Hot Sticky Mess

It's fair to describe Kolkata as a hot, sticky mess. During the monsoon, it will be a flooded mess, after that, a steaming hot mess. In any case, you get the picture, the city is a mess. It's a place of over 15 million with the infrastructure totally insufficient for a city a quarter of the size. There are people living in dilapidated apartment blocks, decrepit slums and at various places on the street. By one estimate there are more than 50,000 street dwellers. I should say that I was horrified by what I saw, but I was prepared for much worse. The child beggars were more cute than pathetic, and the mutilated cripples had no affect. I guess the compassion has faded over the months, maybe it just wasn't really there to begin with. For however troubling the poverty is in the city, at least the people have made it there, conditions and services are improving.

There's a structure and order to the poverty. It's tied up in the political system that is so corrupt it is the real horror of the city. Places in apartments blocks and slums are partially dependent on votes. Even sidewalk space is political. Apparently living on the street isn't completely free after all. If this was an ordering, progressive system, the party politics would be tolerable (Chicago, I'm looking at you) as it stands right now, it's just sad.

For many years Kolkata was the capital of Raj India. the British left many impressive buildings behind and some nice boulevards. Unfortunately both are often in disrepair. The interesting part of the city are the rows of alleys and non stop bazaar throughout. Once everything gets worked out and cleaned up, I think it will be pretty attractive here. I would give it another 50 years though, 100 at least if the communists stay in power.

Kissing Queen
One of the most attractive monuments in the city is the Victoria Memorial. Built to commemorate the awesome evil empire of the UK. It's strange that the nicest attraction is a monument to a foreign queen. Prior to entering I found a shady spot to cool down ever so slightly. Several minutes past and I was joined by a group of chattering teenage boys. There was the obligatory first round of questions. Excuse what country? What is your good name? etc. I asked why they were skipping school (it was a weekday afternoon), they changed the subject by pointing out the profanity of a nearby couple. Being a private park and in the middle of the day, it was an opportunity for couples to get some intimate moments together. The grounds were filled with couples holding each other, cooing softly but never any kissing (that would be obscene). Funnier than the PG affection was the numerous single men spying on the action. Some staring through bushes, others stalking from afar. All hoping to somehow get a vicarious taste of affection through their voyeuristic means.

The boys were snickering at a couple about 100 feet away for being inappropriate. they may have rolled around once on the ground, again PG stuff, and certainly nothing to get into a tiff about. I decided to explore their conservatism. When I asked who was their favorite actress, they were unanimous in proclaiming Mallika Sherawa. In one movie she was apparently on screen kissing 50 times. Wow wee! With such a choice in thespian talent, I thought there was too much hypocrisy to let them off without some shame. So I asked them if they had ever seen pornography on the internet. If they can look at naked ladies on the net, what's wrong with a little rolling around on the grass? After sheepishly admitting they all had, they suggested we go look at the monument now.

Digestive Waddle
The bellies out here are impressive and totally unexpected. It's even more a contrast coming from SE Asia where the people tend to have slighter builds. Excessive eating is such a part of the culture here that the men (and women) proudly show off their bellies. There's even a Bengali word for the waddle which takes place after meals as an aid for digestion.

Pickin Gals
Through friends of friends, I ended up spending time with several Fulbright scholars here. This isn't the first time I've come across these type of folk on my trip, and I have to admit I always love it The people are always so nice and interesting and the research is typically esoteric, I really enjoy these meetings. It's especially nice to have an intelligent conversation that doesn't begin with, 'So where have you been?' Plus it makes me feel like an academic dork again, albeit for a fleeing instance.

I was invited to join a group of about ten people for drinks on a Friday night. In addition to my new Fulbright friends we were joined by a couple of Indian American girls who were back in Kolkata revisiting their roots. The two of them in particular were looking good that night, think dressing for a night out in NY, and it attracted a bit of attention, mostly in the not so casual glances thrown their way by all the guys in the house. As I went to relieve myself I was approached midstream with the following question, "Excuse me, where did you pick those girls?" I was a bit confused by question, since I didn't recall a lining up earlier in the night. When I explained they were from American and there are many beautiful Indian girls there, he just shook his head and denied the truth. Clearly they were prostitutes and I was holding out where to get them.