lost4good

Three-weeks in Kolkata.

Narda’s notes are either taken from her handwritten notes (with drawings) or in italics.

I want to point out we did not use AI to re-write any of this (except when noted some AI – Grok – notes about a festival or two) The meandering stream-of-consciousness that is the hallmark of my wandering brain I take credit for and will not blame AI -I have tried AI to re-write some awhile back but it just sounded stupid. I started my stream of consciousness writing back in the early 1960s during that wonderful era of the Beatniks, most notably in Greenwich Village NYC – my early stomping grounds of youth. For example, Allen Ginsberg’s (I read some of my poems at a Fast for Peace at St Mark’s Church in the East Village in the 1960s and Ginsberg read at the same even – my only claim to fame in my life), William S. Burroughs’ and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (recently read On the Road again 60 years after reading it the first time.) And the great writer Adeline Virginia Woolf.

I often ask myself “who is your audience” and I always get the same answer: “Narda & Terrell/ noone else will ever read though it all. We read through these years later not just to remember stuff but as we return to places it is good to see how we did it before.

For example, this is an AI generated image of Narda and I after a month in India

Our first evening in Kolkata we were tired, very hungry, having not eaten since leaving Chennai in the morning, a bit lost and we saw this well-lit place and quickly walked across the street and asked, “do you have meals?” and Mr. Ragib Choudhury who was standing in front smiled and brought us to a table upstairs. Dinner at Afternotes – Saltlake DL 5, Salt Lake Bypass, DL Block Sector 2

He was most hospitable, even giving us his phone number if we needed any assistance during our stay in Kolkata (we are here for three weeks). The service and food was very good. We shared a Paneer Masala, which was very tasty and one serve with some rota was enough for the two of us. I am sure we will go back. I believe they just opened ten-days ago. It is a clean, with several dining rooms, it was quite busy when we were there about six pm with lots of friendly staff

Our AI (Grok) describes the food as:

“…a menu that blends classic Bengali cutlets and kabirajis with Mughlai parathas, kebabs, rolls, pulao, and desserts. It’s more of a café‑style eatery than a fine‑dining restaurant, with affordable prices and a focus on nostalgic Kolkata comfort food. Their philosophy centres on memory‑driven fragrances rather than trend‑based scents.”

AI – Grok

05 October Monday

Below our AirBnB for three weeks…AL Block Salt Lake. A residential area 15-minute walk to the metro. There a large patch of white paint on the ground in front of our home so it is always easy to identify when we get an auto rickshaw or Uber to here.

Ww took an autorickshaw to a Mall which we discovered opens at 11 am. We were there at 9 so we ate omelettes alongside road. 30 cents for two – + 30 cents for teas.

Nearby was Bengal Chemical metro station where we bought a three-day visitors pass for 250 rupees $2.50USD, to go anytime, anywhere for three days and took the green line to the blue line and hoped a bus to South City Mall, the largest mall in Kolkata, for another ten cents. South City Mall.

https://southcitymall.in/ South City Mall is eastern India’s most famous shopping mall, apparently. Just really another oversized mall with all the same brands as every other mall in the world. It took us a long time to get there in the overcrowded trains going on the Green Line then the Blue Line. Doubt we will go there again. We got so many groceries that we had to buy a backpack to carry it home. Narda managed to get 70% off the backpack making it about $7 USD so that was OK as our suitcases are full and we are still buying more clothes and we have just started travelling in India. Narda bought a dress at Aditya Birlas Fashion then we took a tuk tuk back to the metro and were home by 4 pm. We found a great take away place a block away, which over our three-weeks here became our go to place for takeaway, Tasty Treats – ate at home.

100 rupees = $1.05USD / $1.50 Australian funny money / .94 EUR

For example, my favourite is Butter Paneer Masala which is a very filling meal for 250 rupees = 2.35 Euro / $3.75 Australian – in Australia this meal would be $15 minimum / $2.63 USD

06 October Tuesday

Metro to Esplanade Station – walking through train station – tried to find a restaurant – through Bazaar – I bought a shirt and Narda a dress – walked along — lots of jewellery shops no restaurants – took taxi for 200 rupees to Anand Vegetarian Restaurant (19 Anand Residency Chittaranjan Avenue) which ai – grok recommended – I got the masalas and cheese dosa and Narda some other dosa – tomato juice drinks – ice cream desserts – all for $11.50 USD – metro to Bengal Chemical Station – walked to shopping mall – Spencers – groceries – taxi home was supposed to be 300 rupees he got very lost went past the same restaurants three times – called manager from our Airbnb he guided us home – we gave the taxi driver 500 rupees he was quite happy with that.

