A reunion of old friends was an occasion to celebrate the spirit of Calcutta and also lament the city’s dwindling fortunes.
Around 65 people, many of whom relocated to Calcutta for better prospects in the 1960s, met at a hall near Lake Market on Saturday evening. The Calcutta they landed in then was the land of opportunities.
The participants worked for Otto India Private Limited, an Indo-German manufacturing company headquartered in the city.
The company had a manufacturing unit in Odisha’s Rourkela, which made coke-oven batteries from crude coal. The coke was used to make steel in several plants in India, including the Durgapur Steel Plant and the steel plant in Bhilai.
Their office was at 9 Camac Street, a five-minute walk from the road’s intersection with AJC Bose Road.
“It was a boon to get a job in Otto in the 60s and 70s. The atmosphere at work was wonderful. Beyond work, the city was a delight,” N.P. Nair, 76, one of the organisers of the meet, told Metro on Saturday.
Many Malayalis like him moved from Kerala to Calcutta to work at Otto. Nair was a commercial manager who worked at Otto from 1972 to 2002. By 2005, the company shut shop.
On Saturday, many of the participants met each other after three decades. A WhatsApp group that started earlier this year led to the reunion.
For over two hours, the old boys of Otto turned the clock back. The change, or lack of it, in physical appearances was a recurrent source of amusement. Long-lost nicknames were back in use. High-fives were aplenty.
Rabindranath Sengupta, 81, retired as a non-executive director of the company.
“I have not been keeping well. But I could not have missed this opportunity to meet old friends,” said the Jodhpur Park resident.
T.R. Krishnaswamy, 81, was one of the most sought-after persons of the evening. He came to Calcutta in 1957 after his father was transferred.
After a degree in mechanical engineering, Krishnaswamy joined Otto in 1969 and worked there for 30 years.
“Calcutta stands out for being a confluence of people from all parts,” said Krishnaswamy, who lives in Gariahat.
The nooks and corners of the city, the street food came up during the discussions. As did the city’s slide from being the land of opportunities to the home for senior citizens.
“In my youth, Calcutta was the destination for many. Now, like my own children, most young people are moving out of the city because there are no jobs,” said Krishnaswamy.
For Otto, the slide started in the 1990s when the volume of orders started going down and trade unions got the upper hand. “The salary became irregular and strikes were frequent,” said Mohandas P, who came from Kerala to attend the meet. He moved to Dubai after his stint in Otto.
Nagendranath P, 74, was another participant on Saturday. Originally from Kozhi-kode in Kerala, Calcutta is home for Nagendranath since 1969, when he arrived as a “fresh graduate”. He rose to become the general manager, finance and accounts.
“This city has given me everything.”.