Posted on March 8, 2010 - by Guest
Solo travel in India: A Letter from Calcutta
Shelli Trung of 3six5date submitted this piece as a result of a call for posts on the Facebook Solo Travel Society page. When I first read it, shivers when up and down my arms and my eyes welled up. It’s a beautiful, emotional post written in the second person. It speaks directly to you, the reader. My thanks to Shelly. Please enjoy. The photos are by Rachael Dobbie.
Calcutta, now Kolkata, is dressed in contrasting architecture with its colonial past still very much obvious today. Unlike many other cities in India, the gardens here are neatly trimmed; the roads have marked lanes; and your foreign presence is less of a novelty.
Right now, you are trapped on Howrah Bridge, amidst the hundreds of thousands of foot traffic that cross the bridge every day. The smell of fumes from the trucks and cars immediately beside you does not register when compared to the feelings of guilt should you slow the momentum of the crowd behind.
Your thoughts drift to the last time you were on a bridge. Yesterday, at Howrah Station, you could not help but stop to admire the beautiful matrix of white prayer hats worn by Muslim men, waiting patiently for a train on the platform below. You watched them until their train arrived and they boarded without pushing and shoving. These men, after all, were men of God – even if it wasn’t your God or my God, and you knew that out of the many scenes in India, this one would stay with you.
You finally step off Howrah Bridge, and cannot help but be amused that you have crossed it faster by walking than many of the stationery vehicles still on the bridge.
As is often the case here in India, your senses are assaulted by the huge array of vibrant colors, and in this instance, it is the spectacular contrast of orange and yellow marigolds at the Mullikghat flower market. You stroll leisurely through the market, and ponder how one could choose one vendor over another? But unlike markets in many Asian cities, you are largely left alone to browse as the vendors here know that their priority are their regular customers.
You exit the market and descend onto the
busy streets of Calcutta again.
A local has told you previously that each owner is responsible for their own section of footpath here – you are unsure whether to believe him. All the same, you take care where you step, navigating the uneven and broken sections of gravel and concrete to Kalighat, the Home for the Dying and Destitute.
Upon arriving, there is a black car that pulls up abruptly in front of the historic home. You watch as an old, frail man is swiftly helped up from his lying position, out of the back seat of the car, and carried into the home. You enter through those same doors to the once abandoned temple, and cannot help but wonder what Mother Teresa was thinking.
As you walk into the hall with its rows of neatly laid out mattresses and beds, you realise you could not have prepared yourself for what you are about to witness.
It is quiet, but it is not somber. Your eyes instinctively shift from one volunteer to another. Some are offering water, another is helping someone sit up, and yet another is simply sitting, holding a pair of frail hands – the owner’s eyes distant. Perhaps you are unsure how to feel, or how you should feel.
You make your way up the stairs to a promised chapel, but struck by the noise, you pause just before reaching the top. Here, volunteers are sitting either on a bench or on the floor, while eating plain bread, drinking milk, and sharing conversation. You stand at the doorway and observe quietly the exchange of smiles and laughter. It finally hits you why you find the scene so addictive.
It is undiluted hope and faith, and you get a glimpse of Mother Teresa’s vision.
You manage to pull yourself away into the quiet chapel. There is no one else present and you sit alone for a while, processing what you have just seen.
It this a place of hope or a place of despair?
Of usefulness or uselessness?
That decision will always be yours, and one idea will ultimately prevail over the other. I chose the former, and I hope you do too.
There is much to be done.
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September 2, 2010
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Adam Axon said:
What a masterful letter. It does a great job of transporting you directly to Culcutta and Kalighat.
Thank you Shelli for sharing your experience with us and thank you Janice for publishing it!
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April 18, 2010
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admin said:
Wow. Love to hear and additional first hand experience. Thanks for the additional tips/links.
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April 17, 2010
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Dianne Sharma Winter said:
Great Post! It took me back to my first and kinda shocking arrival in Kolkata! I had come from Kuwait (the 4th richest country in the world) to Hotel Howrah just by the bridge in the picture. (yes well the pics looked great on the website!!)
The taxi from the airport caught on FIRE outside Howrah St Station, the cabbie wanted ME to do something aout it and then fled into the teeming crowds leaving me no option but to also exit stage left!
I agree with Vivek the food is great and people are so helpful in Kolkata. Two suggestions for those visiting Kolkata, a guided walking tour by these fab people
http://www.calcuttawalks.com/
and don’t forget tiger hunting in the Sunderbans
http://www.wb.nic.in/westbg/sundarban.html
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March 28, 2010
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Agentcikay said:
oh i chose the former too! So inspiring this post. I came here due to Janice’s RT. I think when you lose yourself in a place as huge and busy as the market, you can actually feel your insignificance, and the significance of God, multiplied. Excellent post!
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March 11, 2010
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admin said:
Thanks so much for the tips and advice.
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March 11, 2010
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Vivek said:
It seems that you have travelled little in Calcutta. I’m from there and frankly a lot if left unseen. I do hope you have a good list of places to visit to exp. the culture of Calcutta. Victoria Memorial, Trams (one of the 3 cities in the world to have it), burra (literal meaning ‘big’) bazaar – this is a big trading and wholesale market place of Calcutta. If you are adventurous with food, try the roadside foods. Some of the best in India. Puchka is one thing you could try, a bit spicy, but the best you would get in India.
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March 10, 2010
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Port Macquarie Accommodation said:
Such a vibrant looking place! I’d love to find my way here some day.