An Addendum: Photos Not Seen

Hello again.

I am now home and with my wonderful children and consummate husband. The airplane ride was long and uneventful (which is a good thing).

I am slowly wrapping my head around our adventure in India and what’s funny is that our trip seems like a dream. While driving down the street I had the thought, “was I really just in INDIA?” In a few more days I think everything will fall into place in a logical, coherent way.

I said that I was not going to post anything else to this blog but I felt the need to publish a few more of my photos. These are images that I couldn’t post while in Kolkata because I could not change their orientation. These photographs are some of my favorites for various reasons such as my own quirkiness or the strength of the image. I promise, no moralizing. Enjoy!

…”lions laying down with lambs…” This is a classic example of peaceful coexistence but with animals. Who knew the principles of the great peace makers of the world would be put into practice by cats, dogs, and crows?  We saw examples of this kind of animal “interaction” in different parts of the city. It was really strange to see dogs and cats lounging about near each other without the least hint of territoriality. I think it has something to do with the society and how the Indian people appeared to not interact with the pack dogs (especially). My guess is (and it is only a guess) that the dogs–which roamed everywhere–have learned to be mostly self-sufficient and thus  not aggressive in any way.  They didn’t beg, nuzzle, or engage us or anyone that we saw near them uninvited. It was truly fascinating.

 

 

 

This is another animal picture that I think is just classic. The two cats look as though they are hoping the bird will just drop dead into their mouths! I think I’m going to print this one out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I took this picture discreetly while at one of the homes of a famous Raj. I believe she thought I was taking a picture of the pillars only. I love this photograph because she looks quite dignified in, by the way, a sari that matches the pillars she is standing next to. I am definitely printing and framing it….

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love flowers! When I see beautiful flowers with bold, electric colors, I have to add it to my photographic collection. One of the things that I can say about the JU campus is that in certain areas there are some of the most beautiful (and large) Hydrangeas that I have ever seen; this is one of them. If only I could actually grow my own and have them live I would be a happy woman!

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t she beautiful? And the flowers with their bold colors surrounding her….priceless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited the Ganges and this man (along with others) was washing his clothes. The river is vast and as many of you know, is considered sacred by most in India. When we were standing on stairs that descended straight into the river (there is no “beach” in the area we were) we could see the vastness of it. We were duly impressed. We joked about taking a swim in it. I’m sure as soon as our faces touched the water we would have died right there. Swimming in the Ganges, for those weak of constitution (us) and no microbe adaptation (us again) is just a bad idea all around since it is one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the buildings on the campus of Jadavpur. I like its rustic quality and the faded yet bold color choices that were made. Very Indian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I am truly done.

Peace.

Bon Voyage Kolkata….

Hello everyone;

It is Saturday morning and I’ve just finished booking my return flight from here to Heathrow in London and then to Dulles.  Hitting the confirmation button on the British Airway booking site felt like a relief. I am ready to come home.

As many of you know or may have gathered from the few entries that  I have managed to write,  I have very mixed feelings about Kolkata.  First the good stuff.

Dinner at Ipshita's house! Here are some of her students that have been with us throughout our visit. One has interviewed us on JU radio, others have shown us around the city. They are the best!

I have been asked by many of you about the students and faculty at Jadavpur that I have encountered during my two weeks. Those that I have met personally, talked with, shared coffee and a meal with, and lectured to are most outstanding. I have befriended so many students who are brilliant, engaged, and intellectually and artistically well-rounded. They have made us dinner, taken us shopping, laughed with us, and asked many questions about the U.S.  In the classes that I’ve lectured, Obama always came up. They LOVE Obama here! Even out on the streets of Kolkata every so often, someone would see me (that wasn’t staring at my hair) and say “OBAMA”! I couldn’t help but feel proud about what we Americans had accomplished and the sense that other peoples of the world knew that we were finally living up to certain ideals regarding equality. Back on planet Kolkata, I gave away Obama buttons and stickers to many of the students and would see them around campus displaying their buttons  proudly on their book bags and clothes. The  expectations are as high here as they are among many Americans. 

