Kumartuli or Kumortuli is located in the northern part of the city of Kolkata . The locality is a traditional habitat of the potters for nearly three hundred years. The potters or the artisans or the artists settled here during the restructuring of the Kolkata colonial region by the British East India Company . Earning a livelihood by making earthen pots and utensils first they gradually shifted to the making of the idols of Gods and Goddesses for various festivals round the year. With increasing demand and quality of their creations over time the artisans became famous and Kumartuli came to be known as the hub of idol makers supplying thousands of idols, particularly of Goddess Durga , to whole of the state of West Bengal and to NRIs of around 90 countries across the globe. At least three months before Durga Puja , the biggest festival of West Bengal and one of the biggest across Eastern India, more than five hundred workshops come alive with hyper activity day and night. Fir...
Whenever I use my bank's ATM card on other-bank ATMs I get a message from my bank starting 'It would be a pleasure to serve you at (so many of) our ATMs...' and then confirming the transaction. So today, while heading for the vegetable market in the evening, I decided to try only my-bank ATMs as I needed to withdraw cash first. Inside one I completed the procedure and waited for the cash. But the usual shuffling sound was not there and no cash ejected. I tried again with the same result. I now wanted to check my balance, but the machine failed to do even that. Other 'knowing' customers told me 'no cash'! True to my vow I found another my-bank ATM, and the same frustration there too. The attendant was also missing. Angry now, I asked the nearby shop about the attendant and eventually found him playing carom! I demanded, 'Why don't you at least put up a notice for the customers?' Refusing to look up from his striker he replied indifferently, 'I...