Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Oh Kolkata!







Our visit to Calcutta

Over five decades into my life I still had not visited the City of Joy. So when my sister suggested a trip on my impending visit to India, I perked right up and we began planning endlessly for it. Where would we stay, what would we do etc was top of mind. As though people had read our minds, we had suggestions and offers of help from all quarters. My friends, her patients and friends. Slowly the program began to take shape. We wanted to see the real Calcutta, suspended in vestiges of it’s glorious colonial past. We also planned a visit to neighbouring Belur Math and Dakshineshwar, both of which had materialized into destinations for devotees of Swami Vivekananda and his guru, divinity incarnate, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

I realized soon that the world is divided into two kinds of people. Those who love Calcutta and those who are shocked you would choose it as a desirable place to visit. In the past, the public sentiment towards Chennai was similar except now with so many IT back offices, its image has morphed somewhat. There is, therefore, some curiosity. None for Calcutta whose public image has been aggregated as consisting of the poor and wretched whom Mother Theresa and her Missionaries of Charity cared for, naxalites and other communist zealots thanks to 31 years of Communist party rule till 2001, pretentious intellectualism, art movies that did not condescend to appeal to populist folks, ancient trams and crumbling colonial architecture. Don’t get me wrong. Bengalis are universally still held in high esteem for their social consciousness, their celebration of goddess Durga who embodies Shakthi aka feminine power, and their love of and contributions to literature, cinema and the fine arts. Iconic figures such as Tagore and Ray are venerated world wide.

I really did not know what to expect. Our taxi, prearranged with the hotel, was there to receive us at the airport . We made it in an hour to the heart of the city. The weather was hazy, the sky overcast and grey from what appeared to be smog. First impression. It was familiar. It was polluted like most large Indian cities, choking from the effusions of the autos, ancient yellow Ambassador taxis, cars and aging public buses. Second impression. There were lots of high rises all generally shabby and old-looking with laundry hanging to dry in most balconies. Then there were over bridges under which the homeless had pitched up residences using cardboard and fabric. There was absolutely nothing shiny or new as though the city had given up on looking after itself! Third impression. Like in Chennai there were large cutouts of politicians, especially their current Chief Minister. Clearly these folks are in perpetual election mode, preoccupied with retaining their power than doing their city any good.

Over the next few days we stayed in South Calcutta, in a rather crowded part, conveniently close to the shopping areas. We had an unsanitized view of life up close, blending in with the middle class crowd. Handily, our friends who had taken up temporary residence close-by, chaperoned us as needed! We had access to great South Indian food, a non negotiable requirement for my mother who was travelling with us. So it was Calcutta on a budget and it was oh so inexpensive compared to the rest of India. Autos were no more than Rs. 40 to shopping destinations and we never paid more than Rs.100 for our cab rides. Food at restaurants was a fraction of the amount you would pay at comparable locations in Chennai.

Our one grand indulgence was a privately guided city tour where we learnt more about this fascinating city given its legacy as the capital of the British empire for the Indian subcontinent till 1911. The British left their indelible mark dividing the city into white, black and grey towns, for the white, “native” and Anglo Indian populations, respectively. The parts that were white town still retain their distinctive colonial grandeur, the imposing structures, consisting of the Governor’s residence, Town Hall, High Court, Police Headquarters, Victoria Memorial, and many many more all rivalling those in London. The residences of the past form the current “downtown” aka business district. Then there is black town where the streets are narrower and the homes less impressive. However, those who thrived under British rule, serving as Accountants, English language scribes, professionals and merchants, lived in high rises with wrought iron balconies and Venetian shutters. We were sad to see those decrepit buildings, some still occupied, others abandoned but stubbornly standing, trees growing out them, as grotesque relics of a prosperous past.

Among its greats, Kolkata celebrates Tagore, and Mother Theresa. Our first stop was Thakur Bari, the home and Museum of Calcutta’s Nobel Laureate son Rabindranath Tagore. We were transported to Calcutta’s glory days and saw its history through the eyes of its proud son. This is a “must see”. We also visited Mother house to pay homage to Saint Theresa, as she is now known, another Nobel Laureate, and a controversial figure who put Calcutta’s poor and abandoned on the map. When I climbed up a flight of stairs to the spartan 10 feet by 10 feet room, with no fan, which had been her private residence for over 40 years, till her death in 1997, I was moved to tears. To me she was the goddess incarnate.

I cannot help but think, there is a divine force that defines Kolkata. After all, Goddess Kali is ubiquitous in her residents’ hearts and minds not just as the embodiment of feminine power and the triumph of good over evil, but as a way of life. And that abiding faith in Kali manifests as respect for womenfolk, keeps them unspoilt, even joyful, and gets them through precarious living conditions. And several lakhs of them live below the poverty line in hovels and dingy spaces with open sewers.

Kali notwithstanding, Kolkata has distinct Muslim, Jain, Christian and Jewish quarters and I marvelled at the harmonious co existence of all faiths, bound by their common love of the city.

If I had to put a finger on why I have come to like Calcutta, I will say it’s the simplicity of its people and their warmth. Vendors, auto and cab drivers are all polite, endlessly patient and willing to help. No one I met was aloof or condescending. People were not out to rip us off.

Kolkatans take great pride in their city and live out large eating street food, buying cheap goods from pavement shops and riding 4 to 1 in tiny share autos. Then there is lush abundance in fruits and vegetables from the fertile soil on the banks of the Southern Ganges, as also plenty of fish from where the river meets the ocean, to keep them well fed and contented on a shoe string. Even with rampant consumerism they appear to shun greed and the need to amass. Testament to their value for substance over form are the endless rows of book shops in College Town, and rampant coffee shop/street corner chatter on global issues over tea and cigarettes.

During our short stay we visited Belur Math and Dakshineshwar, And also hit a few tourist destinations. We saw the impressive buildings around Dalhousie Square that rivalled any in London, visited Jain temples, walked the length and breadth of the famous Gariahat market, ate street food, drank hot tea from little mud pots, in Lake Market area, savoured the milk sweets, ate the best South food, paid homage to Tagore and Mother Theresa, bought a book in College Town, had lunch near Park Street, posed for a picture at the iconic Indian Coffee House, visited the famous Calcutta University, bought nighties, underskirts, kurtas and cheap jewellery.from street vendors and even watched a movie. Except for the privately guided city tour, ours was Calcutta on a budget, living among real people and experiencing the city’s grittiness. The company mattered. My sister, mother, nephew and I had belly aching laughs over the silliest of things and just went with the flow. Next time, we might do different things and there will be a next time. We concluded our trip with a visit to the famous Kali temple! I was disappointed with the temple’s upkeep though overwhelmed with a prayerfulness and quietude that came over me in the inner sanctum.

Our ride back to the airport was through Newtown, a shiny new part of Calcutta resembling Singapore! That left us with a favourable image to carry back.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Superbly put , a Calcutta I've never experienced before though I have visited the city quite a few times.