22 neighbours have shared what matters to them — in their own words.
“Start. Summer in India is truly associated with mangoes. Summer without mangoes cannot be imagined. And the region I live in, West Bengal. The best variety of mango there is Himsagar. Besides that, there is Kohitoor, there is Golap Khas, there is Kanchan Mithe. There are many such varieties of mangoes. This summer, the quality of mangoes is very good. We are getting very delicious mangoes in the market this summer. However, the yield this summer is slightly less. But the quality is really good.”
“স্টার্ট। ভারতের গ্রীষ্মকাল সত্যিই আমেশত যুক্ত। আম ছাড়া গ্রীষ্মকাল ভাবাই যায় না। আর আমি যে অঞ্চলে থাকি ওয়েস্ট বেঙ্গল। সেখানে সবচেয়ে ভালো আমের জাত হচ্ছে হিমসাগর। এছাড়া আছে কহিতু, এছাড়া আছে গোলাপ খাস, এছাড়া আছে কাঁচা মিঠে। এরকম নানান রকম আম আছে। এইবারের গরমে আমের মান খুবই ভালো। খুবই সুস্বাদু আম এবারের গরমে আমরা বাজারে পাচ্ছি। তবে ফলন এবারের গরমে কিঞ্চিৎ কম। কিন্তু গুণগত মান সত্যিই ভালো।”
translated from Bengali
Nearby, the community voices highlight significant challenges primarily centered around two key issues: an escalating fuel and LPG crisis and the impact of unprecedented extreme heat. Citizens are experiencing disruptions to daily life, rising costs, and delayed gas cylinder deliveries, which disproportionately burden lower-income households and retired individuals. Concurrently, the intense heat, exacerbated by inadequate urban infrastructure and climate change, poses serious health risks, particularly for the elderly and children, with frequent power outages intensifying discomfort. 🌡️ Furthermore, concerns about the inconsistent quality of mangoes, shorter seasons, and the financial struggles of farmers due to climate change and market intermediaries are prevalent. Despite these challenges, residents are actively seeking solutions. Many are adopting fuel conservation methods and utilizing electrical appliances to mitigate the LPG crisis. There's a strong desire for transparent information and community-led initiatives, such as ward-level awareness camps for LPG subsidies 💡 and the establishment of local cool shelters for vulnerable populations during heatwaves. For the agricultural sector, calls include advocating for state-level support programs for mango farmers and creating direct farmer markets to ensure fair prices for both producers and consumers. These collective efforts underscore a resilient community eager for actionable interventions. 🛣️
“Agent”
“Go. The problem with LPG hasn't affected us much yet. The main reason is that the cooking done at our home is for a very small family. And secondly, it's not done only with gas. Besides gas, we also use electrical devices. As a result, gas expenses are low. One gas cylinder lasts us for about two months. So, we haven't had to face gas problems much. Although, due to the increase in gas prices, we are facing problems, our pockets are facing problems.”
“And when the gas is heating up, gas is a gas is a... when I am using less gas, I am using electric, for which I haven't faced any problem yet.”
“So this time the heat is really too much and unbearable. And where I work, because there is AC, my office time passes well, but when I go out on the streets, the heat really becomes unbearable. When I return home at night, the AC also runs at our house during sleep. So at night, sleep is fine. But for the rest of the time, we have to endure this heat. There is nothing to do.”
“In this world, it's rather dangerously widespread because the Earth is on the path of global warming. We have destroyed trees and plants. As a result, this heat is unbearable not only for us but for everyone. And those who have money are fighting this heat with air conditioning. They are trying to adjust to the heat. In doing so, they are further warming the entire planet. As a result, poor people and the entire animal kingdom cannot tolerate this heat anymore. Consequently, most people are actually unable to adapt to this heat.”
“This season, the village of this season is Bengal, mango is in our country. I mean West Bengal, I mean West Bengal is okay, okay.”
“It's very hot now. It has been very hot for a few years now. When it's hot, people suffer. But my one disadvantage, I mean advantage, is that I have lived in various places. I have lived in hot countries. I have lived in desert regions. Very hot. I have lived in forests. Where it is hot, it is very hot. But I have gotten used to it. I can tolerate the heat quite a bit. I can tolerate it. I am tolerating this external heat. I have to bathe. I bathe well. I drink cold water. And thus, I tolerate the heat.”
“Yes, this sudden LPG crisis is disrupting our personal lives. Especially mine. I used to take food out of the fridge. Cold food, then I would heat it on the gas. That has to be completely stopped. Strictly, the people outside have said that cooking and heating on gas are forbidden. So, my life, you can understand, will be disrupted. As a result, I am in a very bad situation.”
“Kolkata city is now one of the hottest cities in the world. As a result, it's impossible to adapt to this heat. A city without trees and without water bodies. Adapting to the heat there is just impossible. One who has money can try to adapt with AC, but AC ultimately makes the city even hotter. So I am not in favor of AC. I am trying to adapt.”
“Tell me, at this time, good mangoes are Himsagar, Golap Khas, Ohipur. Another one found is Dokmisti mango, Modhugul-guli. Also Langra, all these. At this moment, Himsagar mangoes have flooded the market, so the production of Himsagar mangoes is good and the quality is also good. The condition of the others cannot be said right now because they are slowly coming into the market. It will be seen when tasted then.”
