DelhiLullaby: In love with Kolkata

We spent a week in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) for Andy's research earlier this month. I wasn't planning on going with Andy, especially after everything I'd heard about the city - it's unbearably hot, difficult, dirty, and has even less infrastructure than Delhi. In a spontaneous decision, Andy suggested we come. We bought my ticket the night before and ended up having the best experience traveling ever. Samantha and I went with Andy to all of his interviews - and the number of interviews grew and grew as more and more people found out about his project. What initially started out as three contacts grew into a large network of singers, poets, filmmakers and householders with songs to share. I served as the photographer during the interviews and Samantha played on the floor with other children and folks in the homes. Throughout the trip we continually remarked how much we loved Kolkata. In fact, we loved it so much and Andy's research was so exhilarating there, that it may very well be where we return to live in India when his research brings him back here in the future.

Here's what the interviews often looked like. It was fitting to have a baby there - she was even quiet during most of the singing!

Samantha front and center at another interview.

The two older girls brought out all of their toys for Samantha to play with and gave her the flower on her head.

Samantha traveling with documentary film maker friend. Samantha was a little warm as we'd just left an hour long cab ride and were walking to the interview and still had a rickshaw and metro ride before coming back into the central city for more interviews. See the tea cup she's holding? That was given to her the night before in another interviewee's home. It has been her favorite toy ever since.

View of another interview. Samantha and I spent our time in the adjacent music room playing since this one lasted a while:)

View from where we stayed in Talyganj Pari, Kolkata. We stayed with fellow Fulbrighters.

Our gracious hosts in Kolkata, Dave & Deonnie.

Video of Samantha's perspective walking along Park St. in Kolkata. She was in the carrier with Andy while he held the phone at her eye level. There was a huge storm later in the evening, lightening to boot.

Buying veggies at the historic 1874 British built New Market in Kolkata.

Chickens awaiting purchase at the New Market.

One of the ubiquitous human-pulled rickshaws in Kolkata. They are apparently outlawed but locals told us they remain the only viable transport during the monsoon season.

Sudder Street scene. Boys playing cricket in front of the much dilapidated Indian National Museum (white building) and Government College of Art & Craft (red brick). The National Museum was pretty depressing, all the exhibits were ancient (not in a good way) and the halls were stained with paan spit and smelled like urine. Imagine if the Denver Museum of Natural History from when we were kids was left to swelter in Kolkata heat and humidity outdoors for 30 years and not updated at all, actually that might still be nicer than it was! It's really too bad, the bones of the building housing the museum are beautiful - huge, colonial courtyard building that would be magnificent if kept up. I guess this is the overall story and charm of Kolkata itself.

This is the view directly outside of the Goethe Institut where Andy had an interview one morning.

This might be my favorite picture yet in India. In the background is one of the many British buildings from the 19th century in ruins. Those yellow taxis are the storied Ambassador cars, still rumbling around the streets, still operating somehow, their new paint jobs disguise their barely functioning engines. Kolkata was the British colonial capitol until 1911 when it was moved to New Delhi.

View near Sudder St.

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Deonnie, one of our hosts in Kolkata, has been researching the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata. On our last day, which also happened to be the Bengali new year, she took me to visit the temple. I did not take Samantha, as I was warned about the chaos, and it was a good decision! I have to say that, as crazy as it was (I can easily see how people are trampled in the frenzy to see a glimpse of the Kali statue), I felt relaxed knowing that I only had to worry about myself. Without Samantha I could flow with the crowds pushing me throughout the temple complex, all the while barefoot.

View of crowd getting into the temple. There were no cameras permitted inside the temple.

Darshan (offering) line into the temple. It went the entire length of the street.

An example of the offerings people were bringing into the temple.

One of the many sweet shops. Sweets are very significant to Bengali culture.

Boys on the banks of a small canal called the Adi Ganga which connects to the Hoogly River (a tributary of the sacred Ganges River), just outside the temple complex. This is like a wishing well of sorts. When you throw in a coin the boys have long ropes with magnets on the end to collect the money. One boy said he collects about 50 rupees a day, or about a dollar.