Dakshineswar

Saturday afternoon after work we decided to go on another venture, this time up north to the Dakshineswar Kali Temple on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. I had a particularly potent interest in visiting this temple because of its association with Ramakrishna, a Hindu saint and guru who I spent some time studying at St. Mary's, primarily in the book Kali's Child by Jeff Kripal that is banned now in India for various reasons. Ramakrishna had a pretty interesting life to say the least, and this temple was where he spent most of it. He was head priest there for 30 years.

The temple complex there was beautiful, and probably one of the most peaceful Hindu temples I've been to in India. It was also one of the largest. In the center of a massive courtyard is the Kali temple, and another raised area next to it where people sit to meditate or converse with other devotees. I got there as a group of people began singing and playing devotional songs. On the perimeter of the courtyard are a multitude of different Shiva temples, all of which contained lingams. People would go around to each one to pay their respects before going into the central shrine. Outside this central complex were the grounds, some of which was just gardens, but also several enshrined buildings including Ramakrishna's room, which still houses his bed and a number of Sepia photographs. It is now a meditation room for visitors. Also, a temple to Radha and Krishna, and a shrine for the guru's wife. Since it was right on the river there were a number of bathing ghats.

Also, there were monkeys. Normally, I wouldn't be so excited about the monkeys since they are troublesome creatures but I haven't seen any here in West Bengal, except for a few that were pets. So here, they are a novelty.

I will put up more pictures of this when I get the chance, but for now the computer is being difficult.

Marigolds and Mosques

So, we've had the chance to do a little more sightseeing in the city, exploring some new parts. Earlier in the week we went down to Kalighat, the city's major Kali temple. She is a very popular deity in this part of the country. I got the special Brahman tour, where for a price he took me around and explained various different parts of the temple complex: the main Kali idol, a special tree of fertility, and a small bathing pool devoted to Shiva. He also invited me to the ritual goat slaughter that happens every morning. It was kind of him to offer, but on this I think I will pass.

February 18th was Daniel's 25th birthday! so we decided to take the day off from Prem Dan and do a little more sightseeing, followed by some general relaxation. Kolkata is split down the middle by the Hooghly River. Most of the more notable sights of the city exist on the Eastern side of it which is where we are staying. There are two major bridges that run across, as well as numerous ferries. We headed north yesterday for the Howrah bridge, for the Mullik Ghat flower market just below it.

The flower market was total sensory overload. There were pounds and pounds of flowers, mostly marigolds, crammed into the market with the multitudes of people trying to sell and buy. Everything was to vibrant and colorful and full of activity. I think when people outside think of India, it resembles something like that flower market. I have no idea where these flowers came from, but I imagine most will be used religious ceremonies. It as probably one of my favorite parts of the city so far. Though, getting there proved to be somewhat of a challenge. The thing about trying to navigate here is that very few of the streets are marked, so you sort of just go by direction and general intuition, and also the help of others.

We wandered the area just south of the market... lots of crumbling colonial facades. Also, there were a number of churches and synagogues sort of right next to each other. We took some refuge from the bustle and heat of the street in the pastel courtyard of a Portuguese Catholic Church. On the way back to the metro we detoured to this enormous mosque off of Mahatma Ghandi Rd. A lot of the mosques are very similar here. They all have the same sorts of green domes and minarets. We don't really have a clock or anything, just mark the parts of the days by the calls to prayer. At this mosque we were able to just peak inside and see the men taking of their shoes to go into the main building.

The metro here, by the way, is amazing. It is by far the easiest way to get around the city. It is one line, clean, efficient, and only 4 rupees a ride (not even 10 cents) with no hassle.

We have about another week here, and the time now seems like it's slipping away. We have met so many amazing people here in Kolkata... every one comes from all over the world, but for similar reasons, and we all want to do something good. There is really something sort of magical about the energy I think. Whether it's through Missionaries of Charity or other NGO's or people just working and networking on their own, I am becoming really aware of the great potential in people for good... There are projects and ideas and things starting all over the place. Today I talked to a woman who is helping build a school and clinic for a village outside of the city, and heard of another person who just bought a bunch of land and 14 cows, and will be helping teach ex-prostitutes how to live and work on their own. There is just such a nexus of ideas and good will here. Still, it will be good to get up north soon. Already I can feel the day's heat growing little by little.

Kolkata

So much has happened in the past few days, it's hard to even know where to begin...

Last Friday, at 3 PM, Daniel and I made the walk from Sudder St. to Shishu Bhavan, the former home of Mother Theresa. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday the nuns there coordinate a Volunteer orientation. There is not a whole lot to this, as they hardly have time to train in detail the many people who come in and out to work for various lengths of time. Basically we just give them our name and nationality, and then we tell the nun at the table which of the several different houses for the sick we want to go to. Daniel and I had originally wanted to go and work at Kalighat, the home for the destitute and dying, across from the city's major Kali temple but it was full, so our next choice was Prem Dan.

Prem Dan is similar to Kalighat in that it is for adults and elderly people, but the state of their health is not so severe. Every morning, we get up at 5:15 along with the Muslim call to prayer that comes through the hostel window, and walk over to the Mother House for the mass and breakfast with all the other volunteers. That walk is probably one of my favorite parts of the day. It is still dark, and the city is only just waking up. The streets are not insane like they are during the day, but people are out waking up, washing, opening up there shops, feeding their animals, polishing their cabs, and so on. It's a part of life in India I had not seen before.

