Kolkata round up......

               The pace of my efforts to see as much as possible and record the sights of Kolkata does not slow down. Yesterday, Saturday, 3^rd year, U of Kolkata, IT Engineering student Samrat Dutta, very kindly shared his time and knowledge of this great city to show me the sights and sounds, high life & less high life, not typically seen by your average tourist. Thanks Sam, look forward to reciprocating when you visit North America next year.

 One of the joys (yes, miseries also) of long range travelling solo, is that one is somewhat forced to make contacts with strangers. Today, I crossed paths in a McDonalds with a couple of very interesting ladies, Americans, who are working for a children’s charity for three years in Orissa, southern India. One of them is getting married this week to the Indian Director. Fascinating to get their take, learn of their impressions, & to hear about struggles to make a new life in this country.

Hard bed......

                   Kolkata has been one of the surprises, on the pleasant side, of my visit, so far, to India. To me, Calcutta has always suffered from the lifetime stereotype that has been implanted into my mind, as a city of absolute squalor and deprivation---‘Black Hole’ and all that. The reality is that that this city is on the move---no way near yet the 'Singapores' of the world, but in terms of livability, so much better in my mind, than either Mumbai or Delhi. Most of the garbage created by a Kolkata population of 14 ½ million is cleared up & carted away by city collectors, unlike all the other places, so far that I have visited in India, where rubbish is left where it is dumped to be sorted and picked through informally by human and animal scavengers. More---Kolkata does not permit cows to wander where ever they wish, blocking traffic & fouling as is their nature. Excellent subway system and ritzy new shopping malls sprouting up all over.

Boiling the curd.....

Vast suburban 'new' areas of the city are being filled with modern high-rise apartment blocks arranged in park like settings, ditto, the high-tech garden suburbs that are sprouting up around the metropolis.

               Yes, life in Kolkata city is crowded, hot, chaotic & very noisy. Iin my time here however, I have not seen any evidence of aggression or anger displayed. People seem accepting of their lives, the pressures (economic & social) and respect the lives of others. For me, crossing the road is an excellent illustration. In the West, this a simple process, that is governed by understood rules: traffic lights, zebra crossings, cameras, police etc. many folk get very angry when the rules are flouted. Apparently, in India, laissez faire, no rules, no traffic lights, nothing—each person for themselves. Just now however, I am learning that a different, but real logic in fact applies and is generally understood. Everyone comprehends that according to the rules of the game, the cars will not actually touch, that vehicles will, at the very last second, brake for the old lady or the man with no legs, for the cow or whatever. All accept the unwritten rules and miraculously it all comes together peacefully without the evil of ‘road/civil rage'.

                            Tomorrow 3 November, I am travelling down to Chennai, formerly known as Madras, in

Sisters of Charity administering to the homeless....

the south of India. I have opted to make this a flying segment ($90) of this journey, to avoid a 32 hour train ride spread over two nights.  Duly purchased my ‘Spice Jet’ ticket 60 days ago and have subsequently received two e-mail notifications in the past week to say that my 2 hour flight has either been totally cancelled, or transformed into a 12 hour multi-city trip around India. A strong believer in the power of human reasoning, this morning I trekked out to the airport and demanded to speak to Mr. ‘Big’ at Spice Jet. All resolved amicably (computer glitches, what else?) and your scribe is back with his 2 hour direct flight. Trust that the plane does not suffer ‘glitches’.