Most of the students that I’ve come to know and developed a relationship were through Ipshita whom I’ve come to discover is more radical and “Indian hippie” than I first realized. These students did not care that I was an African American, in fact, it seemed an asset when talking about the Black experience, music, and literature.  I will add however, that it was a little disheartning that they’d  never heard of Public Enemy! BOOM! Out came my IPOD and then they understood the righteous power of Chuck D and the S1Ws.

Now the downside, which all of you already know so I’ll try to be brief.  The disparities between the haves and have nots is beyond anything that I have ever seen in person. In fact, by the end of this week I found myself no longer giving pat academic “answers” to this problem (they are still important) but rather found myself focusing on the spiritual. This is a spiritual problem as I see it.  I am not speaking of religion, because it is religion (primarily) that has been the medium by which these inequalities were created and persist.

I got to this intellectual/spiritual “space” through yet another encounter with street children when we were leaving a restaurant one night. A little girl started asking me for my doggy bag and pointing to her mouth, she then grabbed my arm and began pulling me.  How did I respond? I tore my arm away in anger! I wasn’t angry at her per se, I was angry that I couldn’t give her anything because our guide told us “it would only encourage them”.  I began to see how easy it is to ignore another human beings’ plight, its like a gravitational force pulling one in, imperceptibly at first and then one becomes a part of what sustains the system as it is. However, I do understand why our gracious hosts and guides told us not to give them anything. Giving street children or poor widowed women money or food here and there does not fix “the system”. It takes a collective will at the local, state,  and national levels to come up with viable solutions that will help millions of people, not just one or two inconsistently.  

Here at Jadavpur many of the faculty (Ajyit, Sashwati, Ipshita, Sushiel, and others) are working diligently to create an educational system, similar to our community college system, that will begin to channel adults into workforce development and remedial education. This is why we came. Bob and Valerie are workforce development and technology education and I, arts and sciences undergraduate education for those who are not just the “cream of the crop”. Through collaboration with the VCCS it is hoped that this system will become established and ultimately reduce poverty. It will take a herculean effort on the part of everyone.

There is more that I can say, both good and bad, but I will leave it for the many discussions I will have in Richmond.  I am glad that I’ve experienced Kolkata. I am glad that I’ve transcended my own day to day and have seen a culture that is grappling with its socio-cultural identity and place in the world. I am left feeling more grateful for what I do have and at the same time more aware of the urgent needs of so many.

I thank you all for reading my blog.  Say a prayer for our safe return home.

Peace.

More Random Photos!

This picture was from our first full day in Kolkata; we attended a parade of the founding of the Republic! There was an overabundance of people in attendance as well as an overabundance of military regiments marching down the street. Believe me, I have a bunch of pictures from the different branches of the Indian military!

These guys are Gurkhas. Gurkhas are from Nepal and Northern India. They come from the Gorkha region of Nepal. They served bravely with the British and then Indian military. What Ienjoyed most about watching each Gurkha military “band” pass was the culturally recognizable “soul” they had while marching. When they played their bagpipes they dipped to one side over and over, it was kind of like watching a Black college (HBCU) marching band! Thy weren’t “breaking it down” (like we say) and doing the latest dance steps of Nepal but they certainly were very entertaining to watch.

This is a float from the same parade. It was a float about women’s empowerment. In fact, on the back of the float was a giant cage with a giant woman running out of it. I took this picture at this angle because I really liked the colors.

This is another woman at Ushagram looking on at our group while we stood around admiring the cloth making.

 

 

 

I meant to put this picture before the woman above, but that’s ok. This is another image from the Republic parade of the children’s procession. I found this little boy (or girl-sometimes the hair is short making it hard to tell) sign compelling. After being here for two weeks I now understand the great–seemingly insurmountable–need to save India’s children.

