Unbearable heat likely to play spoilsport

Kolkata: Every Poila Baishak, Dumdum-based Abhishek Mitra treats his wife Bratati and daughter Titli to a sumptuous Bengali lunch at city restaurants. But this time, Mitra has no such plans yet. If at all, he might enjoy a delicious spread of mutton kasha, daab chingri, gondhoraj ghol at a restaurant in the evening. “It’s 40 degrees Celsius outside. The heat is taking a toll on our health. I would rather enjoy a simple Bengali lunch at home,” he said.

For 26-year-old newly married Priyanka Banerjee, it would be a homely Poila Baishak. Banerjee has just returned from a four-day trip to Puri.

“The heat is unbearable. Though it’s my first Poila Baisakh after marriage, I would spend it at home. In the evening, we might watch something on OTT,” she said.

As Kolkata reels under hot weather conditions, the weather condition is mostly keeping customers away from the usually bustling restaurants in the city on the occasion of Poila Baisakh. Most Kolkatans plan to celebrate Poila Boishakh with authentic Bengali cuisine at dinner.

Entrepreneur Sonika Dey, who owns several restaurants in Kolkata, blames the blistering heat for the dull business on Poila Baisakh. “Can you blame the customers? The Celsius touched 40 degrees in April. This has never been the case. There are hardly any customers for lunch. After 6 pm, the business is picking up well,” she said.

Dey is also making sure that her customers order mojitos or other refreshing summer coolers the moment they step into her café in South Kolkata.

Restaurateur Swastik Nag understands how the scorching heat can play spoilsport on Poila Baisakh. Therefore, his restaurant in Salt Lake City Centre is offering unlimited chilled beer with their Noboborsho thali.

“The heat is killing and therefore, we came up with the idea to serve chilled beer for our patrons along with authentic Bengali thali,” he said.

But then, there are those like Aritra Sengupta, who will step out in the heat for a lavish Bengali thali at a city five-star hotel. “Poila Baisakh is a special occasion and I had already booked my spot at a hotel for an authentic Bengali lunch with family. Though it’s sweltering hot, we will enjoy lunch together,” he said.