[Points: Introduction—early morning scene crowd gathers—shops open—traffic increases- period-evening scene—conclusion.]
The florescent lamps have just stopped glowing. The streets are deserted except for a few street dogs moving about for food. Birds are about to leave their nests. There is a faint radiance in the castern horizon. Beggers are still huddled on footpaths. g Gradually the darkness grows fainter and traffic increases as the arms of the clock at the main city thoroughfare indicate 5-30 a.m., Life in the busy city starts.
First come newspaper vans, distributing newspapers to the ven dors. Then come milk vans unloading milk bottles to milk booths. People arrive-nobody knows from where. There are a few at first -those taking a morning stroll, a few early office goers, some mounted police parading towards the maidan in a field. Gradually buses, 'thelas' and cars start their busy schedule. Esplanade, the nerve centre of the metropolis Calcutta, is now ready to start another busy day.
9-o'clock-it is peak hour. Streams of cars make way to various business centres and offices. Buses overflowing with commuters blow their horns and speed towards different directions. Shops open, hawkers spread out their wares, thousands scurry about. Everybody has some destination. The whole area now bears a cosmopolitan look.
Of course, there are some dull periods from noon to 4 p.m., but still the centre remains busy. At 5 p.m., the offices start closing. The crowd swells again. Staggering office babus are now eager to catch any transport to go back home. Traffic police are busy con trolling traffic for smooth flow and to clear out traffic jams. The drivers look exhausted, the radiator water boils: tempers also rise, conductors keep shouting out destinations they are bound for. Accidental meetings between old friends lead to some idle chat. Those who are not so eager to return home early, slip into nearby restaurant for a cup of tea or a cold drink. Queues in front of the cinemas leng then. People rush to the maidan and Outram ghat for some fresh air. Affluents in brightly coloured dresses throng the Park Street areas for shopping first and then for cooling themselves in air conditioned restaurants, The display of coloured florescent lamps attract public attention. Beggers make last desperate attempts to increase their daily earning.
Gradually night falls, the crowd lessens and pavement dwellers spread out their rags on the footpath for a night's rest. Traffic gets thinner, so do the pedestrians. Nobody will believe now that one million people have visited this area during the last 20 hours.
