Kolkata is a city with heart, says Kullu resident after getting back her lost purse

Kolkata, Oct 14 (IANS) A young woman from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, who left her purse in an app cab while visiting Kolkata during Durga Puja was pleasantly surprised on getting it back soon thereafter, thanks to the efforts of the cab driver, a good Samaritan and the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC).

WBRC is an organisation of amateur radio operators that has now become famous for reuniting lost people with their families, not only across India but also in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.

“I had always been told that Kolkata is a city with a heart. I have now experienced it myself. People went out of their way to return my belongings intact. What more could I have expected from Maa Durga,” gushed Rani Walia.

Rani and her friends from Kullu had checked into a hotel in New Town, Kolkata before she booked the cab to visit a Puja pandal. They were dropped off at the location, but Rani left her purse behind in the vehicle that was left to pick up another passenger.

Rani was distraught. Apart from all her cash and cards, she had even left her mobile phone in the purse. Her friends told her that they had enough money to pay for her expenses during the trip, but Rani was inconsolable.

The next passenger that the cab driver picked up was one Koena Mitra. Soon after getting into the vehicle, she spotted the purse on the back seat and alerted the driver. The driver immediately called up Rani, but there was no response. Little did he know that the mobile was also inside the purse and the owner had put it on silent mode.

“We didn’t know what to do next. Finally, I opened the purse and realised that it had cash, cards and a mobile phone. The mobile phone was locked and I could not search for contacts. I then thought of handing over the purse to the police. But then, it crossed my mind that the owner would not know which police station to contact and her Puja would be ruined. I also felt that the police would be too busy at this time of the year to look for the owner of a missing purse,” Koena said.

She has heard of the WBRC and called up its secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas. He flatly refused to get involved in this matter. Koena was persistent though.

“I told her that we do not involve ourselves in returning missing belongings to people, but she pleaded and said that it is the least we can do to ensure that the owner, who is a visitor from another state, gets to enjoy her stay in Kolkata during the festival.

“Finally, I relented and called up our contacts in Kullu, requesting them to look for the family of the young woman. They got back to me soon and I was connected to Rani’s family. After I explained everything, they got in touch with one of her friends who was accompanying her. Rani could not believe her ears when told that the purse was in safe hands,” Nag Biswas said.

He redirected Rani to Koena and it was she who handed back the purse after checking the identity documents carried by Rani.

–IANS

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