One of the folks I met on my visit to Kolkata works in the printing operations of a Bengali newspaper that's been around forever. A has worked there for over twenty years and likes that he has fixed hours and life is largely predictable. The modernization of technology has crept up very slowly on his job over the years so it has never been a challenge to keep up. He is warm and friendly, well-informed about world affairs given what he does for a living. As with any adda over chai and snacks in a Bengali household, it was no surprise that conversation turned to politics. Starting with antics of the chief minister and her endless set of goons, moving on to the dysfunction in America - notably the regressive politics of abortion rights and then finally Ukraine and Taiwan.
There were several other people in that gathering of different age brackets and backgrounds. One thing that united everyone was the sentiment that America is a very meddlesome nation with no track record of winning any war and yet continues to engage in new ones all the time. A's sentiments about how the media was covering Ukraine very much aligns with this article. He was very disdainful of his own newspaper and joked about how stuff that makes it to the printed newspaper is a copy and paste job from sources that are actually doing the work of gathering news. He thinks reading his publication is a waste of time but if people are willing to pay for that privilege he can't complain because it pays his salary.
A is an archetypical Bengali - very clear eyed about their place in the world, suffering no illusions about the value or meaning of their work. He has his priorities that do not include a high-stress, high-paying job. He is not looking for meaning in his work or any validation of his person-hood through it. He collects his paycheck in the most comfortable way he can. There is no plan for the future other than "dekha jabe" (we shall see) and that is just fine.
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