Week 3 – Being Homeless

Of all the places the broker showed I then liked a place in Prabhadevi which was a 1RK with redwood flooring for 15K. I liked it more than the place I had confirmed last. The broker tells me that the owner is coming back in 2 days there are some formalities but you’ll get the place. I reach my friend’s place in Andheri beaming with happiness upon finding this amazing place. It was only then that I told my friends that I have been homeless since that afternoon. I stayed back in Andheri that evening coz I was exhausted from the day and had absolutely no energy to go to Thane then to my other friend’s place. I leave for Thane the next evening and leave for office the next day from there which only took me 1 hour 15 minutes (I was expecting it to be a longer journey). On Monday the broker was supposed to get back to me as always he didn’t. So, I call him and I get to know ‘The flat is no more available’. The owner wishes to furnish it and then will give it for 23k. Which was way over my budget. I go back to the previous flat to find out if it can be given by Tuesday evening. The owner asks me to speak to his wife upon reaching there. She showed me two more flats that they have but the earliest possession would be after a week. The flat that I had seen was occupied by their relative and they didn’t intend to ask them to vacate it. Which was surprising as they had made it available to show it to prospective tenants. I was not very convinced about taking one of their other places, I randomly asked a lady in the lift about the water situation there and she tells me it comes only once a day and it was sometime in evening when I’m in office usually. Revelation of so many lies was too overwhelming I decide on dropping the idea of staying there altogether.

PGs in Bandra:

Next day I see some places in Bandra (PG). The one that I absolutely loved was a conventional PG where you are given a room in owner’s flat. They had a dog and I love dogs. The room was on sharing basis but I was ready to compromise. After the entire discussion I get to know that the kitchen is out of bounds for guests. It was a deal breaker as I cannot have outside food. It’s not only a wastage of money but I love cooking and I cannot let go of that in exchange for a decent place to stay.

Stay at Santacruz:

By this time I had moved to a colleagues place in Santacruz as I had used up the two pair of formal clothing I had in my backpack and I needed to take my stuff from the hotel’s cloakroom. Of all the frustration that had built up by then this was one thing that brought in some positivity in me. If I came across a bunch of liars and crooks I also found this amazing friend who opened up the gates to her home to a person she had barely known for 2 weeks.

The same friend convinced me that moving to a PG was a bad idea which I totally agree with.

House hunting got easier from here as I had my luggage at my disposal and Santacruz being close to office I could house hunt till late.

Mumbai Monsoon:

It was during this time that Mumbai rains picked up pace and posed as another major hurdle in my process of finding a place to stay. It rained the entire Thursday night and the three of us unaware of its strength and city’s weakness in handling it, started from our places as usual only to take an about turn about 2 km from office. The taxi driver refused to drive further as it was clearly dangerous venturing into roads filled knee deep in water.

We came back, discussed our strategy in case we get stuck in her house for days. The good thing about this it forced me to take a break from the house hunting that my body desperately needed. I had got multiple boils on my feet of all the walking esp in the rain.

I saw a couple of places in Santacruz of which I liked a 1RK. This broker’s style of showing flats was different. He kept showing me places without telling me the price, I innocently assumed he must have considered my budget while doing so. 

It started pouring on Saturday just after I had seen 1 flat and 1 door. I was supposed to see the latter too but the door wouldn’t give in. They kept trying to unlock it for 15-20 min only to be stopped by me. I didn’t want to stay at a place that could ditch me anytime from entering.