07 October Wednesday

Left 9.30 am took an auto-rickshaw for 30 rupees (30 cents USD) to our local metro and as always we got seats as the Salt Lake 5 station is the beginning of the green line and we took it to the end of the line to Howrah Station.

Howrah railway station (also known as Howrah Junction) is the largest and busiest railway complex in India, as well as one of the busiest and largest train stations in the world. It is also the oldest surviving railway complex in India. The first public train from the station was on 15 August 1854, on what is now the Howrah – Hooghly Main Line. At present about 600 passenger trains pass through the station, serving more than 1 million passengers a day. The station has 24 platforms.

The 13048 Vibhuti Express runs daily between Prayagraj Rambag (PRRB) and Howrah Junction (HWH), covering about 879 km in ~15 hours 55 minutes. It has around 18–19 coaches including Sleeper, AC 2‑tier, AC 3‑tier, and General, with a capacity of roughly 1,200–1,400 passengers. The clip below shows the length of this train which is the same for most long distance trains.

Our mission today was to post a fridge magnet to Sherry in Dallas. We met Sherry on our cruise through the Suez Canal last December. Because of the invasion of Iran at the time our cruise to Dubai & Doha was cancelled and we were dropped off at Jeddah. Narda and I flew over to Abu Dhabi and Sherry went to Cairo to see the opening of a new history museum there then back to Texas. Being an avid camel fan and not being able to spend time in Saudi Arabia including riding on a camel, she did ride one on one of our ports after the Suez Canal, in Egypt on one of the day trip dockings. Narda and I did not join her on that shore excursion but instead went to a local village and had coffee and sat around for the day. Anyway, Sherry asked if we could get her a fridge magnet from Saudi Arabia. I got one in a museum in Riyadh, and I have been lugging it around ever since not having her address in Texas and because she too was travelling, including being on a ship in the Arctic. I had it in my camera bag this year, for a month in Truro, UK, a month in the States (DC and NY), even for our week in Lahore, Pakistan and on our trip to Bali Indonesia in June, always thinking I would post it. She sent her address a few days ago whilst we were headed to India. Today I was determined to mail the bloody thing to her.

The first post office we went to by the train station (the one discussed above) I was told that due to being a small post office (much bigger than the ones in Australia) they only sent mail within India. I suppose a billion people mailing letters is enough for any post office. In very broken English we were told something about a ferry and something about a big main you beaut central post office. We did see a long line at a ferry dispatch window, so we got our tickets and got onto a ferry. I think it set us back ten cents each, USD. As everywhere else, the ferry was super crowded. Looking around on the overcrowded ferry crossing a large, deep river, I noticed there was one life jacket hanging on a hook near the captain’s deck and I was trying to recall what I had seen on the news about ferries sinking lately.

I do go three times a week to a Zumba class but that is not swimming and at 79 years of age and never being a strong or a good swimmer I was not sure if I could make it to either shore, fortunately, we arrived at the distant shore as my watch showed my heart rate going quite high.

My watch is my latest stupid obsession. Son Sacha gave me one of those Garmin smart watches. It just makes me feel dumb or dumber. It seems to like to send alerts to Narda saying I am in need of medical assistance then I can’t stop it. The other thing it loves doing aside of trying to sell me services that would make me fit is count my steps. Today I did 9616 steps. That sounds like a lot. Narda is a bit concerned knowing I have these obsessive tendencies for everything I do. I never wear watches – it is easier to ask Narda what time is it all the time. Oh, and it shows my heart rate and a bunch of other stuff I have no idea why I or anyone would want to know so much about themselves. At 79 with heart disease, liver disease and diabetes I am happy to be still breathing. Bloody stupid watch.

So bottom line, we walked heaps, people sending us down different streets, then back again then finally there it was the big bloody majestic central post office. There were something like 25 windows. The first was to sell me an envelope, then I got sent to another window to weigh the magnet – 14 grams – then there was a lot of confusion which window I should go to next, finally they worked out I needed 74 rupees of stamps and it was written in large numbers on a piece of paper. I took the magnet and the piece of paper to another window and got 74 rupees of stamps then the girl selling the envelope tried to stick the stamps on the envelope and they would not stick – then she used some glue and said put it into the foreign post slot in another building. We walked around the block looking for this foreign slot, could not find it, asked a street vender for help. He took us to the place to put it in the foreign slot.

