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.

Dhenkanal debacle

This is one of the trips that turned out to be a fiasco for a lot of reasons. I’m still writing about it to share with you things that should be avoided on a trip - from planning to execution.

Let me recount the trip first! I was done with exams (I still smile when I think of it J) and was going out to celebrate (goes without saying). My class decided to go on a trip to Chilika Lake. However, as I had been to that place just three months back, I wanted to instead use this time to explore a new place. I could not fathom out the rationale to travel around 200 kilometres and visit the same place.

Google map I was replying on

After hours of searching, I could still not finalize anything. And I was too sleepy to continue. I got up on the next morning lazily and switched on my laptop - the first thing in the morning - continued the search and came across a place while searching “Dhenkanal” - It seemed perfect. From what I read, this was an artisan village. Artisans here work on brass and make beautiful things out of it. Village plus artists seemed perfect. It was around 70 Kms from my college so I calculated I could easily go there. I decided to spend around 4 hours and come back to my college by 9 p.m.

Route details!

So, I quickly changed, stuffed my bag with eatables, a jacket, and a scarf to protect myself from the cold while returning. I left college and asked an auto Walla about how to reach Dhenkanal. Firstly, he corrected my pronunciation it’s read like ‘Dhenka-nal’. It turned out to be in the opposite direction of what I had seen on Google. Now, I was asked to go to Jaydev Vihar, then take a bus to Cuttack. I preferred taking lift till Cuttack to avoid the number of hours in Bus (I’ve motion sickness and it gets terrible with increasing number of bus journeys). It was an ‘easy-to-pass-with-a-stranger’ journey, as Aftab Sir knew about Dhenkanal and also about the organizations that I’m working with. He waited till I got the bus and double checked with the conductor if it was going to the right place. There ended my journey with another stranger I got to know for almost an hour. There was absolutely no place in the bus. I found a decent place to stand, to avoid any arguments with anyone, over someone barging into my space (which happens a lot of times with me). I guess, being a girl and travelling alone makes you a little extra cautious and suspicious. There were a lot of men in the bus and all of them with zero manners. There were two women standing right in front of me with great difficulty, losing their balance and trying to recover with every bump. And, not a single man offered them their seat. I wish with education people were also taught to be respectful. I put on my earphones and enjoyed the scenic beauty. I love the green patch of Orissa. Though it was extremely hot like a usual summer afternoon, it still was quiet and serene. When you do what you really love, you tend to find peace in noise as well. 

This is what I was hoping to see all the while

I checked with the Conductor if he knew of the Artisan village in Dhenkanal, but he had no idea. The image of me being lost in Dhenkanal with nowhere to go started rolling in my mind. I saw people getting down at places which seemed like middle of a jungle, I was about to get down at one such stops when a few concerned people stopped and asked me to get down at the bus stand because they somehow thought that that’s where I would find my lost treasure. 

I got down only to get the feeling of traveling too far with too little knowledge. I started walking towards the market hoping to find some artists with their work there like Pipli. When I reached the market area, I realized God must have been laughing when I thought of seeing artists in that area. In my utter despair, I called up a friend sorry ‘Best’ friend (he forced me to add the ‘Best’) to find out the tourist places in that area. Meanwhile, I had some local bara (that’s what was written on the hoarding) and the famous sweet ‘Chena poda’ which is made of milk and looks like a cake. It was a little too sweet for my taste. I got to know that there’s nothing much to see in a radius of 10 Kms. I could not afford going farther as the last bus from Dhenkanal leaves at 5 p.m. 

Market Area! sigh!

I hired an auto and asked him to show me around for 3 hours. He also happened to know about this artistic village I was talking about. My hopes were raised again. He seemed nice. The route to village was extremely beautiful. A few water streams, road with canopies and a lot of old temples on the way. We reached a village called “Indupur”. 

Our journey began!

A beautiful place close to Indupur

The village was very peaceful. I could see coal lying in front of all the houses. That’s what they use to melt the old stuff and mould it into new ones. After a lot of conversations, the driver got to know that none of the artists were working as that was a Sunday. We went to a warehouse to see the finished material in a room where all the work takes place. They were beautiful in their own light, but not what I was looking for.

Coal spread over in front of almost all the houses

The work zone

Some of the old stuff at the warehouse

We headed back as the other village that’s into this work was way too far and in the opposite direction from where I had started. On the way, the driver asked if I wanted to visit Mahakaleshwar temple - the temple on a mountain. First I declined, as I was upset for not being able to find what I was looking for and angry with myself for starting my day so late. But then I could not punish myself, so I asked him to take a turn and take me to that temple. It was in the middle of a jungle, the driver seemed unsure of going further. I saw the temple from distance, it did look very beautiful. I could imagine the old architecture, water stream next to it. But going there would have been stretching my luck a little too much. I would love to go back with some company next time. I asked him to take a turn and head back to the bus stand. 

Heading for the main from the base of Mahakaleshwar temple

There was a lot of time in hand, so he took me to the Balram temple that’s the oldest in town. It was a nice temple. Someone had just got married there. They were so young, I kept turning back to take a look at them. I thought of sitting there for some time but when I went into the main structure a pundit asked me a few questions like where I was from, what language I speak and all. He came back with some Prasad. I took it and in a low voice (like he was selling me drugs) asked me ‘Dakshina’. I responded ‘I did not perform any puja’. He had the audacity to ask for Dakshina even when the idols were locked inside and all that the visitors could see was the architecture.

It was enough of an experience, so I left.

Balram temple

Headed back to the bus stand. The auto Walla wanted 50 more bucks. I asked ‘did u travel worth that much money’. He quietly returned my 100 Rs. due on him. I took the bus to Cuttack, this time I got a place to sit. Got down at Cuttack.I had still not lost hopes of making my trip a better one. I recollected seeing water sports at Mahanadi in Cuttack when I had gone for a run there a few months back (And yeah, had also managed to secure 2^nd position in women’s category *blush*). But I was not sure how far it is and till what time they operate. I still checked with an auto, he quoted 120 but I didn’t want to spend another 250 on travelling plus the kind of luck I was running on, there was a high probability of not finding anything there. I called up Ajay Sir, a couchsurfer I had met during the Cuttack run. He asked my location and was there in 5 minutes. Fortunately he was around with his daughter. We went to pick his daughter up then went to their home. It was nice to meet Daisy ma’am again, Ajay Sir’s wife. She is an interesting lady who’s pretty vocal about her opinions. I like meeting people who’re experienced and open to listen to the other side. It’s illuminating to gain multiple perspectives on any issue. The best part was the home cooked food I got to eat. It was YUM!

I stayed there for an hour and although they insisted I stay over, I was adamant on leaving. My new term was to start the next day and I had no intentions of sleeping in my lectures on the very first day. Like every term I had decided to listen to all lectures, take notes and revise what has been taught in the class. I so wish to make this true at some point of time.

As decided, I left. Ajay Sir dropped me at the main road from where I could get a bus to Bhubaneswar easily. I boarded the one that was leaving immediately. By 10:00 p.m. I was in College. But, I decided not to get this late in future as the eerie silence whenever I had to walk a little to get another vehicle or reach college was a little frightening. I certainly do not want to test my luck in an unknown territory.

So, most important lesson taken-

• Start your day early when going for a trip
• Research as much as you can from different sources before heading for a place.

Although, when I look back I think it’s only the first one that I’d like to follow because all the fun lies in exploring the unexplored.

No matter how your day has been, get a picture clicked.