My friend had left to meet her friend somewhere in South Mumbai. No other broker picked up my call as it has started raining really heavily. I had no place to go back to. I decided to go to my friends place in Andheri as soon as the rain slowed down. Andheri was the closest I could go to. Trains were rare, meanwhile I called my friend from Andheri to let him know I’m reaching. He didn’t pick up but that didn’t worry me. I knew his place so I decided to just drop in. I tried calling him one more time when I reached Andheri but he didn’t pick up again. I reached his colony and realized while walking that I actually didn’t know where he stays. I just knew the lane. Called him a couple of more times, no response. I walked up and down it all seemed normal to me till then. I called another friend who stayed close by. He was outside and promised to be there in 5 minutes. For the next 20-30 minutes I just walked up and down trying to figure out where does he stay. Finally I did find his place (and I’ll never forget it). Mind you it was still raining then. I ring his door bell, trying to dry myself there. I ring the bell again, then again, and then again. I was outside the door for about 10- 15 minutes, no response. I called out his name, called him over the phone. No response. It was then that tears started rolling down my eyes and the frustration, disappointment, Anger, and all other feelings that had strengthened in the last three weeks of trying to find a place to stay in Mumbai came rushing back and the volcanic eruption of emotions just happened. Thankfully it was still raining and it became easier for me to hide my crying face under it and the sound of rain subdued the sound of my sobs. I stood at the bus stop for some time trying to figure out what to do next. I could go to Thane but I was scared of being stuck up while reaching there as the rain hadn’t stopped the entire day. I kept standing there waiting for absolutely nothing. After some time, rain reduced it’s wrath and I decided to see palces in Bandra. I had contact number of 3 brokers and 1 owner. No broker picked up the call. The owner’s flat had already gone. I called an old broker who had shown me PGs there and begged him to see if there were any palces for 30k. He called back after sometime and called me to a common place from where one of his men could pick me up and show me available places. It took them really long time to get the keys but I didn’t mind as I anyway didn’t have anywhere else to go. Finally when I got to see the place, I liked it immediately (It could have been my desperation) but it was quoted for 35k. Broker called the owner and I begged him to reduce it to 30k. A lot of negotiations later, he did. I paid him 10k as token amount and then I just the feeling sink in that I finally have a place in Mumbai I can call my own at least for the next 11 months.

I called up my friend from Santacruz the first thing coz I knew no one else will understand what I was feeling at that time. Although I had always tried to put up a strong face in front of her but she just knew how miserable the entire experience was making me feel inside. Maybe because a couple of years back she had gone through a similar experience. I would have loved to celebrate with her but she was still outside and I obviously didn’t want her to alter her plans for me.

Waking up without the thought of house-hunting:

Then I called my friend from Thane and told her I’ll stay over. I lost my watch during that journey but at that time absolutely nothing mattered. I had found a shelter in Mumbai and I was not going to let anything even remotely disappoint me that evening.

It was still a Saturday so I thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday with my friend and her family. Every time I visit her place Aunty cooks something that I have never had before which is so amazing. It seemed like eternity that I didn’t have to get up to the first thought of finding a house. I felt a tonne lighter!

Week 2 – New Brokers, New Setbacks

It was time to look for new brokers, new websites, basically anything that had the remote possibility of getting us a shelter. Broker# 2 showed me a flat close to office (area we had explored with Broker#1). He showed a 1BHK on the ground floor which was surrounded by flying papers and plastic, I had stopped minding rats by then, The ceiling was so low that even though I could walk straight I had a feeling to hunch down. I told him after seeing this place that my preference was a good locality and I don’t really mind a smaller place if the locality is good enough. He called his boss and told me he’ll get back to me next day. As he was going to show multiple places, I didn’t commit my time to anyone else. So, we were done for that day and things were not looking any better. He never called back.

The following Saturday I went to see a hostel in Colaba. It’s meant for Defense kids. The place was undoubtedly amazing esp. after seeing other places, this place seemed like heaven. It’s located inside defense area and I’ve always been a huge fan of defense colonies (being brought up in one has everything to do with it). I started imagining myself staying there, convincing myself how easy travel would be in the opposite direction, I can manage with induction cooker for dinner, and blah blah blah. After waiting for the warden, reaching the office in the nick of time I get to know ‘The hostel is only meant for kids of serving personnel or kids of personnel retired in the last one year. My father retired 4 years back and the fact that both my brothers are still with the forces and my Sister’s husband worked right there where the hostel in located for 3 years, made absolutely no difference to my case. I came back to my hotel drenched in sweat, dejected.

