Kolkata, the city that works

India has a sweeping culture. By that, I don't mean that there is a specific domineering set of practices that is being proselytized across the nation. I simply mean Indians sweep. Everyday, every owner of their home, restauraunt, and shop spends a few minutes sweeping the inside and outside of their tidy places. Street sweeping is essential because India has two issues that we do not in Canada: most of India resides in the tropics, and the word "litter" must not exist in Hindi. Regarding the tropics, it is understandable enough because the wind brings the dust to every nook and cranny, leaving a thin (thicker depending on time past!) film of dust over everything. It is the same in Western Africa if I remember correctly. Regarding the latter, I'm sure I have spoken of the garbage issue before, but in Kolkata, it became all the more alive due to the sheer amount of people. The garbage bins I have seen are seldom used despite their written plead, "use me", and when they are used, I believe it is simply dumped in a discrete location. The only dump I have ever seen is one on a side street in Kolkata, but it contains so much food waste (compost) that it is perpetually full of cows, dogs, and birds. The fact is, India's society as a whole simply throws garbage on the ground no matter where they are, expecting that it will get swept! Sweeping is also a must because garbage in the open street drains leads to stagnant water, which can harbour disease. Thus, it is a system that works, (sort of) even though it may seem odd. Perhaps our massive dumps in North America give us more problems than small amounts of garbage evenly distributed (everywhere, as in India). I can think of soil degredation due to leaching of liquid chemicals for one. Anyways, I'll leave that discussion to those with more knowledge on the subject.

Another way Kolkata is a city that works is the contined survival of the poor. There have been so many reasons for the massive amounts of extreme poverty in the city: there was a severe famine in 1943, and the Indian-Pakistani war of 1971 ended in a massive human migration - about 4 million Muslims to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and 1 million Hindus to trade places and come to Kolkata. There has also been a communist government that, in the past, led to economic stagnation, which brought many poor farmers to the city to look for work. This is part of the reason that in Mother Teresa's time, there were so many people simply dying on the street from hunger and sickness that she felt moved to start her Missionaries of Charity work (more on this later). All this to say that my impression today of the city's inner-workings must differ greatly from her time and that of the writer of "City of Joy". Yes, there are so many poor in the city, and yes, there is a stark difference compared to some of the wealth that can be seen (grand British buildings that were built when Calcutta was still the capital of India, until 1911), but they are a surviving and hard-working poor. I don't know how it happens, but from my impression-and I walked right through many slums- most people are not in serious want of food. They are provided for, some say by a miracle of God. Countless people run tiny fruit shops, cobblers offer to shine your shoes, and human rickshaws (two big wheels, a seat, and a person in front pulling) haul people all over the city. They work extremely hard, and though their life is unbelievably strenuous, the city's people continue to exist. It works.

John and I volunteered with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity for 5 days, and it was a truly enriching experience. In the morning I was at Prem Dan, and in the afternoon I was at Kalighat. Prem Dan is a home that provides long term care for men and women suffering from mental illness, leprosy, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and neglect. The men and women are separated, so I worked with the men- there were about 150 in total. Most are elderly, and jobs were very basic, including showering, toiletting, feeding, massaging, and shaving. Everyone sort of found their niche, so to speak, and I found mine in massaging people with chronic pain in their back, legs, arms, or head. Some of these men were suffering so much, yet, they never complained, and were grateful for their current life, which is a lot more than can be said of their life outside the walls of Prem Dan.

The afternoon was spent in Kalighat, which was Mother Teresa's second love (next to Jesus, I presume). It is the home for the dying and destitute that most people associate Mother Teresa's work with. It was the first one she started, and was the place she most felt at home. It serves about 100 men and women who either are sent by hospitals because they are near death, or are physically picked up off the street in one of the Missionary of Charity's emergency vans. Again, the service here was basic, taking them to the bathroom, feeding them, or just talking with them, but it was unbelievable. I helped a nurse everytime she dressed a massive open wound that covered both legs of an old man, who only silently flinched at our touch (I'm sure I would have screamed). Some men were well under 70 lbs, and suffered from TB, HIV/AIDS, and others. Though Kolkata was 40 degrees Celsius in the shade most days, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there simply because of the effect that the work had on me. I began to believe Mother Teresa's view that "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love". I was doing what anyone could do if they had the time and desire (no great thing), yet the simple aid I could give was a form of love that was reciprocated with priceless smiles coming from a grief I could not know.

John and I ended the Kolkata experience by attending a cricket game! The Kolkata Knight Riders vs The Mumbai Indians match happened on April 29th, and we dressed up in rip-off jerseys and flags to cheer on our team (Kolkata of course!). Shah Rukh Khan owns the team, and he made appearances before and after the game on the field. He is to Bollywood even more than what Brad Pitt is to Hollywood. It was great fun, the stadium held about 100 000 people (massive!!). They did the wave, and people were dancing all the time. In the end, Mumbai won by 7 wickets. I wouldn't have known what that means before the match, but now I feel I know the ins ad outs of the sport, which makes me feel that much more Indian!