he would have to attend the call on the road. He parked his two-wheeler and joined the call, which lasted 25 minutes.
“My shirt was drenched in sweat. I bought two 500ml bottles of water and drank both while talking,” said Paul. Once the call was over, he went back home, changed and left for the office again.
On the Rabindra Sarobar premises, a bunch of men and women, all sales professionals, had gathered to rest for a while. “I will start visiting people as soon as the sun shows some mercy,” said a man, who sells demat accounts for a trading firm.