This meant going back to the brokers. Broker# 3 was a reference from a friend and I had high expectations from him. Another friend of mine staying in the same hotel wanted to accompany me to get an idea of how rented apartments are and what is the entire experience like. We had seen one flat which was a 1RK and which was again too costly for 1 person to afford. No matter how many times you tell them your budget they will take the liberty of increasing your budget themselves assuming it’s flexible. We were on the way to the next place, when it started pouring real bad. We took shelter at a bus stop. The rain didn’t seem like it was going to stop at all. My friend decided to leave even though he had the umbrella. He got enough idea of the city during that time (at least the idea that it’s going to be difficult).  I stayed on as it was the only weekend that was left with me; I had to vacate the hotel by next Saturday. Braving the rains without an umbrella I moved ahead with the broker. He showed a decent 1 BHK later and a flat that I had already seen. The day closed without much success.

I started hunting for new numbers and listed a couple of places from nobroker.com to check out. Even finalizing a place to see is not that easy as a lot of them are either already taken or get cancelled owing to things like ‘sharing toilet’. I went to this place in Dadar, close to my hotel. I had already given some browny points to the place because of its location. I had gotten used to travelling from Dadar and felt it very convenient. My office was about 15-20 min from there. This listed place was right opposite police quarters which got it additional points. It was an affordable 1 RK – My highest priority. I finally locate the place ask the neighbors to show the place to me as was instructed by the owner. The door took 15-20 minutes to open and required help from almost every neighbor there. That should have been my first clue but I was blinded by the location and convenience. The place opened and with it ended my hopes of staying in that area, that building, growing plants in the open area, travelling from Dadar, and the room too ended right there. I stood outside in shock when one of the neighbors said ‘Please go inside and see the room without hesitation’. I went in to see if what I saw was true. The room truly was that small. I’m sure if any of my taller friends decided to sleep in their feet would enter the area, they liked calling ‘Kitchen’. The place was filled with newspapers so it felt all the more like a store room. The positioning which was ground floor right at the entrance of the building gave it a guard room feeling.

I left disappointed, dejected and only then did I realize that the other number was not of the owner but that of the nobroker.com’s customer care as I had exceeded my limit of getting phone numbers. Anyway I had to head back to the hotel to jot down more numbers but no place materialized to be seen close by.

The following days I checked a few more disappointing places. Seventh floor without lift, places where getting the lift took longer than reaching the building, etc. etc. By this time I had seen the nooks and corners of Mumbai but to no avail.

Here Broker # 4 comes into picture. On 11^th I saw a 1RK in Prabhadevi (apparently a good place to stay) and about 40 min by bus from office. The place was fine for one person my only problem with it was its design. It had a long corridor with flats on both sides. And all of them were 1RKs exactly like the one I had seen. Room that I had declared was only sufficient for one person had families staying in the same place. But by this time I was already losing patience and will to look further. I had to vacate the hotel in another 2 days, I had got a muscle pull on my shoulder by carrying all that laptop weight for about 3-4 hours every day after office, My feet were injured of all the walking and got worse because of walking in the rain water. I trained my brain to process only the good part about the place and decided not to look at the corridor at all.

I asked the broker to check with the owner if he can give me the bed and almirah which was already there in the flat. Next day i.e. Friday I don’t see any flats because the broker told me he’ll get back to me regarding what all the owner can give with the room. I had decided to move in any which way so I knew I’m shifting on Saturday no matter what the owner says. The broker didn’t confirm anything until Friday night and kept saying he’ll get back to me every time I called. This continued till Saturday morning the day I was to checkout. I was so certain that I’m shifting that day that I invited another girl who hadn’t found a place till then to join me as she was staying in the hotel at her own expense. I packed all my stuff and checked out from the hotel and kept waiting for the broker’s call. Before this a lot of screaming had already happened as he was neither picking up the calls nor calling me back but he did tell me ‘you’ll get the place today don’t worry’. I’m waiting in the lobby with my entire luggage to know when can I move in to my new place.  5 minutes turn into 10 and 10 into an hour. After a zillion calls to the broker he gives me owner’s number who in turn tells me I’ll get possession of the flat by Wednesday. I’ve packed all my stuff randomly and then I’m told I don’t have a place to go to for the next 5 days. I scream at the broker and ask him to find me a new place. Meanwhile I ask the hotel’s reception if they can give me a private space for a couple of minutes so I can take some stuff from my luggage and put it in my backpack that I had to live off for next 3 days (I was told by then I’ll get possession latest by Tuesday). I was still very upset about the whole thing. I take my backpack and reach station without an idea where to go from there. Broker calls back in sometime and tells me he’s sending one of his agents to show me a couple of more places.