I gave him 50 rupees for his help, and he was quite happy with that (50 cents). As we walked out a girl took our letter to Sherry and tried to say it was not a valid envelope. We tried to argue with her that we had done all the right things. Finally, she took it and walked off shaking her head as Indian people do and saying OK. Did I mention it was pouring rain through all of this – we were soaked as we only brought one small umbrella for Narda to keep the sun off her fair skin. Of course, there was no sun but there was a lot of rain. I will be surprised if Sherry ever gets this thing. Or perhaps when she does get it there will be several other letters attached to it because of all the glue the post person put on it.

Putting the post office capper behind us we went off into the heavy rain looking for a restaurant. The area we were in did not seem to have any, anywhere. The streets are lined with food stalls but there was no where to sit down as all the benches and few chairs were wet. Also, we have yet to eat street food. Having gotten ill from various intakes of substances, usually ice that got snuck into a fruit drink which encourages bugs to proliferate in the gut and sending Narda to the hospital the last three times in India we are a bit paranoid of street cuisine.  After walking (I did reach almost 10,000 steps today) way too much we waved one of those old school taxis with a red turban driver who somehow, we got to understand we wanted a proper restaurant, perhaps in a good hotel. He asked a few people and sped off into heavy traffic beeping/blaring his horn – see our little video. The drive was about 20 minutes or maybe more or less it was impossible to gauge what was going on in such heavy traffic and I spent most of the time trying to find the seatbelt – just in case – never did find it. And I forgot to look at my watch or ask Narda what time it was. It did seem like a long time before he pulled up in front of a fancy hotel, The LaLIT Great Eastern https://www.thelalit.com/the-lalit-kolkata/ (The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata is a historic 5-star luxury hotel located at Dalhousie Square in central Kolkata, West Bengal).

It surely was a clean fancy place. Our lunch of paneer masala was $36 USD. In contrast our neighbourhood take away, Tasty Treats, for basically the same meal (I like the local one better) is $5.37 USD. Of course, LaLIT Great Eastern, costs five-times per night more than our Airbnb and we have a whole apartment.

Filling a hole at the end of the street

After lunch we walked to the nearby metro station and here we are at home.

Thursday 8^th

We wash hair on Thursday; it used to be on Mondays…wow this is starting off quite boring. We will look up how to find a hair washer soon. But first, I looked up the nearest supermarket as getting to Spencer’s – in the malls is a project of getting our sorry asses to a metro station, then squashed amongst less than a billion but more than a train car can hold of sweaty passengers we ride to Bengal Chemical station and try to get out of the train. A few days ago, the train was so crowded, there was a lady sitting on Narda’s lap as there was no room to move – Narda said she was heavier than expected – anyway, we could not get off at the stop we wanted or four or five stops after. So when we finally do get to our stop, for example Spenser’s which is on the lower floor of a mall, we get a bag of stuff and a few days ago because it was starting to rain we took a taxi. He got so lost, we had to ring the owner of our Airbnb to direct him to our place. It took an hour in total when the shopping centre is 15-minmutes by car on Goole Maps.

So, that is not the story I started off with. Because it is so difficult getting to Spenser’s – a real supermarket I put into Google Maps nearest supermarket to me and it directed us to CK Market. The reviews said it had most of what one would want without the higher prices of Spenser’s Supermarket. In fact, CK Mart is a group of semi-outdoor shops with very little in each shop. We managed to find one that sold milk in plastic bags, we got a bar of soap, some chips and that was it. We had a nice cup of tea with locals – they pour tea into little clay cups which get thrown away after one use.

Then we asked a tuk tuk driver, an autorickshaw, to take us to a hair wash salon. Salon82, www.salon82.in. We got an amazing head massage and hair wash by Aktar and Arzoo (don’t know which is which, their names are written on our card) and Narda got a hair cut (all close to ½ that we paid in Chennai at Tony and Guy’s) the people were friendly, even did a video interview of us at the end making us feel like celebrities – which lasted for 15-minutes after we left when we realized we were not celebrities and were walking back to our Airbnb which was only fifteen-minutes away.

CK Market is our local shopping mall; really a group of close to being street vendors with few supplies. however, we have found a nice little place to have tea and we always get into lively discussions with a few locals. I call it a ‘community of tea drinkers‘.

Friday 09^th

Home until noonish – walked to CK-Market – walked to metro station – followed person to wrong metro = walked back to CK Martket bought stuff – Narda bought new dress – dinner from Tasty Treat.

