Armours of a solo life…

Living alone in Kolkata (with total lack of enthu regarding cooking) means you need to encounter 3 things on a regular basis- eating bland foods from your precious ‘home delivery’ kaku or kakima; befriending the local middle-aged dada who runs the stationery/grocery/mobile phone recharge/xerox shop for mitigating your tangible needs while you promise to pay late and, stocking up your room with life-saviours such as instant noodles, biscuits, packets of puffed rice and other such thingies.

I have compiled a list of few necessities that will act as armours for any brave-heart, who is willing to put up with lemons that a solitary life confined within-a-single room, throws ad nauseum-

Immersion Heater

For me, this is definitely the best thing since sliced bread and will be for you too, especially if you don’t have the provision ( read:permission) to cook inside your room. Come rain, summer or snow- this tiny, mean machine can boil your eggs and hasten the process of making you a cup of (green) tea or a sinful plate of Maggie!

Instant noodles

Speaking of Maggie, those days are gone when anyone (in India) can dig a bowl of steaming Maggie without getting suspicious. Blame this on toxic lead or the media-hoopla,but the aura around Maggie is still in a dilapidated state. But the connoisseur of instant noodles inside me found the replacement of this, in packets of Wai Wai and Ching’s secret. If you go through the sudden hunger pangs during late evenings or if your home-delivery kaku skips the dabba out of the blue; then instant noodle is your best friend.

Sachets

From sauce to shampoo- when the money dries up, sachets keep our vanity ( and lifestyle) intact. I have heard about the term ‘pocket size powerhouse’ quite late in life; but grasped its true meaning when laid my hand on a sachet of Sunsilk shampoo in a dire state, for the first time. I used to think then that, only the perpetual broke like me is fond of sachets. But these days, when i get to see the throng of kakimas demanding sachets of goodies ( whitening cream topping the list) from my para stationary shop on any given day of the week, my fragile mind takes solace from it.