Kolkata - 2nd Largest City in India

Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) is in the state of West Bengal, in the northeastern part of the country. In 1686, the chief of the East India Company's factory in Hugli was looking for a new factory site. He took three villages (Kalikata, Govindapur and Sutanuti), put them together and called the new place Calcutta. In 1773, it became the headquarters of the British administration in India, but began to decline when the capital of British India was moved to Delhi. The British influence definitely impacts the architectural style you see in parts of the city. Calcutta also suffered from sudden increases of population during partition and during the 1971 Bangladesh war. It now has over 13.2 million people and has been ruled the last 35 years by a democratically-elected Communist government. The state language is Bengal and it took back the Benghali name of Kolkata in 1999.

I think that in my mind, I always associated the name of the city with poverty. Certainly, that IS part of the city, but you also see things like the 100,000-seat cricket stadium and a beautiful horseracing track in the middle of the city. I was also surprised by the palm trees and almost tropical feel to the city. Another misconception, we are being told, is that Kolkata is unsafe with high crime rates. We have had numerous people tell us (as well as our own experience) that it is a very safe place, particularly for women. Women are highly respected and, we are told, in the off-chance that someone bothered you, all you would need to do is yell and people would come to your aide quickly. Most of us have gone out at one time or another on our own in each city. We have all commented on how, even in the masses, we don't feel threatened or unsafe.

Our first afternoon out, we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, an Anglican church that was completed in 1847 (pic1). About 3% of Calcutta's population is Christian and there are about 45 churches in the city, mostly built during the time of the British.

We also got our first look at the Ganges River where we saw tons of busses with piles of baskets and "stuff" tied to the tops (pic 2). Hundreds of people were standing around the banks of the river dressed in orange. Our guide told us that this time of year many Hindu will make a pilgrimage and go to the many temples dedicated to Shiva that are scattered all over the country. There is a large one in Kolkata, so people go to it as well as wash and bathe in the Ganges (pic 3). (There have been times I would like to get a closer and better picture, but it is also important to respect the privacy of individuals. We go on the advice of our Indian guide for "photo etiquette" around events like this.) There was a parking lot with oodles of busses, people setting up their own cooking areas - a really festive atmosphere. I guess it was kind of like a religious tailgate!

While here, we have also gotten to ride the tram, kind of like our streetcars (pic 4). It was SO fun, in that we were on the same level as everyone else (not perched up high in a bus) and we weren't having to look through glass windows. Plus, we could be in the middle of all the honking, beeping traffic and not have to worry about being flattened. We rode through the southern part of the city, seeing the many rickshaws (pic 5) and people setting up their vegetable, clothing or sweets stands for the day's business. After getting off to walk a little, one of our members gave us a photo op by getting his beard trimmed on the street (pic 6). We saw many of these sidewalk barbers in Delhi, as well.

A friend of our guide, who happens to be a retired teacher, invited us to her home for tea and biscuits. It was such a treat to be INSIDE a house instead of just looking from the road and wondering what it is like. Her home is 85 years old and represents an upper middle class home. It was one-story with concrete walls and granite floors. The barred front and back doors and windows were open, creating a breeze that was a wonderful break from the heat and humidity outside. They had a sitting area, dining area, two bedrooms and a bath, tiny kitchen and a small garden area, complete with cats (pics 7, 8, & 9). She was a former art teacher, so we enjoyed seeing her beautiful creations all over the house. She and her husband have traveled extensively in the U.S., but I wasn't surprised when they said they had never been to Tennessee. New York, Washington D.C., and California seem to be the preferred destinations by everyone we encounter. I'm trying to promote tourism to OUR state while I'm here. :)