Watched a stupid India movie two-hours & 20 minutes long with English subtitles on Amazon Prime: it made little sense was totally improvable and they seemed to take half the movie trying to create an ending   –  Awarapan 2 (Vishesh Bhatt brings to you the second chapter of the blockbuster franchise Awarapan. Once a feared gangster, Shivam lives hidden away from his past, with no faith left in God or himself. But when fate pulls him into Bangkok’s cartel war and forces him back into the darkness he swore never to return to, Shivam must choose what he is willing to live for, when there is nothing left to lose.)

Saturday 10/10/2026 Women and children passing our home singing according to my mates over at AI: Today, October 10, 2026, Kolkata is celebrating Mahalaya, which marks the end of Pitru Paksha (fortnight of ancestors) and the beginning of Devi Paksha, the countdown to Durga Puja. The reason you see children and women singing early in the morning is tied to the tradition of waking before dawn to listen to the legendary Mahishasura Mardini radio broadcast and to perform ancestral rites (Tarpan) along the riverbanks.

Women and children singing in the streets at dawn: They were echoing the Mahishasura Mardini broadcast, a tradition since 1931 where Bengalis wake at 4 AM to hear Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s recitation of hymns and songs invoking Goddess Durga.
Families also head to the Hooghly River ghats for Tarpan, offering prayers and water to ancestors.
In neighborhoods, people sing devotional songs together, symbolically welcoming Durga’s descent to earth.

the Internet

It’s a beautiful mix of ancestral remembrance and joyful anticipation. From today, Kolkata shifts into festival mode — pandals are being finished, artisans in Kumartuli paint Durga’s eyes (Chokhhu Daan), and the city begins to glow with lights and decorations.

Sunday 11 October

First metro of the day 9.02 am to Howrah and Howrah Bridge – 269′ 0″82 m height The Howrah Bridge is a balanced steel bridge over the Hooghly River 1943

The Mullick Ghat Flower Market in Kolkata is Asia’s largest and oldest flower bazaar, over 130 years old, originally commissioned in 1855 2,000 vendors sell millions of flowers daily.
Marigolds (genda): For pujas, weddings, shrines.
Roses, lotuses, lilies: For temples and home altars.
Jasmine (beli), tuberose (rajnigandha): For garlands and fragrance.
Exotics: Orchids, carnations, gladiolus, often for luxury events and export.

the Internet

Howrah Bridge built between 1936 and 1942 Howrah Bridge is a balanced cantilever steel bridge over the Hooghly River
It carries a daily traffic of approximately 100,000 vehicles and more than 150,000 pedestrians, easily making it the busiest cantilever bridge in the world. The third-longest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction, the Howrah Bridge is currently the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world
The bridge does not have nuts and bolts, but was formed by riveting the whole structure
Corrosion has been caused by bird droppings and human spitting.
The bridge is also considerably damaged by pedestrians spitting out acidic, lime-mixed stimulants (gutka and paan).  A technical inspection by Port Trust officials in 2011 revealed that spitting had reduced the thickness of the steel hoods protecting the pillars from six to less than three millimetres since 2007.

the Internet

Sealdah Railway Station has 21 platforms divided across three terminals: North, Main, and South, serving suburban, express, and long-distance trains. The station handles over 900 suburban trains and more than 100 long-distance trains daily, managing a passenger volume of approximately 1.4 to 1.5 million people.
Sealdah: Opened in 1862, it played a crucial role in the Eastern Bengal Railway network and suburban connectivity.

the Internet

Our goal was to find Book Street. Narda remembered it from being here 25 years ago with a group from her school; St. Ignatius, in Adelaide when they did the Mother Teresa tour. We could not get a taxi or auto rickshaw as the traffic was too crazy. But we did see a bus and managed to take bus #44-1 in the wrong direction. Once we realized that Book Street was the opposite way we jumped out and hailed a taxi that took us half an hour to get back to where we were at the busy train station and finally a bit further to Book Street/College Street all for 250 rupees we gave 300 because we are giving generous self-righteous first-world people that are happy to give away 50 cents to poor third-world people. And then we were at College Street or Book Lane. Narda bought 3 books: had lunch and coffee at Indian Coffee House – founded in April 1876 – many Indian famous people have hung out here. As well as we did too but no one wanted to sprout philosophy with us so we had our ice coffee (without the ice) and something else – I forget what, but we didn’t get diarrhea. from it so that was good.

