Calcutta Mercy Hospital

Living and working on Park Street means you are always in the middle of everything. Calcutta Mercy Hospital is located at 125/1, and the address is one of those places people just know. The building is large and has that old-fashioned look that many structures in this part of Kolkata have. Inside, the ceilings are high and the hallways are long. There is always a smell of floor cleaner and cooked food from the cafeteria. People are moving in every direction—nurses in a hurry, families carrying bags of supplies, and doctors looking at charts. It can feel a bit overwhelming if you aren't used to it. The windows are tall, but they don't let in much light because of the other buildings nearby. We spend our shifts walking back and forth between the wards. The elevators are old and sometimes they take a while to arrive, so many of us just take the stairs. It’s a lot of physical work, keeping the place running. We see people at their worst and sometimes at their best when they get to go home. Park Street stays busy late into the night, so even when we finish a late shift, the sounds of the city are still going strong outside. We just keep our heads down and do the tasks on our lists. There’s always someone needing something, a pillow or a bandage or just directions to the exit. It’s a heavy place, but it’s our daily reality.