Retired Govt. Engineer

I have been living on the 4th floor of Kalyani Bhaban for a while now. Being a retired government engineer means I can't really stop looking at how things are built. I walk down Boral Main Road and I see the cracks in the pavement or the way the new buildings are going up and I have my opinions. Kolkata is a city that grows on you and I've spent my whole career here. My home is full of old blueprints and tools that I still use for small jobs around the house. I don't have a big staff to help me anymore so I do everything myself. It keeps me active and my mind sharp. Sometimes the neighbors from the lower floors come up to ask about a damp patch on their ceiling or how to fix a door that won't shut. I don't charge them anything because we are all living together in this building. Life in South Kolkata is a bit slower than the city center and that suits me just fine. I like the morning air here even if it gets humid later on. I don't miss the long hours at the office but I do miss the people I worked with. Now I just have my books and my projects to keep me going. It is a very ordinary life but I worked hard for it. Being an engineer isn't a job you just quit when you get your pension. It’s part of who I am.