Largest book market in India and the world’s largest second-hand book market.
It spans approximately 1.5 kilometres and is home to numerous bookstores, both new and second-hand, offering a wide range of books, from academic texts to rare collectibles.
The street is a hub for intellectual activity, hosting prestigious academic institutions like the University of Calcutta and Presidency University, and is often visited by literary figures and students.
College Street is open Monday to Saturday, typically from 10 AM to 8 PM, and is best visited during the late morning or early afternoon for a more relaxed experience.

Internet

Tuesday 13 October

Took metro to Esplanade looking for information centre – walking past Writer’s Building – https://kolkatatourism.travel/writers-building-kolkata

information place useless – got a map – walked followed a block who hates India said his phone was pinched from his pocket two weeks ago – he took us to a restaurant – Bhojohori Manna Esplanade $4.43 lunch https://bhojohorimanna.com/ – metro home – dinner from Tasty Treats

14-10 Wednesday

We took the 9.30 am metro to Esplanade Blue Line (it is almost impossible to ride before then as the trains are packed tight with commuters getting to wherever they think they should be) Also, our metro station, Salt Lake V is the end of the line or beginning of the line so the chances of grabbing a seat or good. We need to add, people in Kolkata are generally great in helping two old Australians with getting a seat. Almost always, no matter how crowded the train is, people will get up and give us their seats. On the Blue Line we got off at Mahatma Gandhi Station and saw a man sewing shoes. He did not have a machine but was repairing shoes by hand. I got my sandals sewed as both were coming apart – 100 rupees ($1.04). With my feet once again firmly imbedded into my sandals we walked – getting lost a few times – to Marble Palace.

Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century mansion. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta. The mansion is famous for its marble walls, floors, and sculptures, from which it derives its name. The house was built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, a wealthy Bengali merchant with a passion for collecting works of art. The house continues to be a residence for his descendants. Marble Palace houses many Western sculptures, pieces of Victorian furniture, paintings by European and Indian artists, and other artifacts. Decorative objects include large chandeliers, clocks, floor to ceiling mirrors, urns, and royal busts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Palace_(Kolkata)

the Internet

Because Marble Palace remains a private residence, photography is prohibited. This was bummer for me, so I have no pictures. The grounds are amazing with huge fountains and lots of well-kept gardens. There is also a bird collection both inside and outside in the so-called private zoo.

All these images are from the internet – wikipedia and etc

We went off in search of the next mansion on our list of must see or maybe not we got lost, went wrong direction, finally found Jorasanko Thakurbari (Tagore House). Online it said 150 rupees but at the place wanted 500 and the people were not at all friendly at the gate and even though it was not much cost we decided it was not worth it after the Marble Palace.

In search of Air Casa Restaurant. GPS kept saying you are there but all we saw were street stalls until someone pointed out an alley with an elevator halfway down it. It was on the 6^th floor. Quite a good place though very difficult to find. 6th floor, Ganpati Tower, 196B, Chittaranjan Ave, Simla, Machuabazar, Kolkata, Girish Park, Kolkata. We both had an excellent tomato soup and shared a cheese fondue which I had expected not to be too great but it was with toasted bread and lots of vegetables one serve was enough for the two of us and cheap compared to about the last time we had a cheese fondu which was in Montreal in 2005 or so. It was $6.50 USD.

From there we walked the two or three blocks to Mahatma Ghandi Metro, took the Blue Line to Esplanade – where the trains were so full we could barely get pushed far enough inside to close the door. Then Narda got her arm stuck in the door which we managed to pull back in but she not only now has a sore arm but also a fear of ‘the closing door’.

So, we got off at Bengal Chemical and walked the 2 blocks to Mani Square and to Spencer’s for groceries. We took our first Uber in Kolkata from the shopping centre to home which set us back 185 rupees we gave him 200 rupees ($2.20 USD about $2.80 Australian – put into perspective it was about the distance from our home in Adelaide to the city centre – 25 minutes which would easily be $50+ there). We will take Uber more often from now on as the auto rickshaws have difficulty finding our Airbnb here and the trains are so amazingly packed, we can barely get in.

15-10 Thursday

BJ Block Durga Puja pandal.

