Indian Independence Day

 *posted by Jeet

On August 15, 1947 India gained independence from Britain. Sadly, the reverberations of the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan are all too familiar today - what was once one nation became two, and eventually became further partitioned when East Pakistan split off from West Pakistan and became Bangladesh in 1971. During partition, millions of people were displaced from their respective regions, and millions were also killed in sectarian and religious violence.

Everybody we've met in India is extremely proud of their country, but agree that partition was a disaster. If the nation had remained united and free of religious division, as it had been for so many thousands of years, perhaps we wouldn't be dealing with the fundamentalism and terrorism which plagues the subcontinent (and the rest of the world) today.

Regardless, August 15 is a day of celebration, and despite the tragic events of the past week we decided to have a small hookah session on the rooftop of our residency. We relaxed and reflected on everything that had happened thus far on the trip, and broke in one of the beautiful Kashmiri hookahs my Rono Mamu had bought for me in Dilli Haat. Katie and I even danced on the roof, although I wouldn't call my pathetic performance dancing. We'll be heading to Mumbai tomorrow to spend a few days with my Didun and mom's side of the family, so we'll fill you all in once we get there.

Jana Gana Mana.

Train Ride

*posted by Kayd

We traveled to Puri by train from Kolkata. Being my first train ride I didn’t know what to expect and asked the boys if it was going to be anything like Harry Potter… Abhrajeet said “yes”, Arny said “bring your wand.” Let it be known: it is nothing like Harry Potter. Traveling by train is very common – India has the biggest railway system in the world.

Seating in the train is quite divided. To begin, there is first, second and third tier. We were in 2^nd tier which means the seating/sleeping area is bunk bed like. Each person gets their own place to lay down complete with sheets, pillow and blanket. The train is also divided into AC and Non AC, thank goodness we had air conditioning. Travelers can also be in the seating section (bus-like), standing or traveling via roof.

Since it was so late at night when we arrived at the train we made our beds and fell asleep right away hoping that the 8 hour trip would quickly pass. Note to self: next time bring some febreeze to mask the musky curtain smell.

I woke up in the middle of the night needing to use the bathroom. I woke Abhrajeet up and he escorted me to the toilet… or to be more descriptive, a hole. Yes that’s right, a hole in which someone would have to squat to relieve themselves. (I wish I took a photo but the smell around the bathrooms was enough to choke a horse and at the moment it wasn’t something I wanted to remember.)  Here’s how I can best describe it: There are elevated places to place your feet which are on the sides of a large metal bowl that has a hole in the center leading to the tracks below. The hole looks much bigger than it is and I was scared my flip flop would fall down into the poo-riden tracks to be lost forever. To help keep your balance there is a handle to hold onto in front of you when you’re in squatting position. 

We later learned that there was also a Western toilet in the room over.

Oh well, I did it, I peed in a hole! (mom aren’t you proud?)

After the sun rose we opened one of the doors in the train so we could get a clear view of the outside. I would never have guessed India would have been so green. It’s amazing! We rode past many small villages, people washing their clothes in the river and workers in the rice paddies.

Friends and Family - Kolkata

Like I said in the previous post, the families here are so generous. We have been treated to huge meals and delightful company.

Below are some photos of the people who have been kind to us.

With the Sircars

Chillin' with the Maliks

Thampu with her sister

Abhrajeet, Arny and cousin Chao

Fish Market

*posted by Kayd
It was our first day out of the flat and into real world India. We took the car to Kalighat, which is a holy Hindu site, and then walked to the fish market. There was so much to see at the market – freshly caught fish, many still flopping about, shrimp, huge river prawns, fresh fruit and vegetables and Lay’s potatoes chips. We were all surprised it didn’t smell like a fish market. Everything was too fresh!  We bought some fish from this man who was very excited about getting his photo taken and told us we would have to come back and give a copy to him.

Hello India

*posted by Kayd

It took us 25 hours to fly from Minneapolis to Kolkata only it seemed much longer than that because we saw the sun set, then rise, then set again. Here are a few things we learned:

• Airport food really does suck, especially when it will be your last American meal for a month.
• When traveling with people who need a wheelchair make sure (double & triple sure) that the airline knows you need to board early. (Stupid Frankfurt airport)
• I used to love airports but now loathe them. There is no longer anything exciting to look forward to after you’ve seen the “dark-side” of the airport.
• If Bengali people are being rude to you it is okay (and acceptable) to be rude back. These were wise words from Kakima, sadly it was about 10 hours too late on the advice when we needed it. So much for killing them with kindness.
• International Flights rock! (or at least they are a lot better than what I was expecting) We flew with Luftanza and both Abhrajeet and Arny agreed it was the nicest plane they have ever been on while traveling.
• German security check point people have no patience when a motion sensor door is involved. (really! How are you supposed to move towards them while crossing in front of the motion door without setting off the motion sensor?)

We did not get out of the airport in Kolkata until nearly 2:30 in the morning, 1 ½ hours after we landed. Abhrajeet’s bag did not show up in Kolkata – we are crossing our fingers the airport calls saying they found it. After we arrived at the house in Kolkata, where Abhrajeet and Arny’s aunt – or Pishimoni – lives we ate dinner around 4am then went to bed.

Kolkata is 10.5 hours ahead of Minnesota and although I convinced myself that I could beat jet lag she failed miserably. We all slept until 1 pm, took a few naps through out the day and 3 days later are still on a different sleep schedule.

The family flat is wonderful and there is so much marble everywhere! There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms (with flushing toilets just in case you were wondering) a kitchen, a dining area, a balcony and many areas to sit and rest under the fans in the Summer heat. Everyone said we would ‘die from the heat!’ but so far it hasn’t been bad at all. The rain keeps most of the heat away. *MARY – it feels cooler than it did at the cabin when Amy and Brian came to visit us on the 4th and there was absolutely no wind reaching our deck. We are also staying in a guest flat which has more bedrooms on the 8^th story of the same building.

The view from the roof is incredible. You can see for miles and we’re surprised that many of the trees are eight or nine stories high.