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Kolkata - Black Hole or Cultural Capital?
From common perceptions we expected an ordeal in Kolkata (Calcutta) with perilous cuisine, people dying around us and horrific squalor. Certainly there was depressing poverty and garbage littering every corner, but more striking were the friendliness of the people and the vibrant local culture. |
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Bicycle dreams
Only in Kolkata do the old-fashioned hand-held rickshaw-wallahs still operate. After a grueling day running (yes, running!) customers from place to place, this guy takes a hard-earned siesta. |
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Bollywood by the world's busiest bridge
Suffering from sensory overload - beggars pleading, street sellers screaming, livestock blocking the streets, buses honking and belching noxious fumes - we escaped to a park on the banks of the Hoogley River to relax. There we saw this Bollywood movie being made in front of the Howrah Bridge - easily the busiest bridge in the world. |
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Ooh lovely, a nice cup of tea
Indian tea (chai) is a sweet and spicy drink served with lots of milk, sugar and cardamom. Sold for a couple of rupees at street stalls wherever you look, the tea comes in disposable, biodegradable clay cups that are tossed aside once empty. |
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The writers' block
On a tour highlighting architectural regeneration issues around the city we came across this street of scribes. Illiterate people come to these writers to get letters and documents penned for them. |
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Tolly Ho!
Tollygunge, the oldest golf club in the world outside the UK. Once the preserve of the British ruling classes it is now the plaything of the Indian elite. During 18 scintillating holes of golf Magnus taught the locals a thing or two about how the game should be played - carding an impressive 109. |
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Professional ball retrievers
No sooner had ball left tee (headed inevitably for a water hazard) than a team of crack ball finders, stripped for action, flew into the water vying to be the one to retrieve the ball and sell it back for a handful of rupees. Handy (though rather demoralising to see them sizing up your practice swing and positioning themselves by the hazards appropriately...). |
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Crazy Taxi
Bulbous yellow design, suicidal driving technique and addiction to constant use of the horn - the Playstation game Crazy Taxi MUST have been modelled on Kolkatan cabbies! |
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A Bengali cooking night
At the house of Monique and Sanjay we learned how to cook an array of Bengali dishes and exchanged cultural impressions, gaining insights into the lifestyle of the Bengali middle classes. |
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Cricket in the Maidan
A giant area in the centre of town was originally cleared to allow cannons at Fort William an unobstructed view of approaching enemies. This space is now used by yoga-practitioners, crazed-musical chair playing social events and - of course, in the country that goes loony-tunes for it - for cricket. |
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I'll get my goat
Bang in the centre of the Kolkatan metropolis, the bizarre sight of goat-herds tending their flocks. |
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The Victoria Memorial
Calcutta was the capital of the British Raj for more than 200 years. The most magnificent symbol of that legacy - the Victoria Memorial - dominates the south side of the Maidan. |
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