THIS IS IT – THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX SO TO SPEAK

The next five-days are all about this Puja trip. We had no idea there was a big spiritual celebration in Kolkata this week. Everywhere there are decorations – it looks like Christmas. People tell us how lucky we are – ‘what a coincidence to be here at this time’. We are not sure as it has been quite difficult for us. For example, loud speakers outside of our house blast from 5.30 am and one morning starting at 4 am with drumming and chanting. They go on until late at night. Last night they were carrying on until midnight. The crowds are huge as apparently folks come in from all over India for this. More of all this over the next few days description below.

The big thing here are the pandals. You will see and hear lots about it below.

A pandal is a temporary, beautifully decorated structure built during Durga Puja to house the idol of Goddess Durga. It is pop‑up temple combined with an art installation, created fresh every year and dismantled after the festival.

We live in the middle of walkable to 4-pandals

🎪 What You’ll See in a Pandal
A large Durga idol with her children (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha).
Artistic decorations based on themes — from traditional temple styles to modern concepts like pyramids, villages, or social messages.
Lighting, music, and cultural programs that make each pandal unique.
Crowds visiting to admire craftsmanship and offer prayers.

Our local Pandal (1-block away from our Airbnb) is the BJ Block Puja
🎨 Types of Pandals
Traditional Pandals: Simple, devotional, temple‑like atmosphere.
Theme Pandals: Elaborate designs — sometimes resembling monuments, movie sets, or carrying social/environmental messages.
🧭 Why Pandals Matter
Durga Puja is not just religious — it’s a citywide cultural celebration. Pandals are the centrepiece, bringing together:
Community involvement
Art and craftsmanship
Music, dance, and theatre
A festive atmosphere across neighborhoods
UNESCO even recognized Kolkata’s Durga Puja as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, largely because of pandal culture.
🚶‍♂️ For You in Salt Lake Today
Since you’re staying in AL Block, Sector 2, you’re surrounded by pandals — FD Block, BJ Block, CA Block, and CJ Block are all within 10–20 minutes. Each has its own theme and style, so you can experience the variety without leaving Salt Lake.
🌸 Pandals in Salt Lake
1. FD Block Puja
Theme: Artistic, often award‑winning designs.
2. BJ Block Puja
Theme: Creative lighting and innovative idols.
3. CA Block Puja
Theme: Balanced mix of tradition and modern themes.
4. CJ Block Puja (Sector II)
Theme: Traditional Sabik‑style clay idols with Daaker Saaj.
Highlight: Sandhi Puja with 108 lamps, Dhunuchi Naach (evening).

AI Grok

This is our block

This is the entrance to our block

Click the images below to learn the Origin of Goddess Durga https://neuage.info/india26/durga.html If I may so bold I call her Pandal’s Messiah as she dominates every Durga pandal.

October 16 10 am metro to Central Park to see the FD Block Puja Pandal cloud pandals – quite huge statues https://durgapujopandals.com/pandals/cg-block/ talks about it better than we can because all we did was taking photos and get interviewed by some TV station. Of course, we both got interviewed separately and the questions were difficult to understand so I just smiled and said yes, a lot. See this news shattering interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83Thiae8BVM

If you want to get all knowledgeable about stuff, check out https://pandalpathik.in/ for maps throughout Kolkata.

After sharing ourselves with the local one billion Indians who watch these news reports we found our way to Salon 80 to have a head massage and hair wash. We grabbed a tuktuk to CK Market where we had long discussions re. politics at our ‘community of coffee drinkers’. Discussions went from Pakistan/Indian issues (one of Narda’s favourite discussions here with her son and grandson in Lahore, Pakistan) to…well actually that is all we talked about.

We had an interesting experience. Getting off the Salt Lake Metro we got lost and were looking to get to CK Market when a man came out and asked where we were headed as we were on a suburbia street looking lost (a common look). He said CK Market was closed because it was a holiday and asked what we needed. As we were just after a pineapple and a milk, he said he would order for it. We added a few things to the list like a lassie and I forget what else. He invited us into his home, and we had coffee with him and his wife, and his driver drove us home and he paid for the groceries even though I tried to pay. They were obviously wealth having three servants that we saw while there including the driver. Apparently, he is some big shot in the mining industry. He gave us his WhatsApp number and said whatever we needed we could contact him. We never did but it was an interesting afternoon.

Walked to the metro it was closed, with no notification, there were a lot of upset people in front of the gate. Apparently, the Green Line was going to start at one PM but there was no notification online.

