Wickets in Calcutta

It was hard to believe, but after just over two months of traveling in India (I really only thought I would be there for maybe a month) I had reached my final destination before moving on to the rest of the world. I booked a flight from Calcutta to Bangkok while I was in Darjeeling, but gave myself a few days in Calcutta before leaving to get a taste of what this city was about. I really had no idea what to expect as I really hadn’t heard a whole lot about this place during my travels. I heard it was a bit more Western than some of the other big cities in India because it was, after all, the capital of India during the British Colonization.

The Howrah Bridge. One of the busiest in the world.

I immediately noticed this westernization not long after I ventured out to get a feel for the city. As I did, I was joined by a new Dutch friend, Ernest, whom I spent most of my time seeing the city with. We began walking down the streets of the city admiring the various forms of architecture that were still noticeably remnant of the powerful British influences. This gave the city a much different vibe from other big cities I had been to in India, but one that I was still able to easily enjoy.

It was funny because I had come to Calcutta alone, much like I do anywhere I go, but I just knew that I would run into some people that I would be able to enjoy the city with and even get to show me around. And it wasn’t long after meeting Ernest that we both had run into a local. As we walked along the street, an Indian gentleman began speaking to us, asking us the basics and starting some friendly conversation. It was his weekend off work and he was with a friend about to get some lunch, so we graciously joined them and he offered to show us around after that. So once again, things had continued to work out with finding good company. A fortunate thing that tends to happen more often than not during my travels, and one that continues to strongly reinforce the positive idea of humanity in the world for me.

St. John's

Our new friend, Tom, took us to some of the main sites around the city, all very impressive. He left us off at one of the oldest churches in the city, and since he didn’t have work the next day he offered to take us to a village outside of the city to get a feel for some of the more rural village life in India. I was more than willing to do this, so we arranged to meet up the next day at the train station and he would take us around the tiny village of Begampur.

The village life provides some of my favorite sights in India. This simple life always highlights the lack of need for complications and material wealth that is always so overemphasized in our current society. Of course luxury is a privilege that we can enjoy, but when we attach ourselves to these luxuries too much it creates a lot more unhappiness than actual happiness. These people don’t need much to be happy or content because it’s all internal. When we got to the village we saw the simple life firsthand when Tom invited us into his Uncle’s house to hang out for a while. He lived in a single room that had everything he needed. Even a small portable DVD player that he used to watch all kinds of movies, Hollywood and Bollywood alike. There wasn’t a lot to do in the village, so after hanging out in the small, cozy village house we made our way back to the train station to catch our train. More stares from the locals ensued as I observed everything as closely as I could, with a deep appreciation for this way of life. However, like most small villages here there is a lack of opportunity and a struggle that you can see amongst some of the inhabitants, which is always part of the consequences of living in these conditions. So like all things there’s pros and cons to these lifestyles, but lessons to be learned and perspectives to be gained in any case.

Cricket with Friends

As we made our way back into the city and wished Tom farewell, my time in India was coming to a close. After spending my last day of India walking through the massive urban park of Calcutta and playing cricket with some of the locals, I had one night left and Ernest had met another Indian friend who had arranged for us to have some fun. We met up with Conrad, our other new Indian friend, and he treated us to the perfect celebration for my last night. We went to a club in the city and I saw a whole different side of India that I had never really seen before. This was the Western-heavy side, where I nearly felt like I was partying back home or in Europe. It was a blast, and we all had such a great time together. It was definitely a highlight for me and it was really the perfect send off to what I’ve called a life-changing trip within a life-changing trip.