A host of morning walkers have shifted to post-dusk walks, fitness enthusiasts are skipping gym sessions or are opting for less strenuous workouts, sales executives are skipping afternoon market visits, more people have been opting for doorstep delivery of stationery and groceries, and a number of employees in corporate and tech firms that have been practising the hybrid mode of functioning have been opting for the work-from-home module for the time being.
"Since the start of the pandemic, I made it a habit to go for morning walks and it has helped me get back into shape. But it is so hot these days that I fell sick last week. Hence, for the last two days, I have been going out for late-evening walks after office rather than sweating out in the morning heat," said Sutirtha Basu, a Jadavpur resident.
While several city gyms complained of a drop in attendance in the mornings, fitness trainers are focussing on less strenuous exercises rather than heavy workouts. "We have made significant changes in our training modules and are asking members to spend more time on free hand exercises. Also, we have changed the diet charts and are asking each member to stay hydrated to avoid falling sick during workouts," said Gagan Sachdeva, who owns a chain of fitness centres in the city.
The heat gets particularly gruelling for those out on the roads in the afternoon. While some are forced to stay outdoors for professional commitments, those who can, are tweaking their work timetables. Behala resident Arijit Bose, a sales executive with a leading cement manufacturing company, has been conducting his market and dealer visits from 8am and is wrapping up by noon. If needed, he is again heading out of office after 4pm. Similar has been the schedule for auto driver Ganesh Prasad. "Now, I start driving from 5.30am and get back home by 10am. I again go out after 4pm and drive till around 10pm," said Prasad, who drives on the Thakurpukur-Taratala route.
Shyambazar homemaker Arati Das said the heat has forced her husband and father-in-law to stay indoors as much as possible - a feat she couldn't achieve even during the Covid restriction periods.
"It seems Covid has made us weaker. I felt sick travelling to and from office and since I had the option to shift to work from home, I have been doing so," said Soumya Banerjee, a Hooghly resident who is a senior official of a tech firm in Sector V.
Finally a smile was seen on the faces of people of Kolkata when they witnessed the first mango shower or Kalbaishakhi of this year on Saturday evening.
Moderate rainfall with squally winds up to 64 km/hr was seen across Kolkata and its adjoining areas giving respite to people from the heat waves and sweltering heat.
According to the weatherman, Kolkata and its adjoining areas will receive light to moderate rainfall till May 4.
“Easterly winds have started entering the region and the situation is conducive for more mango showers till May 4. This is the first time that the showers didn’t happen in March and also in April,” said GK Das, director, Regional Meteorological Department (RMD).
The RMD official also claimed that Kolkata witnessed rainfall after almost 60 days.
According to IMD director, Sanjib Bandhopadhyay, the wind speed in Kolkata will be 50 to 60 km/ hr in the days to come with moderate showers.
People were seen on the streets enjoying the showers as everyone got respite from the heat that claimed several lives in South Bengal as according to weathermen this year April was the hottest month in last several years.
It can be noted that even though North Bengal had witnessed several thundering activities, South Bengal didn’t receive any rainfall until Saturday evening.
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