“In our riverine Bengal, there are many varieties of mangoes. In different regions, in different areas, there are various types. So among them, there's Langra, Himsagar, Golapkhash, Fazli. My personal favorite, however, is Himsagar. In my opinion, the best mango in the world is Himsagar. No argument. However, this season I haven't eaten a lot of different varieties of mangoes. What I have eaten, that is okay. But I am not sure if this mango is qualitatively different from other times.”
“Due to the war in West Asia, a fuel crisis has arisen in India. It's not that I haven't been affected by it. I have been affected by the news and by hearing that gas will be available much later. So, I have done panic booking. But ultimately, I haven't faced such a problem yet because we always try to use less fuel. But the cost of fuel has increased now. It is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with that cost, to use fuel by meeting that cost. We are trying to cope by using as little fuel as possible.”
“This is actually a test run on voice report, voice record, so that I can collect reports from my neighborhoods as information for the voice report exercise which has been posted as an assignment to us in that in the technology course.”
“I want to see it once. After so many repeated errors, how will it be understood if it is actually useful or useless? So, if it is taken this time, then this website has quite a few problems.”
“The mangoes on our side are like Vishwakar's mangoes, these mangoes are Himsagar mangoes, they are the best in our area. They are also tasty to eat and have a beautiful fragrance. And the mangoes of this tree are also very good.”
“School teacher (govt) "My west-facing room becomes unbearable by afternoon and we also deal with load shedding which cuts off the fan and AC exactly when you need them most. The load shedding issue is what I want to raise with our local representative. During a heatwave, power cuts are not just an inconvenience — they are a health risk, especially for children and the elderly. My message would be — please take up with CESC the issue of scheduled and unscheduled outages in residential areas during summer peak hours. If load management is necessary, it should happen during off-peak times, not between two and six in the afternoon when temperatures are at their highest. We pay our electricity bills. We deserve reliable power when it matters most."”
“Elderly neighbors, children work in other cities. "In Kolkata we mostly get Himsagar and Langra, and this season the quality has been inconsistent — smaller fruit, some batches not as sweet as usual. But what bothers me more is the middleman problem. The vendor tells me prices are high, yet I read that farmers in Murshidabad are not getting fair rates. The consumer pays more and the farmer earns less — someone in between is profiting. I would like to tell our local councillor that the municipality should organise seasonal farmer markets, directly connecting mango growers from the district to buyers in Dum Dum. It would bring prices down for us and give farmers a fairer income. This is not a new idea but nobody has acted on it seriously. If the councillor can push for even a weekly market during the mango season it would make a real difference to many households."”
“Brother (conducted online) "I have noticed my mother becoming more careful about gas usage — reheating food in the microwave, using the pressure cooker more, keeping the flame low. The price burden is real even if we haven't faced outright shortage. But what concerns me more is the long-term picture — if the West Asia conflict continues, fuel prices will keep rising and lower-income households will be hit hardest. My message to our local elected representative is this — please push for faster expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana subsidy coverage in urban areas like Dum Dum, where many working-class families fall just outside the eligibility criteria and receive no relief despite struggling with the same price hikes. Urban energy poverty is real and it deserves the same policy attention that rural energy access gets."”
“Retired IPS officer ( lives in my community)"The LPG cylinder is taking longer to arrive after booking and the price has gone up significantly over the past two years. For a retired household on a fixed income, this is a real burden. The issue is that there is very little transparency — we don't know why prices keep rising or when they will stabilise. My message to our local councillor is simple — please organise a ward-level awareness camp where residents can learn about the Ujjwala scheme, subsidy entitlements, and how to properly register complaints about delayed deliveries. Many elderly residents, especially women, are not aware of their rights as LPG consumers. A single afternoon event at the local community hall could help many families. This is a small ask but it would make a genuine difference."”
“Nearby lady tailor (senior citizen)This summer has been the worst I can remember in thirty years of living in Dum Dum. The afternoons are unbearable and nights offer no relief either. The real issue for people my age is that heat stress can be medically dangerous and most elderly people living alone have nobody checking on them during a heatwave. I want to leave a message for our ward councilor to set up a simple neighborhood heat relief system. Even something as basic as designating one community room in the local club or library as a cool shelter during peak afternoon hours, with a fan or AC, would help elderly and low-income residents who have no cooling at home. Other cities have done this. Dum Dum ward can do it too. It does not require much money, only some will and organization.”
“My cousin- college student"The mango quality this year has been uneven ", some batches of Himsagar were excellent and others were disappointing. But the issue I keep thinking about is how climate change is quietly affecting the mango season itself. The season feels shorter, the yields are inconsistent, and farmers are bearing the uncertainty. My message to our local elected representative would be this ", please advocate at the state level for agricultural support programs that help small mango farmers in Bengal adapt to changing weather patterns. Subsidised irrigation, crop insurance, better weather advisory systems ", these are things that require policy attention. We enjoy mangoes every summer without thinking about the farmer who grew them. It is time our representatives started thinking about that too."”
