Kolkata - October Vacation. Phase II

October 19 - 21, 2017

We’ve just spent four lovely days in beautiful Singapore and after a most uncomfortable flight, it was a relief to finally step out at Kolkata a little past midnight. There wasn’t much one could see as the cab drove us through the city towards a certain Windsor Palace in Ballygunge. Using Airbnb, we had booked ourselves into D205 for the next three days.

It was quiet, clean (except for super old bathroom & kitchen fixtures that need upgrading/repair), airy and very comfortable as the place was equipped with a perfectly functioning television, ac & washing machine.

Day 1. October 19. A Walk, a meal & more.

Breakfast on our first day in Kolkata was at this place 

It has much to offer, but we opted for a nice English breakfast accompanied by a serving of backed beans on toast.

 Today we visited Kalighat. I’d read much about it in books by Tagore and in a biography of M. Theresa. From what I’d read, the place had a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali and, the ghat was also a popular cremation site. As we drove from Ballygunge to Kalighat, I looked around at the streets and buildings that lined them on either side.

Everything seems so ancient! I thought it looked like something straight out of a Satyajit Ray film, or the age worn pages of something written by Tagore. Everything looks archaic…the crowded streets, the buildings, the old fashioned windows…even the people.

If ever you want to experience what time travel is like, visit Kolkata. Although certain pockets have been touched by modernization by way of supermarkets and department stores, Kolkata seems largely untouched by time. The sense of tradition is so strong here, it’s almost tangible.

Kalighat itself was abuzz with activity. It was the auspicious day of Kali Puja and people had all flocked to the temple to pay their respects to Kali.

There was a festive air to the place teeming with pilgrims, vendors selling religious articles, flowers and costume jewelry, and the many well-decorated Kali pandaals that were belting out some very inappropriate and loud Bollywood music from the 90s. It’s an experience walking down the narrow, crowded streets of Kalighat, exploring the many colorful by lanes and gullys. I was quite enjoying the moment when Kali decided to rain on our parade…literally! The skies opened up and heavy rain had everyone scampering for shelter.

We stood in the shelter of a little grocery store and waited for the downpour to cease. On any other day, I would have gladly skipped out in the rain, but today I had to be mindful of my camera and my sneakers.

Noting that the grey clouds hung low and heavy overhead, we had to cancel our plan of visiting the crematorium at the Ghat (I so wanted to go there!) and took a cab to another section of town, heading towards St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Now, there are lots of black & yellow taxis and auto-rickshaws all around, but they quote exorbitant rates, especially when they realize you’re a tourist. I’d suggest you use one of the Ola or Uber Apps. Rates are decent and, well, you’re saved the trouble of having to haggle over the fare. Personally, I found that the condition of public transport in Kolkata was quite shabby in appearance. Vehicles are dusty, dented, and scraped/scratched in many places and many of them look ready to be retired to the yard. Ola cars looked a lot better but the interiors were quite grimy. I had to make sure I wasn’t touching much while seated inside. The drivers have no qualms about talking on the phone while driving or frequently spitting out of the cab (after making some terrible, loud retching sound in their throat).

But let’s not worry about the grimy taxis. For now, it’s back to St. Paul’s Cathedral. No sooner had I stepped through the cathedral gate than I ran up the steps and into the church. A choir was singing Abide with Me and I just love that hymn. The cathedral, like the rest of the city, is ancient and beautiful with its white façade stained by weather and time. We stood awhile, listening to the fading strains of the hymn and then walked on towards Park Street.

Park Street is about a 30 minute walk from the cathedral. It’s one of the better parts of town with many good restaurants and shopping options. Here, we stopped for a bite at the legendary Flurys, an establishment that first opened its doors right here on Park Street in 1927. Flurys is most popular as a tea-room and breakfast place that offers a variety of bakes and pastries.

By the time we were done with sipping on coffee at Flurys, it was almost 4pm and time for sun set. (Yes, the day begins and ends very early here since we’re in the East.) Stopping a few minutes to purchase waterproof footwear, we then headed back to our room.

