Kolkata street scene, circa 2001.There are vendors selling their wares, children playing, and pedestrians spilling out on the streets packed with vehicles. The scenes are lined with decrepit buildings, with their wilting multi-colored facades and ornate balconies. The air is thick with the smell of spices and garbage. But things changed.

The iconic Howrah Bridge stands tall in the distance, but its once-gleaming white paint is now chipped and faded. The murky waters of the Hooghly River lap at its base, carrying with them the stench of garbage and sewage.

Although the bridge still stands defiant in the face of rising sea levels and encroaching slums, its beams are now covered in graffiti and rust, but it remains a symbol of hope and resilience for the people of Kolkata.

But people find a way.