Washrooms, food, water, fans... How people help Kolkata protestors

"Yesterday was a revelation to me. In the morning I was at B B Ganguly Street, where hundreds of junior doctors were sat on the street. They had set out the previous afternoon to march to Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar, and send a delegation to meet the Commissioner of Police. 800 metres from the building they were met by a triple row of steel barricades, the last 9 foot high, and 4 rows of policemen. Unable to advance they sat down - and stayed there for 22 hours, chanting slogans and singing songs.

"So far par for the course - Kolkata has seen innumerable protest marches and sit downs . What was amazing was the reaction of the people. The shops on either side kept their doors open all night so that there were washrooms available and plug points for charging phones. 

"Early in the morning the street side tea seller went round with free tea and biscuits for everyone. As the sun rose a portly, middle aged man arrived, having walked from his shop in Burrabazar with a sack full of paper fans which he handed out. 

"People arrived out of nowhere with bottles of water, tetrapacks of juice, cartons of biscuits, cakes. 22 hours later , when the barricades came down and the delegation was allowed to proceed the pavements were heaving with people looking as happy as the doctors, joining in as the National anthem was sung.

"That evening at 5pm thousands of healthcare workers from the many private hospitals along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass formed a human chain on one side of the road stretching some 25km . No traffic was obstructed .... but car, motorbikes, buses all slowed down as they passed , with the passengers joining in the demand for justice. A little schoolgirl on her way home pressed her notebook against her car window , on which she had carefully written We Want Justice.. Kolkata mon amour....."