At that moment started my journey of being a homeless person in the city of dreams – Mumbai. The place which will force you to dream bigger staying in apartments that are getting smaller by the day.

Week1 – The beginning of a difficult time

Next day was Monday, First day at new work place. I was absolutely certain I cannot take the local so I took a taxi straight away. Let me not get into the details of my first day at work which was really boring by the way and I have a feeling that I’m not supposed to say that. My friend - Suman (My potential roommate at that point) accompanied me in the evening in the house hunting. We saw a 1 RK very close to our office, the problem with this was it was too costly for 1 person to afford and too small for 2 people to share it, He then took us to a place which I then thought was the most sad place I had seen. God must have had a laugh there. The place had to be reached from a dark alley under the bridge; the route was filled with big fat rats running around, we saw train passing by through the view from the staircase stained with paan spit marks. We stepped in only to not offend anyone and left immediately. We then got mad at him for showing us such a place. His response was ‘Your budget is too low, increase your budget’, the budget that could get us a fully furnished 2 BHK in Hyderabad (It's only much later that I realized that comparing rents of two cities is absolutely senseless).  Our budget had increased so many times after arriving that I have forgotten what was it during this phase. I think it was 22k for a bare 1BHK flat.

All this while I was carrying the heavy laptop given by my organization on the very first day without allocating us a locker (Pretty cruel I still feel). Walking around with 2 back packs, one with a laptop in was a task in itself. I reached hotel all drenched in sweat. Too late to look for eateries then, had to sleep with a vada pav for dinner.

Suman was leaving for Lonavala the next day for her training and by this time her final posting location was not confirmed. It turned out to be a major hurdle in the process as I didn’t know what to look further - 1RK or a 1BHK. So, I started looking for both. The broker showed me a place in a MHADA colony. It was a shockingly tiny 1BHK.  But that was not the issue, the place had a strange feel to it and by this time I had no idea what MHADA was.

He told me he has run out of options after this. So I started hunting for a new Broker and on my senior's advice (Thank God, I found him) I got my accommodation extended by another week in the hotel.

Little did I know the how much more I was to see of the city and the time that it actually required to find a shelter in this world of its own!

Mumbai - Arrival

Mumbai - Arrival

The golden period was nearing end at college (probably the last time I’ll be studying full time) joining letters had started flowing in. Mine came in too with joining date as 1^st June and location – Mumbai. I was fine with it as a lot of my friends had got their joining location as Mumbai and the idea of starting over in a new city always excites me.

I made some innocent plans during the two months I got to stay at home before joining like my budget for accommodation – 8-10k, I would look for a 1RK to stay alone or “compromise” with a single occupancy room in a 2BHK which I’ll share with another friend, and something closer to my office which is in Mahalakshmi so that I could avoid travelling in local altogether (Yes, I was that naïve). I planned my savings accordingly which had to be at least double of what I used to save before going for an MBA. I had invested 2 years in education, 12 lakh in only fees, double the previous savings seemed only a fair enough expectation. I saw a couple of places online which were more or less similar to what I was looking for. Now, I do realize God must have been smiling at me in pity all those times.

I arrived in Mumbai on 30^th May as I wanted to look for places on Saturday and Sunday and finalize something soon so I could shift next Saturday (Yeah sure laugh all you can, it was my first time in the city). Organization had provided us accommodation for a week in a hotel in Dadar. Now when I think of it I feel it was too cruel on the organization’s part to place Mumbai newbies in a place like Dadar where you could easily get trampled down by the tsunami of people.