We took an Uber to Dakshineswar Kali Temple – 350 rupees ($3.60USD) for 45-minute ride – heavy traffic –

ate at Food Village – very busy, sat at a table with several other locals. We all had the same thing. Everyone at our table had the same thing, then I noticed everyone in the whole restaurant had the same thing; chickpeas in a sauce – Chana Masala (a spiced chickpea curry simmered in a tangy onion tomato gravy with ginger, garlic, and aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala).

We all got a sweet lassie and a bottle of water. Narda and I shared one Chana Masala which was plenty. The whole ordeal set us back 240 rupees (about $2.50 USD or 3 bucks Australian). We had nice banter with the people at our table and one of them spoke enough English so that we had some idea what we were talking about. Of course, they took lots of selfies with us.

Devotees bathing at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata, with the Ganga River and the Howrah Bridge in the background. The temple is a major pilgrimage site in West Bengal, attracting millions of visitors each year for its open holy bath.

I read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian spiritual teacher first published in 1946 at least twice in my once spiritual days (long ago) in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Evening

We were home watching TV, some silly chick-flick; “Love of your life” and at a point in the movie there was a heavy rainstorm with thunder and lightening and at the same time here a storm suddenly began with thunder and lightning. The reason I remember this moment is the next day our neighbour told us 19 had died in a stampede not far from us. (a few days later sever al people told us, independent of each other, that 45 died but the lower cast are not counted – I have no way to verify this)

A stampede at the Chor Bagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening left 19 dead and 25 injured. The incident took place around 7.40pm in the Girish Park police station area as large crowds gathered to visit the pandal amid rainfall.
A senior police officer said that people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward when it started raining. Some fell on the road, triggering the stampede. The injured were rescued and taken to Calcutta Medical College for treatment.

18 Sunday

I was determined to go to a gym as I have not been to one for two weeks. Back in Adelaide we do Zumbi in the pool then 45 minutes weights three times a week. After reviewing the best for us (actually me – Narda is not interested) gym we got an auto rickshaw to it only to discover it was closed today because it is a holiday. Most things are closed including the metro – which will open after 1 pm because they claim the trains are running until 4 am to assist people getting home from the celebrations this week. Not knowing what to do we took an auto rickshaw to where the metro station is hoping we were wrong and it would be open at 11 am. Nope, we were wrong it was not open. We asked some locals for a restaurant they pointed to a street. We thought it would be best to hop a bus and get off at the first group of restaurants we saw. Narda got to talking, as she does, to a fellow next to us and he suggested we go to Esplanade then walk to Park Street and eat at an Iranian place then go see the Victorian Memorial. The bus kept on going all the way through the middle of Kolkata – after close to an hour we got off at the very end of the bus run. Saw an amazingly wide busy road about four lanes on both sides and through some un-natural law of physics got our sorry asses across speeding motorcycles, auto rickshaws, buses, taxis, yelling people everywhere and a few animals. Realizing we were not interested in going to an Iranian place and being spotted as an American with Australian credentials we saw a large hotel, the Peerless Hotel. Inside dudes dressed in orange playing drums and chanting moved aside avoiding our rush toward the elevator to take us to the restaurant upstairs. Oceanic is one of best restaurants in Kolkata, a multi-cuisine restaurant located at level 1 of Peerless Hotel Kolkata. It offers a variety of cuisines from around the world, including Chinese, Italian, and Continental.  I got the mac and cheese

and Narda got a pizza. We were a bit suspect of ordering western meals in an Indian place but were pleasantly surprised having one of the best mac and cheese I have ever had. Very Chessy with lots of various vegetables and Narda was happy with her pizza.

Going home was OK considering the amount of people on the metro. As almost every single time folks got up and gave us a seat as if we were elderly or something.

19 Monday

4am they start chanting and drumming. We closed every door put in earplugs and managed to get a bit more sleep. Last night Narda approached some of the organizers or head-dudes at a pandal near us which is the source of this noise and asked if they could turn down the volume on the speakers as it was affecting our sleep. I added it was difficult to watch TV it was so loud. 3-dudes, with their insignificant though large badges that made them feel important and we thought looked silly, were rude. Saying something about the people liked these loudspeakers calling people to worship the mother of the universe. And no, there was no chance of turning the sound down. I wondered why folks could not praise the mother of the universe quietly, maybe give her some flowers or sweets but I decided against sharing my wisdom, so we are back to having a very loud day. Perhaps if we knew what they were saying it would help. It is a cross between chanting, and an auctioneer selling something – perhaps a window into the mother of the universe. People remark to us how fortunate a coincidence this is that we are here during this most holy moment in Kolkata – the only city in India that worships the mother of the universe at this level. Of course, we do not feel fortunate just annoyed we are losing sleep, people are being trampled to  death, the metro is so crowded we get squashed and I can’t hear Jimmy Kimmel on YouTube.

