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First week in Calcutta

Sat 17th Oct 2009 — drew
image(s): 
crumbling colonial building
financial buildings
law courts
Hooghly river
Calcutta street view
visiting the clinics
visiting the clinics
Hindu Gods for Diwali celebrations
Diwali preparations
Drew in the office

We had Sunday after we arrived to get our bearings and have a look around the city. So we walked up to the old central area around Dalhousie square. This is where all the impressive, old colonial buildings which are slightly crumbling in places but the courts and financial buildings are still in use and being restored. Walking around the city can be quite hectic – getting across the roads jammed with rickshaws, ambassador taxis, hundreds of buses and then trams can be quite an ordeal and frequently reminded us of the computer game 'frogger'. However, the streets don't feel too imposing and we feel quite safe walking about.

The office generally starts work around 10 and Drew was in immediate demand as soon as he arrived. There is an IT technician in the office but he has had no formal training and has just picked everything up on the job after a volunteer showed him the basics. He has managed to do an amazing job keeping the system going but it is starting to fall apart and he has been reduced to fighting fires with no time to tackle the source of the problems. With only 2 weeks in Calcutta, Drew has had a tough job trying to work out the best route forward but has some good ideas and the staff are generally very receptive to the suggestions.

On Wednesday, all of the new volunteers were taken on a tour of the projects. This was a very interesting/moving experience to see what the work we are doing is going towards. The charity manages to run many clinics in hap-hazard situations from a few solid buildings, school car parks, wooden lean-to's to a canvas tent which is used for the leprosy clinic which has to be dismantled everyday due to the stigma still attached to leprosy (no-one would allow a permanent leprosy clinic in their neighbourhood). Through all this, they provide specialist diabetes, HIV, TB, leprosy and mother and child clinics as well as general medical care and education to the most needy.

Whilst Drew was being bombarded from all directions about all the IT issues, Heather had a slightly slow and frustrating start to the week as the final details of how/when/where she was to be working were ironed out. We have managed to arrive at a busy time with many of the long term (9month+) posts being handed over to new volunteers and in the run up to a big fund-raising event. However, Heather has now started working in the school for street children helping to teach English and computers to the kids and teachers. This also means a half hour commute on the busy metro in the morning to work in the make-shift school which has no fans and very few facilities – making it very hot and sweaty. The children are all very enthusiastic and eager to learn.

This week has been the run up to the big Diwali festival and also a fund-raising photographic exhibition for the charity. The exhibition was held in the Oberoi hotel which is an incredibly grand hotel, providing an oasis of calm, in the centre of the city. A photographer had spent a few months in Calcutta with the organisation taking photos of their work. The resulting photos really captured the emotions, conditions and atmosphere of the work and provided a very moving display. It was also a chance for all of the volunteers to get dressed up and be treated to wine and nibbles in a grand setting. We enjoyed our first glass of white wine since leaving the UK; the wine here is still very expensive but we were drinking Indian wines which were really very palatable (to our unaccustomed tongues anyway!).

We have been watching the preparations for Diwali (festival of lights) reach their climax with big temporary structures built from cane and bamboo appearing all over the city – these are covered with newspaper and decorated to look like temples. Huge figures of all the different Hindu Gods have been created which are worshipped before being thrown in the river and little candle holders have been for sale all round the city. There is an air of anticipation around so we are waiting to see what this all build up to over the weekend and holiday on Monday. As usual with India, we are fairly sure it will prove to be colourful, crazy, chaotic and, probably at times, slightly alarming!