Wednesday, Sept 29
I feel like Sundays in Calcutta deserve some spectacular name like "Epic Sunday Adventures" or "Shananagans on Sundays"… etc…something to articulate the fact that every Sunday in Calcutta I've experienced an unexpected, exhausting, mind-blowing day. Phil Collins and I set off first to the Indian Coffee House to talk politics and sip cafe like the good ole freedom fighters and revolutionaries of early 1900's India. It was a lot larger than I expected, with high ceilings and open second story windows overlooking the streets of Calcutta. Older men talked business and politics, not seeming too distracted by the three Americans ordering coffee and taking endless candid, 'pondering life' pictures. In the coffee house we ended up chatting with two men--one was teaching the other French of all things! The five of us ended up hanging out the rest of the day swapping favorite authors, poets, musicians, and language skills. (Avik loves Emerson….I knew you'd be excited mom!) Another great thing about us meeting them is that we got a WHOLE lot more out of Calcutta that day--just like when we went to the flower market with our self-initiated tour guide, Ranu a couple sundays back.
So we head off to see Tagore's--famous Indian poet, artist, writer…won the Nobel Prize--house. On our way we pass by the famous Marble Palace! Colleen and I had decided to not go there both because it just sounded like some rich English dude's home AND you have to go thru a permit process with the government to even go onto the grounds…. BAHAH NOPE! While passing by our new friend Avik started talking to the guard; next thing we knew he said…. will you pay 50 rupees to get in?? (this is for all five of us combined)…though I know whats happening I still exclaim, "well we thought we needed a permit to enter." Avik laughs and goes, "We have rule, but we don't always follow….dis here, is call blackmail!" Thus, we get to explore the magnificent Marble Palace (we did have to pay off one more guard). Ok, bug just crawled out of my keyboard…. seriously hate when that happens! Anyways, um yes the mansion was some rich English dude's house built in 1853; however, I have never seen ANYTHING this eclectic! The structure is mainly made of marble (shocking) with giant classical pillars, a courtyard with birds chirping about, and open balconies wrapping around the inner courtyard, each level leading to a thin net before the sky, keeping all the birdies inside. We removed our shoes and followed the tour guide (who I think had every intention of speaking clear English; however I don't really know what language was coming out…Avik translated) This mansion is FILLED with the most random stuff!! Everything is huge, a giant billiard table, statue of Queen Victoria, Belgian glass chandeliers and mirrors (20 feet tall!!). There are endless classical marble and bronze structures of hmm where do I start…. Greek and Roman gods, Venus de Milo, women representing each season (summer was there!), women representing each continent (America looked like Pocahontas), busts of George Washington, Christopher Columbus, Augustus, Napoleon Bonaparte, Claudius someone… so lets continue to the sheet-draped antique furniture cluttering the rooms, tables clad in more statues, paintings, vases, and belgian glass something or other-- I called one of these rooms the Beauty and the Beast room*** Walking along the balcony you'd find a statue of a gorilla, then some paintings of Virgin and Child or Immaculate Conception, an oriental vase, a bust of Warren Hastings, a row of live caged birds from Australia or South America (what?!), more oriental vases (like 2 ft tall, some have bamboo or bird depictions, others just blue glaze designs), another gorilla sculpture….all leading you to a room full of an original Ruben, a portrait of Queen Victorias family, The Last Supper, etc. I seriously don't think I saw one 'Indian' themed thing there! Oh! There were also lots of clocks (dad I thought of you the whole time!…and my 1st grade assignment to "count the clocks in your home" and my number reaching like 50 haha) … antique bronze figures, other intricate swirling designs encompassing the clock face, a giant grandfather clock….all these on a much larger scale than the ones I had at home. I bet you're wondering, 'ah i cant wait to see pictures!'… whelp, I regret to inform you that not even blackmail could permit a photographic documentation of my breath-taking experience. Sorry :-( "Photography Prohibited" is quite the trend here in India.
Lets push onto Tagore's house. Rabindranath Tagore was a famous poet (as mentioned before) and I did not know very much about him before my experience here. I seriously recommend that you wikipedia him as he was an extraordinary person. We toured his mansion, stepping barefoot around his old kitchen, writing room, and bedroom (the room he passed in). Tagore's paintings, as well as those of many other Indian artists, are on display within the museum, peppered with his profound quotes. I left feeling very inclined to read some of his stuff. One thing not really related to Tagore is that I had to giggle as we toured the mansion as there are many guards--clad in the full military uniform with a gun--who are all barefoot! Its like a "whats missing?" picture. Taking off your shoes before entering someone's home, holy place, or really any important building for that matter, is customary. Its more fun when the seriously uniformed individuals do it, though.
Phi Collins, our two new friends, and myself went to a late lunch at a local place recommended by Avik. We chatted some more, thanked them for being helpful, and then the other guy asked me to translate a short story into Spanish so he could practice (so cool!). We bid them farewell and headed to the jam packed, sweaty metro, only to say goodbye to Phil, as his train left in a few hours. This was probably one of the strangest goodbyes I've had as Colleen and I were essentially pushed off the metro while saying "bye Phil we love y--"…mob of people gets on the metro, phil disappears within the crowd while the doors slide shut and the metro speeds away…leaving Colleen and I waving on the platform, cracking up because an Indian metro experience will never be normal.
Oh Kali Temple, how we have waited to see the great Kali Temple! You gotta give Colleen and I some props for this insane amount of sight seeing! I'm on my last leg but I leave the next morning and I reallllly wanted to see this famous three-eyed, angry goddess, inside the Hindu temple. Ugh, we arrive, its shoulder to shoulder crowded, we are instantly spotted and shoved thru the line by a guide (we tried to say no but the floods of people just kind of pushed us his way!) We saw the statue of Kali for about 3 seconds, threw some flowers at her, got a bindi (dot on the forehead), then proceeded to some tree where you give more flowers in honor of your siblings and parents (so barb and jim, you got double the love on this one) and then you make an offering to help feed people who come there to get food everyday. I think we were in there all of ten minutes, walking outside the walls feeling anxious, cheated, and very cranky. I'm glad we got to see it though….???? i think. Im anxious to see some other temples we'll just say :-) Everything is an experience here. Anyways, we bounced back quick and headed home…. got my camera stolen…. then returned…. went home for real…did my laundry (by hand, on hands and knees in the bathroom) and went to bed with my ulnar neuritis all flared up from squeezing clothes. Haha. Probably my most epic day in Calcutta….also my last.
It's been real!
***reference for Disney lovers only
bahaha, love the disney lovers reference.
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