That night, we dined at the very pretty 6 Ballygunge Place, a quiet restaurant that serves authentic Bengali cuisine. The ambience and service is good and you simply must try their Pabda Jhol, local fish prepared in thick gravy and lots of mustard oil. 

Day 2. October 20. We visit Howrah

This morning, we decided to drop in at Haldiram’s, an eatery that, judging by the number of outlets, seems to be quite popular in Kolkata. Sadly, we found that the employees are quite rude, disinterested and service is rather poor. They accepted payment for items that were not even available, expecting the customers to wait for close to 15 minutes to be served. Employees were more interested in filling their own plates first and heading back to the kitchen before tending to the customers. Some, including me, headed to the counter and demanded they cancel the orders and pay us back.

Deciding to grab a bite later, we made our way (by cab) to the busy city of Howrah. Now, you cannot come to Kolkata and not pay your respects to the Howrah Bridge, one of the famous symbols of Kolkata and West Bengal. Commissioned way back in 1943, this iconic bridge connects the two cities of Kolkata and Howrah. It is easily the busiest bridge in the world carrying a daily traffic of approx’ 100,000 vehicles and possible double the number of pedestrians. 

I found Howrah Bridge, now called Rabindra Setu, very impressive. We drove across the bridge and alighted at Howrah Station. This is busy place completely abuzz with colour, sound and activity. Auto-rickshaws wind their way around honking noisily as a sea of pedestrians hurry along on either side of the street.

It is here that we paid a mere 12 rupees and boarded the local ferry to…well, we didn’t really have any particular destination in mind, so we took the ticket to the last jetty. What we wanted was to ride the ferry under the Howrah Bridge, and that is just what we did. It brought to mind a similar experience when we went for a ferry ride under the Bay Bridge at SF. Here, in Howrah, the boat is simple and old-fashioned. Passengers find place to sit or stand and off it goes. The experience is an enjoyable one and it offers many opportunities to click photographs of the Bridge and of the cities that lie waiting on either bank of the Hoogly River. This river ride is by far my most memorable experience in Kolkata.

We alighted at Ahirtola Ghat and decided to walk around to see what we could see. What we saw made us realize why St. M. Theresa decided to begin her Mission here, in Kolkata. The narrow, wet streets were lined on either sides with shanties and slums filled with people in such a state of poverty, the likes of which I have never seen, not even in Mumbai.

Here, men bathed at street corners and women sat huddled, preparing meals on makeshift stoves. At some places, crowds of poor lined up awaiting free distribution of meals by generous benefactors. What was amazing, however, was that every face had on a smile that could brighten any rainy day. Even surrounded by such extreme poverty, the people found much to smile about. No wonder someone once called Kolkata the ‘City of Joy’.

Finding no cab to take us back to Park Street, we hopped onto a local bus back to Howrah in the hope that it’d be easier to hail a cab from there. It was, and soon, in less than fifteen minutes, we were back on Park Street. Fifteen minutes that transported us from one world to another.

Lunch was at Mocambo, and it was really great. We had a stuffed pork cutlet that was a lot bigger than any cutlet that I have ever seen. We also had a steak sizzler, some cocktails and dessert. Content, we headed back to Ballygunge. 

After a long and enjoyable day it was time to pack and get ourselves all set for the next day’s flight. Moreover, it began raining again and I really did not want to step out on to the wet streets. We ordered some pizza and stayed in on our last night in Kolkata.

We’re flying to Shillong tomorrow, October 21, for the last segment of our vacation. Kolkata has been an experience. Again, I loved the boat ride. Walking down the streets of Kolkata was like having stepped into another world entirely. In spite of all the poverty and grime, Kolkata has a certain charm that you just can’t ignore. Looking around me I couldn’t help but visualize Kolkata as a charming, graceful woman, still holding around her shoulders an old, much-loved cloak. You’ve got to see beyond the cloak to really appreciate her beauty. 

Pics by Misha