Coming back to my baby steps in Mumbai, I freshened up after reaching the hote where I was put up for the week – Rammee guestline hotel and started making calls soon after. It was then that I started sensing trouble. The place that I had my eyes on – 1RK in lower parel, 420 sq ft., fully furnished, for Rs.9000 was already taken and turned out it was available on sharing and not single occupancy as was mentioned in the ad. The next calls went like– ‘Number not reachable’, ‘Number does not exist’, ‘This is a chawl’, ’Toilets are on sharing basis’. After 3-4 hours of calling (to find a number I had to surf multiple websites) I got a place to see. I wanted an idea of the places on rent and was sure this would help even if I don’t like the property. The place was in Chinchpokli which is very close to my office. After some difficulty I reached the place and the existing tenants (a family) were surprised the owner is still allowing people to see the place as they had just moved in. The building was almost a km from the main road and that km was filled with tiny shops, people sitting outside those tiny shops, lot of police, garbage strewn all over. The police camps made me particularly suspicious and on walking further I found the reason why. There stood this huge building staring down at me in pity – The central jail. People had queued up outside to meet their friends/ family in the jail and it was not a very comforting feeling to imagine staying in such a neighborhood. This is also because I’m not very comfortable with police owing to past bad experience dealing with them.

After this I called a person whose name was listed for two different properties. I assumed he must be some rich person with multiple flats in Mumbai upon calling I realized I have met with the inescapable – a Mumbai Broker. He sent one of his men to show me some properties. He showed me a 1BHK right behind curry road station, the route to this place seemed a little shady and I didn’t want to look over my shoulder every time I was leaving or reaching my place. The next place was a 1BHK near KEM Hospital which was extremely small but I was still considering it. Later I got to know the building does not have water supply yet and it will take another couple of months to get it). No water – well, not a very good idea.

Next day I met a couple of friends including the girl I was planning to share flat with in case I found a good 1BHK (By this time sense had prevailed and I had dropped the idea of even trying to look for a 2BHK). The evening plans of looking for a place didn’t work out as the broker didn’t pick up my call and by the time he returned my call (8 p.m.) I felt it was too late to roam around a new city with a stranger, visiting residential places. Sounded like the perfect recipe for a crime and being in Mumbai I was trying to be extra cautious.

The weekend turned out to be only a trailer of what was in store for me in the city. I knew it was not going to be easy.

Keep Travelling

Manisha

Kolkata - II

So, this took longer than I had expected and I have no excuse but laziness for it.

Here I’m listing rest of the places I visited during my stay that I wanted to write about. There were experiences in everyday moments in Kolkata. But maybe I’ll write about that another time when it’s quieter outside and inside.

College Street:

My travel days were involuntarily chosen to be Sundays as other days were mostly working (the primary reason for being in Kolkata). It was a Sunday when I was exploring this place too, this meant getting to see only the locked windows /doors (not really sure what to call it) of the shops on both sides of the street. I could only imagine the delight of a reader walking through this mile of a road occupied by book shops on both sides with piles of books waiting to be explored.

The street is India’s largest book store and has the grand reputation of possessing every book ever sold in Kolkata. My friend went on to say ‘If you don’t find a book in College Street then you have either not looked enough or it does not exist’

College Street on a Sunday

Indian Coffee House:

This is just round the corner from College Street and was on my mind from the time I began planning to travel around in Kolkata. Who would want to miss visiting a place that has housed conversations that generated ideas world knows of. In the midst of numerous conversations happening around us that involved people from different age groups I was humbled by the place, its simplicity and the zest to protect the culture. The prices are very nominal and the waiters sport the royal uniform they've been wearing since ages that includes their royal turban.

My only complaint was like most other places this too had minimal options to choose from for a vegetarian. I eventually had a cup of coffee and a sandwich which cost me less than Rs. 50.

