Elens Welfare Organization

Up on the fourth floor of the building at 300/2 Mahatma Gandhi Road in Joka, you’ll find our little office. It’s flat 4A. Climbing the stairs is necessary if the elevator isn't working, but the exercise is fine. Being in Kolkata, it’s always busy outside on the street. Down below, there’s constant noise from the traffic and the shops, but things get a bit quieter once you get up to our floor. This isn't a massive organization with hundreds of employees. Just a handful of us sit around a couple of desks. Community welfare stuff is what gets handled here, mostly paperwork and organizing local events. The office is a bit cramped because boxes of supplies and old records are everywhere. There is no fancy interior design or anything like that. It’s just white walls and some basic fans to keep the heat away during the summer months. Sometimes the tea lady comes by, and that’s the best part of the afternoon. Anyone who knocks on the door can expect some help. It’s not a flashy job, and no one pretends it is. Regular people are just trying to do some good in the Joka area. Most nights involve staying late to catch up on things. The setup is simple, but it works well enough for what needs to get done. We just keep our heads down and handle the daily load.