A 'Calcuttic' experience!

I always get confused on what to do when I have too much to do. So, right now I have too much to blog about our trip to India, I am lil confused on where to begin. Though being with loved ones was itself so much fun, since we wanted more... my darling hubby took me to Sikkim and Darjeeling, along with a roam around in Calcutta.

I guess I had too much imagined about Calcutta, being a metro and all. (I regretted that later!...I should have had an open mind.) Seeing my awe-struck (definitely shock!) face, my hubby said, 'This is Calcutta'.

Hmm.. let me see..
Porters at the Howrah railway station cruising though ya indifferent even if you are a kid , an aged person, a handicapped person or even a pregnant lady,

Homeless men,women and children sleeping on either side of the road in the heart of the city,

River Ganges pipelined on the sides of the road - flowing in all spectra other than purity - for people to bathe,

Women wearing nothing around their necks for the fear of chain-snatchers,

Public transportation called a bus - reduced to a 50 year old box with pot-holes (literally!) on the floor,

Strikes and Bandhs in the blink of an eye,

Finally, I came in terms with reality... ' This is Calcutta'.

Maybe because I am a Chennaite and had lived in B'lore for a while, I had expected too much. Maybe only a few crore Indians are lucky enough to be in a place they dream.

Trips from Calcutta to Gangtok and Darjeeling were great too... Darjeeling was not worth mentioning... we dint even had to wear a sweater...It was hot.. :(

Gangtok was clean, simple and elegant. Still no sweater... no cool weather!..

Back from the trips, it dawned on me, why Calcutta is special when I visited the 'Mother House' the next day.It is special because the Angel of care and kindness chose Calcutta. It was a dream come true for me when I set my foot on the very same places where Mother Theresa did. I don't think I could ever describe how I felt. Meeting Mother Nirmala was overwhelming too. She resembled a lot like Mother Theresa, in her kindness in her stature and in her pure serving heart.

Finally When I was leaving Calcutta on a train back to Chennai, Calcutta didn't seem so ugly after all.