Indian Coffee House, College Street

Prinsep Ghat:

This is one of the most beautiful places I went to in Kolkata. There’s Rabindra sangeet playing on speakers on a moderate volume, beautified garden lane and then there is this enchanting Hooghly River. There are conventional boat rides available. I couldn’t take it for it was raining that day and boats were back in harbour. Just sitting by the river, doing nothing, may be chatting away the evening with friends and family is how I imagine a day well spent.

Prinsep Ghat with my friend Sayan in the top left (owner of all the amazing pictures in this and the last post)

Kumartuli:          

This is a sort of place that I seek, that I wish to travel to, and spend some quality time at. The whole area is full of artists who are into clay molding which is especially of Goddess Durga. There’s also a ghat close by where we spent some time gazing at nothing.

Art in the air

The beautiful ghat near Kumartuli

Belur Math:

In the times of ‘Indo-Pak’ never ending conflicts, questions on caste based reservation, religion based riots in varying degrees it’s a refreshing change to visit a place that respects everyone equally regardless of where they come from. Belur math welcomes people of all castes and all religions and this is what makes it so special. Situated on the banks of River Hooghly this place is a ‘spiritual’ delight. There are no grand idols, no aarti, and no pundit forcing you into a puja. I could stay there all day long and that’s what I almost did.

There’s a small outlet there selling products like purse, towel, napkin, jam, pickle etc. made by tribal women at very reasonable prices.

Another attraction inside Belur Math was Ramakrishna museum. It contains many artefacts used by Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, and Sarada Devi and much more.

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.” – Swami Vivekananda

Dakshineshwar temple, where it all belong

The boat ride from Dakshineshwar temple to Belur Math

One of the many loves of Kolkata- Football

Kali temple:

The place where I began my travels it also happened to be Bengali new year that day so I was prepared to fight my way into the temple. It was pretty close from my place and my plans with someone had got cancelled. So, this made an apt choice of place to visit.

Kalighat pundits have a notorious image for tricking and forcing visitors to pay money for the ‘darshan’. Luckily had done some reading before visiting so I was extra cautious.

The place was very crowded, No sooner did I get 'darshan' than I got automatically pushed outside.

Not a huge fan of mall but I loved savoring on all snacks served outside this place.

Landmark to where I was staying - South city mall all decked up on Bengali new year

Keep Travelling,

Manisha

Kolkata - I

Kolkata - this is one city that I had always wanted to visit. I know it sounds as cliché as ‘Once upon a time’ but it’s true. I can’t even remember how I picked up a liking for this place. May be it was in my primary standard when we were being taught about the history of the magnificent Howrah bridge or may be in my college when I was watching a show hosted by Konkana Sen giving a tour of Kolkata or may be while watching one of the street food shows much later. Anyway, so when the opportunity to visit this place came up through my 2 months of internship, I was extremely excited. Honest confession – more excited than going to office after a year and working for a company that was on my favorites list in the entire internship process. 

The first week in Kolkata was not great. Old houses, too many people, narrow roads, and a lot of garbage in public space is all I noticed. The cab would stop before it picked up speed from the last halt at traffic signal. But with time I started noticing how effortless it was to start a conversation with just anyone, how I got to hear the mesmerizing Rabindra sangeet on streets, Awareness of people of their rights, varied conversations during my dinner time in small eateries that served amazing food at very reasonable prices. Kolkata is welcoming for every class of people (Just a little hostile towards vegetarians though). I tried travelling by almost every mode of transport there- Cycle Rikshaw, auto, city Bus, cab, the superfast metro, and the lovely tram. 

Another great thing about Kolkata, minimal eve-teasing. It's a refreshing change to pass a bunch of guys chatting in a not-so-busy lane, without being commented on. Felt so amazing! 

As the time was limited I started exploring places from the very first week. Weekdays were reserved for trying different food and weekends for places. Kolkata is so culturally rich, I was never short of places to visit. And therefore I'm writing about it in multiple sections (mostly through area, this being about central Kolkata) and through more of pictures.