On one of our morning walks we tripped–no wait–we were herded into yet another market. This market had fish, chicken, and other items. The guy in this photo took great pleasure having me take a picture of him holding this chicken. I felt sorry for the chicken because it does not realize that it’s life was soon to be over.  And for all of you meat eaters–like myself–who say things like “I love animals, they’re delicious”, watch one get slaughtered like I did, its pretty disturbing.

Last one for today. Last night I attended a theatre training workshop facilitated by a New Yorker named Josephine Baez. I was in the Arts and Sciences building waiting to lecture to Ipshita’s class again when I saw her. What! Another black woman? Here? When our eyes met, it was like two people who had been lost in a desert for days finding water! But wait! What if she wasn’t from the West then similarities would only be skin deep. When she saw me her eyes lit up. We touched, we laughed, and shared  “alien in India”  stories. Sigh. She too has been stared at because of her hair (probably more than me) and had it up to here (my hand is now touching my forehead).

Anyway, here is a shot of her teaching one of the English major students about the right way to move her body.

 

 

 

Peace.

Random Photos…Part 1

Here are some photographs of the various places that we have been and the things that we have seen. Note: it appears–from my end–that the text does not stay with the photographs. Please excuse this technical glitch (if you see it on your end) because I cannot seem to fix the problem.

The women are making bedsheets and other fabrics to sell. One of the items is a bedsheet for a bride (the daughter of one of the women) and groom.

Indian coffee is sooo good!

I really like the colors in this overhang. Very vibrant.

A little girl from the Ushagram village. She was so cute I had to take her picture.

Random Photos…Part 2

Here are more photographs for your viewing pleasure:

Valerie and Sashwati riding in a Rickshaw. We were waiting at a train crossing.

Here is a very human example of the endemic poverty that I talked about previously that exists here in Kolkata.

This little boy was tapping on our car window and pointing to his mouth. He wanted us to give him Rupees so that he could eat. We were told that many children of the underclass are used as a part of a “racket” by adults. They collect money and then hand it over to a parent or adult “handler” waiting nearby. Be that as it may, every time I see these children–which is frequent–I cannot help but see the loss of human potential.  It is cliche but it is true, this little boy could be the person who finds the cure for AIDS or cancer, but more than likely he will grow up to be a shoe cobbler, a ditch digger, or nothing at all.

How many people get around northern Kolkata. Of course they are being driven at high speed. Going slow is NOT AN OPTION!

Here we are in Ushagram standing in the food procesing section of the cooperative. Don’t we all look happy?

Lions and Tigers and Dreds…Oh My!

Hello everyone;

Before I am without access to the internet again I must confess to you something that has been very burdensome while here in Kolkata. Since my arrival I have been subject to very intense stares. Men, women, children, the old and the young have taken a great interest in me. Everywhere that I go, and I do mean everywhere, people stop and stare at me. People stare at me as they pass by, when the are sitting and chatting, when they are riding in their cars, or their motorcycles. It isn’t the sensual, “I-want-you” kind of stare but rather the “two-headed-baby-in-the-jar” kind of stare.

I spoke to Ipshita about this because to be honest with you , I was at my wits end. You cannot imagine being stared at like this,  if I hadn’t come here I wouldn’t have thought it possible. Ipshita told me that it is my hair, my dred locs. She said that I look Indian in the face but my hair is not Indian, therefore people are thrown off by me. Fair enough. She told me to wear my hair pulled back and under a scarf.

Soul sista rockin' a scarf in Kolkata!

The next day I wore a scarf.  I went outside, on campus to try this new social experiment in invisibility, and frankly, it did not work.

I tried pulling my locs back in a tight bun, wearing different scarves, all to no avail. I am still stared at. It could be that I am the only black person in a city of 16 million (an exaggeration of course, there are at most 3 of us) Indians, Nepalese, and others; that alone makes me exotic or just strange (is strange just another word for exotic?). In the end, there is nothing that I can do to diminish myself so I’ve given up the invisibility social experiment. Bring on the spotlight!

