'Lost' 80-year-old finds saviours in Kasba club

KOLKATA: The city, it seems, still has its heart in the right place. An entire neighbourhood in

Nandibagan

-located in Kasba's Haltu area -spent three sleepless nights trying to help an 80-year-old get back to her home.

The woman, who has been detected with severe signs of memory loss and bronchitis, was given a room inside the local club and offered `khichdi' and rice -the food being served to craftsmen who are camping there to construct a local Durga Puja pandal.

The woman, presently admitted in the female ward of MR Bangur Hospital, was found wandering on Tuesday eve ning before members of the Haltu Milan Sangha Club spotted her and asked her to share her address. “It was around 7.30pm and I found her loitering alone near the SD-8 bus stand on the main

Garfa Road

. She was almost being run over by a bus and she seemed to have lost her power to even get up. When I walked up to her, she asked for food,“ said Ajoy Banerjee, a local tea shop owner and a member of the club.

“Initially, she said she was from

Deula

located near Mograhat in South 24 Parganas. Then she said she was from Barasat. Since there is a place called

Dakshin Barasat

, also in South 24 Parganas, we decided to send a few locals to the Mograhat police to enquire,“ said Tapas

Chakraborty

, another member.

The locals then convinced the octogenarian to spend the night at the club. “Since the pandal of the Nandibagan Sarbojonin is located nearby, we have someone or the other on night vigil. We asked them to keep a watch on her,“ added Chakraborty.

Wednesday, though, posed a fresh challenge. “The woman refused to stay with us saying she was out on a pleasure trip with her son and daughter-in law and that she got lost. She said she was confident of finding her way. Since we were not her guardian, we could not stop her.A day later, some club members found her lying in dirt a little ahead towards Haltu crossing. She was breathing heavily. Officers of Garfa PS saw her and tried to contact an NGO but left without any success,“ said Subhendu Dey, the club secretary.

Even as she was brought back to the club, a hunt for her relatives was launched on the social media by some members.By Thursday evening, her condition worsened and she was admitted to MR Bangur Hospital around 10.30pm. Police are yet to trace her kin.

Stay updated with breaking news, bank holidays and upcoming public holidays in march.