Victoria memorial: I did not go inside for the lack of time. I was being accompanied by a friend who's a local and I didn't want to waste this time visiting places that I can later visit alone. It’s another thing that I couldn't go back to visit the place. What I really like about Victoria memorial is how it shines in glory from a lot of places, my favorite is when you're passing through the new bridge. It's right there like a reminder of all that Kolkata is and has been.  Victoria memorial Fleet of horse carriages near Maidan Park Street Cemetery: I know it sounds weird that someone would be interested in visiting a cemetery. But this truly is different. The tombs give you an insight into the grandeur of British Raj. This cemetery also stands proof to the patriotism of British who died serving their country. Some headstones even make an interesting read. This place is like magic, as you enter the gate, you'll suddenly find yourself in a different world altogether. One moment you're in the hustle bustle of one of the busiest streets in Kolkata - Park street and another moment you're in this amazingly beautiful, peaceful yet mysterious place- Park street cemetery. As Rudyard Kipling put it "The tombs are small houses. It is as though we walked down the streets of a town, so tall are they and so closely do they stand — a town shrivelled by fire and scarred by frost and siege. Men must have been afraid of their friends rising up before the due time that they weighted them with such cruel mounds of masonry."

Park street cemetery

Academy Of Fine Arts: This is much more than what one would think it is. A must visit for any art enthusiast. It's not a usual gallery of paintings by various artists but the sight of artists working on their art in the garden is one that would be etched in your memory for a very long time. Adding to the charm was a lady singing the Rabindra Sangeet.

Academy of fine arts

St Paul's Cathedral: It's on the road from Birla Planetarium to Academy of fine Arts and certainly deserves a visit.

St Paul's Cathedral

Bow Barracks: It’s a small world in the middle of Kolkata. Anglo Indians staying here since generations. It was cleaner than the rest of places, red buildings and a different air of culture altogether. It’s nice to hear English on streets after struggling to understand Bengali for days. This places’ history goes back to First World War when it served as the garrison’s mess.

Bow barracks

Terreti Market: This place kept coming up in a lot of conversations and readings. The only reason it took me time to visit this place was the timing.

It’s famous for its old buildings and Chinese street where one gets mouth-watering Chinese breakfast. Unfortunately there’s very little that a vegetarian can opt for. A lot of people in fact dismissed me right away upon inquiring about vegetarian food.

 Terreti market at around 8:30 a.m. (Most of the things were finished by then)

This is what I ended up eating. It was good but I din't need to travel so far to eat puri bhaji.

Puri Bhaji at Terreti Market

We walked quite a lot post breakfast to explore places. We came across many old buildings and Chinese places of worship.

 Chinese temple and a very old building on the upper right

St. John’s Church: The church happens to be one of the oldest constructions of Kolkata. It also houses the grave of Job Charnock, the founder of Kolkata. I was impressed by the way it was maintained.

 St. John’s Church

That’s me on the steps of St. John’s Church

 P.S. : All the amazing pictures above have been taken by my friend and travel accompany in Kolkata - Sayan. The not so amazing pictures are clicked by me :)

Animal World

Animal World

A few days back I decided to go on my second cycle trip. One of the rides with no destination at all. I thought I would wander about and explore the area. Ashim (my classmate) wished to join in but at the right moment he didn’t pick up my call and hence missed his opportunity to tag along. I left an hour late. My plan was to leave at 6 but, I hit the road at 7.

College to Nandankanan map

About the sudden inspiration to wander, it was there in the back of my head to travel somewhere close, but, after watching the movie ‘Queen’ I just had to be on the road, discovering places and lives and hoping to find beauty in the outside world. A world beyond classes, exams, assignments, parties and competition.

I opted for my reliable cycle no. 1 but soon after starting I realized my mistake. I should have checked the status before choosing a bicycle. It was in real bad shape. Making the sound ‘I’ll-fall-apart-the-very-minute’ with every turn of peddle.

Although late but riding on foggy road felt delightful. There were moments when I decided to take an about turn like when a retard started running parallel to my bike and moments when I could see nothing further. I wanted to leave but I think it was the beauty of nature and the desire to explore further that kept me going.

Eventually I reached a Y junction and I upon reading the address on a few shops, realized I had reached Nandankanan zoological park. It’s pretty famous here but somehow I could never go there.