So, to all you outsiders, non-comformist, and all around rebels, raise your Freak Flag high and rock your locs!

Ushagram…Part 2

When creating scarves and sheets, a design is pressed on a long cloth and then wax is painted where they want a white color.  To the left is a woman painting wax onto a design.

 

Then the cloth is dyed in large pots that have recycled rainwater.

 

 

 

 

The finished product.

I hope to post more pictues soon.

Ushagram…Part 1

Entranceway into the cooperative.

As promised. Here are a few photographs from our trip to Ushagram. For those of you who did not read about our trip to Northern Kolkata, please read the post below. Enjoy!

One of the women graduates who continue to work at the cooperative.

Our Morning Walk…Part 2

Different kinds of lentils. Yummy!

Here are more photographs of the open air markets near campus. I hope the pictures are clear because I cannot really see them on the screen that I am using. Enjoy!

Folks milling about.

I Am Here!

Hello everyone!

Many of you have written wonderful comments about my blog and I thank you for it; however, I cannot respond to the comments because it takes so much effort to get access to the internet and post for the day. Please know that I am reading your comments and if I do not answer your questions in the blog, I plan to give a presentation when I return to campus. It will be a lot easier.

Ushagram: Since I last posted, many things have happened such as a trip to northern Kolkata to Ushagram. Ushagram, which means “sunrise village” houses a women’s cooperative where scarves, bedshets, and other Indian garments are made. There is also a honey processing facility and a food processing plant. These items are sold in local markets and at a counter in the village.

Many of the people who work there do so for their entire lives because it provides them a sustainable living for themselves and their families. In the vilage there is a primary/middle school, a hospital, and various other institutions that serve the needs of the community.

If you’re wondering about pictures I do have some wonderful ones but the computer that I am on will not download them. As soon as I find another computer I will show you Ushagram and some of its peoples.

Other things:

Sickness: Beth will love this (unless she knows already). My travel companions and I have been very sick for the past 2-3 days.  This is the main reason why I haven’t posted anything, the other reason is that there has been no internet access at all.

What I’ve found is that no matter what we mere mortals do to protect ourselves, microbes are way smarter.  Even though we took extra precautions, we all came down with something very, very nasty. I’ll spare you the grim and humiliating details but I think it is important to say that we Americans take many things for granted and one is the regular Western style toilet. When one is explosively ill a hole in the floor just won’t do. My friends, when I catalog my life experiences and I recount in vivid detail the hole in the floor, I can say with certainty and maybe a bit of pride, “been there, done that”.

We are now on the mend, the three of us, and will be back on schedule tomorrow afternoon; yet, our illness has prevented us from doing some pretty interesting things. Maybe the rest of the week will make up for the lost days.

Saraswati Puja: All of you saw the picture of the goddess Saraswati statues. Well, for the past 3 days there has been great preparation for the recognition of the goddess of learning and knowledge. As I write, right now there are students screaming and yelling, blowing horns, beating drums, and parading around the campus with the statue of Saraswati. I do have some great pictures of the puja (worship) and I will put them up. Here on campus I see Saraswati as the goddess of good grades because students bring books and other academic items to the Brahmin (the one who leads the puja) so that he can lay the books at her feet. They believe that Saraswati will bless their books and thus bless their academic endeavors.

Saraswati is not only believed to be influential in the acquistion of knowledge, she is also somehow linked to music and dance. She is certainly a humanities and arts oriented goddess. This is why there is so much drumming and noise going on right now, but last night it was literally “battle of the stereo systems”. On every corner of the campus Hindi music of all genres was playing at full volume until 3 am.Hindi hip-hop, Hindi folk, Hindi pop, the list goes on and on. The kids had (and are still having) a great time.

I’m going to stop here because the post is getting too long especially since there are no pictures to break things up. I will post again as soon as I can.

Peace.