We were off, once again, to the neighbourhood gym only to discover, once again, closed. These ten-days are a write-off for gym stuff due to holiday. We went to our local CK Market which had a few shops open, for example, a clothes shop for Narda to get more clothes.  We stopped at our “Community of tea drinkers” place and while discussing the news of 19 being killed in a stampede at a local pandal two people said, independently of one other that 45 had died and that the government did not count the lower cast and wanted to report a lower number thus saying 19 had died and 25 were injured.

We visited the CK‑CL Block Durga Puja, located beside CKCL Park in Sector II next to CK Market as they were beginning to take it down.

21/10 Wednesday

Uber to Badu Culture had Navaratan Korma. Their webpage is really interesting showing the paintings and drawings on their menu etc. https://babuculture.in/

Bhadu is the social festival of Southern West Bengal, East India. It has its origins in the story of a princess called Bhadravati (Bhadresvari) of Panchakote who magically disappeared.
The true story believed to be true just like all religions and myths believe their stories to be true goes like this:
The Bhadu festival is centred around the legend of the princess Bhadu. According to legend, she was found as an orphan by the chief of Lada village. Bhadu is said to be the living embodiment of the goddess Lakshmi. The chief adopts her and secretly raises her as a princess. Bhadu falls in love with Anjan, the son of a doctor in a neighbouring village. The king does not approve of the relationship and has Anjan imprisoned. Bhadu and two companions then travel the kingdom singing song at the gates of forts and prisons, hoping that Anjan will hear her voice. The king eventually releases Anjan, but by then Bhadu has disappeared, and is said to have faded away and merged with the sky.

the Internet

22/10 Thursday

Always looking forward to Thursday…hair wash day. In India it also means head massage and someone else washing our hair. Firstly, we had a good night’s sleep for the first time in a week due to all the celebrations going on and the loudspeakers in front of our house getting louder every day. It was lovely to wake up to silence. The streets were empty too except for the taking down of so many decorations. We like the Christmas lights but not the drumming and constant chanting. We got an autorickshaw for the five-minute ride to yes, the gym was finally open – Narda went across the street to Salon 82 to read her kindle while I busted a move so to speak. Online it says 250 rupees for a day of weights, but I got charged 300. I suppose three bucks is OK. The gym equipment is the same as we use at home, so I got a good 30-minute workout. My first in our month of being in India. Obviously, I have a long way to go to get back the body I had in Australia – or not. After that ordeal, I crossed the street and Narda was already having her hair washed and by the time I started she was headed upstairs for a foot massage. I have had a different person each time the three times here, but each is as good as the other. They must get trained in the same techniques as each does the same thing with pressure points and amazingly fantastic head massage and hair wash. I can feel my hair growing whilst they are doing it. For some reason my hair is shorter than it was five years ago. Narda says it is because I am almost 80 years old. I think it is a design fault in my DNA.

I like being in a foreign place where I have no idea what is going on politically. For example, there are these posters that I have no idea what they are about.

Yesterday at “the Community of Tea Drinkers” we had a lively discussion, as we do, regarding the partition of India and Pakistan. A very scruffy chain-smoking person who could easily pass off as a street person…I am so biased… turned out to be super intelligent and academic and had a lot to say about Buddhism and basically all religions – favouring Buddhism as being the first and groviest or something like that and all religions came from that. Not sure if that is true. Anyway, he recommended a book we should read about India-Pakistan, saying it is the only real source of the truth of that division. “Thoughts on Pakistan” by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Overview
Thoughts on Pakistan is a work in which Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a prominent Indian jurist, social reformer, and political leader, examines the complex issues that led to the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan Google+1. Ambedkar, who belonged to the marginalized Dalit community, approached the subject with a focus on social justice, communal harmony, and the challenges of nation-building Google. His analysis is both historical and philosophical, reflecting on the interplay of religion, politics, and identity in South Asia.

24th October Saturday our last day here. We found a great little restaurant only five-minutes from our house – Boho Amigo – BK-313, Near 8 Island, Sector 2, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Amazing wraps. Wish we had found this weeks ago.

We are off to Mumbai now for two-weeks. We have mixed feelings about Kolkata. Wouldn’t come here again, just too polluted and crowded. Definitely not during a Durga Puja festival.