wonderful experience of 'the black hole' (Kolkata (Calcutta))

Member Name: indigojade

Product:	Kolkata (Calcutta)
Date:	09/10/00 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sights, sounds, smells, people,

Disadvantages: some disturbing sights

Calcutta.......a wonderful city, with every kind of person you could wish to meet and some of them whom you wouldn't, and plenty of them!

I spent some time here about 4 years ago and my first impression on landing at the airport, was the SMELL. There is nothing quite like it on earth. It hits you before anything else, including the heat, when you step out into the street! Imagine your nostrils being assaulted by the worst and the best smells you can imagine and multiply that by a thousand, and you are somewhere near to the smell that greeted me on my arrival. The smell of life, love, loss, affluence, effluence and poverty!

The second thing to strike me on emergence from the airport building were the beggars.......from the very very old to the very very young they were there en masse. They will do anything for a few rupees and it is especially heartbreaking to see the amputations that have been done at the hands of unscrupulous parents, or guardians so their children can play on the sympathies of visitors. It is so tempting to give give give, but this is something I had been warned about. Give at your peril - there may only be a few dozen beggars, but get out your cash and you will be swamped until you have had the shirt off your back removed! NOt only that but word travels fast in Calcutta and you will be a soft target for every beggar in the city.


I arrived in late September, the middle of the monsoon season, amidst heavy downpours that quickly filled the streets up to mid calf level, within 15 minutes. It was an amazing site to see, the rain drops almost as big as golf balls, cascading out of the sky, obliterating your view to within a few feet.

The car awaiting me was an off white, 2 week old 'ambassador' the most common car in Calcutta. The rust on it was unbelievable, due to the humidity. The best thing was the fact that they are sold without windscreen wipers! So driving was great fun! My guide for the
duration of my stay ordered the driver to get some wipers for the next day. He duely did this (nicking them from another car!), when the next downpour started the driver did no more than open his window - wiper blade in hand and tried to clear the screen, I covered my eyes and the guide went mad! Apparently the driver didnt want to fix them to the car in case they were nicked!


The traffic situation is like nothing I have ever seen or experienced in my life It really is every man for himself, one piece of advice I was given by a native, if a taxi driver knocks someone down in the street, get out of the car and run! The people will kill the driver and burn the car, whether or not there is someone in it.... I never saw this happen, fortunately, but I have been told by countless people that it does - so people beware! Other modes of transport in CAlcutta include the rickshaw - these wonderful man drawn carriages really are a sight to behold. I must admit to being very bervous about bein taken in one, but curiosity and the seeming magical beckoning of the driver were too much and I was taken to my destination. Please dont avoid rickshaws - no matter how rickety they look, the men drawing them rely on people using them to feed their families. Another fantastic mode of transport are the buses! I only used them for short distances as they are clapped out and rickety to say the least. There were several incidences during my stay where buses crashed or overturned due to the state of the roads, a typical post in the paper about a particulaly nasty accident went somthing like this ' A mishap occured yesterday when a bus carrying 65 people overturned and all were killed' that was it.

The people of this wonderful dirty smelly city are so friendly (not always because they want something from you, but they live in hope!) they will take you into their homes gladly share what little food and drink they have and make you welcome like no place on earth.
Remember when you enter a persons home to remove your shoes, this is not to preserver their flooring, but to prevent dirt and disease being trodden into peoples houses.

There is so much to see and do in Calcutta, not least the places of historic interest, the marble palace etc, but you do have to bribe your way in to many of these places, and you are not allowed to take photographs in the majority of them, as they are in such a bad state of repair, they don't want the world to see it!

Perhaps the most amazing places I visited during my time in Calcutta, were the Mother House, home to Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity. I visted 2 weeks after her death and although still mourning her loss the Sisters were happy to talk about her and their work. Sister Nirmala told me about the day before Mother Teresa's death - she apparently gave all her possesions to the other sisters - these possessions consisted of a crucifix on her wall and a wooden box. An hour before her death some American tourists visited the Mother House and Mother Teresa was able to wave to them from her bed. There was a beautiful, life size and life like statue of Mother Teresa kneeling praying, in the house, made prior to her death. Apparently Mother Teresa used to ask this statue every day who she was praying so still and quietly! She did eventually have the statue removed as its prescence made her feel incomfortable.

The Mother House is a very simple place of worship and home to the Sisters that made me feel quite humble and awestuck, although not religious myself. Most definately a place to visit should you find yourself in Calcutta.

The second place that really took my breath away was the leprosy centre, not something imeadiately on everyones favourite place to visit list! We had to walk over 6 train tracks to get to the centre, and the sites there truly amazed me. The sense of joy and hope that they have there is incredible. They are totally self
sufficient, growing their own food and raising animals, making their own clothes and shoes, which they also sell abroad. This is not common knowledge due to the fear of leprosy, but many well known brands actually buy from the centres. The lepers also make the cloth for the Sisters and brothers of Charity - the only place in the world to do so.

The drug round on the wards is amazing also, there are 3 tablets, a white one, a pink one and a blue one. You get one of each 3 times a day! How many nurses would love a drug round like that!

The markets in Calcutta are an experience in themselves, you can buy the most fantastic wooden items, with which my homes is full of. I also have a great collection of huge wooden animals, be very careful though, my mother has just discovered 'livestock' in some of hers and has had to get rid of it!! As well as wooden items you can buy some beautiful jewellery - my best buy had to be a silver bangle, ornately hand decorated. I have seen similar items in jewllers in the UK, that are definately second class and cost a hell of a lot more, in the region of £50. My bangle - well it cost me £4!!! When you enter the market you will be besieged by boys offering to carry your basket, for a few ruppees they will follow you everywhere, carrying your goods and shooing away beggars. Do not turn them away, they are indispensible - not only for the aforementioned duties, but also to guide you around the markets. Our basket boy was deaf and dumb, yet he could get you round the market in no time, seeming to know where we wanted to go. It did help that many of the market stalls had business cards - of which I have many! So we just handed him a card and off he went!

Not only are there organised markets, but there are the impromptu markets that are set up anywhere! We came back from a heavy shopping spree to find the car covered with handbags and wallets, baskets and chickens!! There was much argument when our driver as
ked the sellers to move - they wanted me to pay them first!!

YOu can also buy a variety of meat from the markets, this is not a wise place to go at the beginning of your stay - believe me! I did and was almost put off meat for life. You will find in the meat market, stone slabs where the animals are slaughtered and cut into joints, after mid day you will find a huge assortment of people sleeping on these stone slabs! They are not rinsed off before the next day either - yak!

Despite the many filthy aspects of Calcutta there are many beautiful places to visit, one such place was a Jain Temple. It was hard to imagine we were in the same city, when surrounded by the exquisite mosaic courtyard! Remember you have to remove your shoes before entering. Don't visit when the sun is at its hottest as we did, it was a long bloody walk up those steps with nothing on your feet! We were given an almost royal tour of the temple, then charged royally on our way out! I think the exit fee was £12 for 2 of us! A tip here is not to let people see into your purse or wallet! We were foolish in this respect and no doubt got ripped off immensely!

Another tip is to smash any bottles you may buy and drink whilst in Calcutta, this applies to spirits, beers, coffee, aftershave and perfume. The reason for this being that unscrupulous people will collect the bottles and sell them for refilling with cheap, inferior goods to be sold on for high profit!!

Hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed reliving some of the time I spent in Calcutta. Despite the filth it is my intention to return as soon as I can.

Happy and safe travelling :o)

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