Kolkata has a different vibe than the rest of the places we visited in India. Its pulse is similar to New York’s, with the tons of yellowy-orange taxicabs filling the streets, the sounds of honking (which seem louder in this town), and the general hustle and bustle on the streets. It’s definitely city life in this town, and I forgot how much I miss New York.
On the 27th, a small group of us went to the Victoria Memorial, created to honor Queen Victoria. We had a brief visit of St. Paul’s Church. I enjoyed some time on my own in the streets of this city, walking the sidewalks, avoiding the pushy sales-people that line the streets. I had a great time at the Oxford Bookstore, browsing through Bengali writers like Tagore and Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. I was on the hunt for Bengali-English titles for my school, but unfortunately only found a few Bengali comics.
The afternoon was a City Tour, beginning with St. John’s Cathedral, then Rabinadrath Tagore’s house. It was wonderful seeing Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, seeing the sisters continue her work.
The night was complete when Debbie and I went to the Inox Forum mall to watch Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a Hindi movie about a bachelor party in Spain. This was my third, and only successful attempt at purchasing movie tickets (they sell out and you get assigned seats). We had a great time eating popcorn, watching the Hindi commercials, and deciphering the movie. I’d say we understood about 70% of the film, but missed out on the jokes as the entire theater (except us) laughed. A few things about Indian cinema: 1. The movies are long…. It started at 7:50 and didn’t finish till almost 11pm. 2. The volume of the sound is extremely loud. 3. You can freely talk on your cell phone during the movie (which may account for #2). 4. You are free to bring babies and kids who may scream, cry, or talk during the film (again see #2). 5. There is intermission (another chance to get more popcorn). Overall, I loved the cinema experience and hope to see one more film, time permitting, before I leave.
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