A wanted to take some time off from riding and sit in silence. Park seemed like a perfect place. Little did I know of the disappointment lying ahead.

I was there exactly at 8 a.m. the time for opening the park. I took a ticket and went in. Also had to decline a couple offers for a guide.  I didn’t quite get why I would need a guide in a zoo.

It still doesn't seem all that complicated to hire a guide

I went in, roamed around a little. Went to the birds section. Saw a black swan and it went straight to my bucket list ‘Own a black swan’. It was extremely beautiful. I got stuck at peacock’s place. I kept staring and the peacock was staring back. And soon it just opened up its feathers, a site I had never seen before. It was remarkable like the peacock understood the pain I had taken to be there and wanted to cheer me up. I stood there for some time, watched the total ‘paisa vasool’ performance by the peacock and then left.

The peacock in it's full glory

I walked a little and ended up at an Orangutan’s place. It was one of the saddest image I’ve ever seen. The Orangutan sat there on a cemented seat. One arm on the bench, one on the leg, lowered eyes like it had nothing in life to look upto. And really what could she look upto. Her name is Binny which I got to know from a worker. Right opposite to her little universe was Chimpanzee’s place. And there was one full-fledged family there. One mother, kid, and two male chimps. From all the videos I’ve watched while growing up I’ve understood they have feelings too. And it was all confirmed by the way she sat looking at nothing. Had I been an extremely rich lady, I would have asked them to set all the animals free. What If I was to live my life in a small area like that with no way of getting out? No friends, no family. Nothing much to do either. We’re often asked to make the best of any situation but what could that animal make best of? I stood there looking at Binny for much longer than usual. People came and left laughing at the guide’s remark ‘eto sukhi family (chimps), eto dukhi family (Orangutan)’. Rightly proved ‘One man’s miseries, another man’s entertainment’. I so wanted Binny to look at me once, I was hoping she see’s someone does care, may be they are just helpless to do anything about it. I waited long enough and then left, when I turned around I saw Binny stretched and from what looked like went to sleep. Probably she did acknowledge my presence and that’s why she sat while I was there and slept immediately after I left. May be that was the best she could do.

beautiful sections of the park

I couldn’t pull up the courage to see any more animals. I found a free corner and sat there gathering my thoughts.  I left soon. The return trip was hectic as the sun was right over my head. I was sweating badly. The places that had looked so very beautiful in the morning looked just plain while going back. May be the effect of time and experience. Amidst all the clutter a person drove right next to me, pulled up his helmet and said something in Oriya which I didn’t understand even slightly (thankfully). After about a km or so I realized that person was actually following me. Going extremely slow, and stopping frequently so he could follow me again. He kept looking at his rear view mirror too. I didn’t pay any attention to him like I had not noticed him at all. But I did memorize his vehicle number to make a complaint later. I got back to college dialled 100 the first thing. The lady took down all the details, put me on hold and then gave me number of police station under whose jurisdiction it fell. I dialled the number and he tested my patience by taking ages in noting down the vehicle number. He did not even know military phonetics. I said B as in Bravo and he would still get it all wrong. It went on for some time, eventually he did get it right. After about 5 minutes, I got a call from the last Police station I had called. He called to inform me that the case didn’t fall under his jurisdiction either. So he asked me to call another police station. He didn’t have the number. I requested him to look up, if he couldn’t find it how would I. He was cooperative enough to do so. After a few attempts I made between ‘Satyamev Jayate’ I got through the number. The conversation was nothing but disappointment. From the tone of it, I knew what would be done with it. I asked ‘would you inform me in case of any updates?’ the reply was ‘yes’. But I never received a call and honestly after the call had not even expected them to. I tried to look for owner name through vehicle number online but couldn’t find any such service.

In the whole stalking experience I did not feel much different than Binny. Females are like exotic animals people wish to see, stare, gawk whatever you call it. Like the animals in zoos we are commented on too. The only difference I see is my territory is a little bigger and there’s a lot for me to make out of my life.