Mass at 6, breakfast at 7, work at 8. After breakfast we begin the 20-30 minute walk to Prem Dan. Just the walk itself was a really eye opening experience. For most of it you are just going through the streets of Kolkata, like any other streets, then you turn a corner and you come to the railroad tracks. These are slums, and some of the most destitute living in the city, aside from living on the sidewalk or in trash heaps. Prem Dan is right next to the Park Circus railroad stop. As we walk along the tracks though, next to the shacks and trash and animals, every one greets us with Namaste and clasped hands, children reaching out to touch us yelling "hello! hello!" It's a chorus of good will. I think that many of the patients in Prem Dan come from this surrounding area but not all.

When we get to the gates and enter the courtyard it's like coming into another world... it is relatively calm and clean and there are parrots and palm trees. All the men go to one side of the complex, and the women to another to start our day's work. There are a number of volunteers, who all stay for different periods of time. Some stay for 2 days, others have been there for 15 years. First we do laundry, all by hand. There is a lot of laundry. I really like this as a start to the day though. The work is satisfying and offers a chance to socialize with other volunteers and even some of the patients who might help out, though they only speak Bengali.

Then we go out to visit with all of the women patients, hang out with them, rub lotion on them, give them massages, or help them eat a snack. This is probably the most existentially intense part of the day. You become very personal with these women, many of whom are in pretty bad shape. There are wounds, missing limbs and digits, mental illness, swollen body parts, and very few teeth. It's amazing how small some of these women are, full grown but with the hands of a child, or arms the size of two of my fingers. Most of them are very loving though, and patient considering the fact that I don't really know what I'm doing. Today, after I had rubbed lotion on a woman's feet, legs, and arms, she reached down, touched my feet and then touched her head. This is a really great honor in Hindu culture. It is like saying that the most impure part of me (my feet) are higher than the purest part of her (her head). Of course I did the same in return for her, but I can't express how honored I was by that gesture. I think that Prem Dan is there for us as much as we are there for it.

After that is a chai break for the volunteers. I really like this part as it includes delicious milk tea, biscuits, bananas, shade, and sitting. Also, I get to see Dan who has been busy doing similar things but with the men. From the sounds of it they are a little grumpier than our ladies.

After that we serve a meal which is a pretty hectic time, making sure everyone gets a plate and water, that those who can't feed themselves get help, etc... then clean up. Buy this time it is 12:15 or 12:30 and the day there is done. In most houses there is a morning and afternoon shift, but Prem Dan is only morning. We make our way to the nearby main street, which is an adventure in itself given the tremendous mid-day traffic, and then share an auto-rickshaw with some people back to Sudder St.

After that the day is our own. We have lunch, walk around the shops, go to different sites, or just laze about the courtyard of the hostel with the cats.

I suppose our Kolkata life is starting to really take shape. It is nice to be in a place for a little bit, and not feel like we have to be going out, seeing and doing things. Sometimes it is enough just to sip chai on the roof for a few hours. In another week and a half we will be leaving Kolkata, for Varanasi we think. It was not originally planned, but so many people have spoken so highly of it we feel like we should really make the venture.

Home Sweet Home

We made out way to Sudder St. being sidetracked on the way of course by a kind man who offered us a cup of chai in his shops, and special prices only for us. He expounded to us on the merits of marriage and children, though not too many. It was our first real shopping experience in Kolkata, and all things considered it was altogether a pleasant one, especially given the hawkers you have to pass through on the main road outside our hostel. The nearby bazaar is a hustle of selling and begging that really takes a lot of stamina and determination to pass through unscathed, not to mention un-pick-pocketed :)

We are currently residing at the Hotel Maria, a hostel that cost us about $3 a night to stay in, but we have our own room, and even our own bathroom. The sink doesn't have a pipe or plumbing, but rather a plastic tube that directs the water out of a hole in the wall. The toilet is somewhat similar. But it is our home for at least the next week, maybe longer if we like it enough.

We are surrounded here on Sudder St. by almost as many travellers as Indians which is a little strange, but also frankly comforting. There is a diverse traveller population here too, not just the cliche sort of Western hippie, though they are definitely about. It's nice to have a place where we can settle though, and get to know the surroundings a bit, though I am looking forward to travelling up north, especially when it gets hotter. Right now it gets into the low 80s during the day, which is warm but ultimately still pleasant.

Oh, so the really great things about the hotel Maria are as follows: Computers in the hotel, Courtyards and rooftop, and 3 or 4 stray cats that wander around the premises, and are very friendly!

Test Transmission

So after a million hours in airport and on planes, Daniel and I finally made it to Kolkata. Though the cab ride from the airport to our hotel was a sojourn unto itself, and we didn't finally arrive until 11:30 PM. We crashed pretty quickly after indulging in some India music videos on the television set. Kolkata looks much better in daylight than it did during that long and boisterous car ride last night...

We've spent the day so far wandering the streets and checking out some obligatory tourist spots like the massive Victoria Memorial. The gardens surrounding it are amazing. There are also many gilded pony drawn carriages and musical fountains. I haven't seen any bicycle rickshaws; instead they are pulled by people. The memorial itself is a strange sort of thing, filled with statues and paintings, and pictures from the colonial days. It's simultaneously a memorial to the British reign, and to Independence. But so much in India is like that.

Our next stop for the afternoon will be St. Paul's Cathedral... and another one of those anachronistic sort of sites in the old British capitol of India. Then off to scavenge some dinner.

Tomorrow, we will make our way up to Sudder St. the main drag of cheap tourist housing and food, and try to secure some hostel accommodation there. Once settled, we will make our way to the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity to check out the deal there.

We are flying out tomorrow! We leave Dulles at 12:30, go to JFK, JFK to New Delhi, New Delhi to Kolkata. And then to the hotel I've booked for the first few nights there.... I don't think I'll get too much sleep tonight, but hopefully that will encourage me to sleep well on the crazy long plane ride that begins tomorrow and ends Wednesday night, 10PM Indian Standard Time.