Kolkata aka 'The City of Joy'

If id have written this a few days ago like I had intended it would be somehow different! It would probably have started like this aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. But we’ve been in Kolkata over a week now and we have started to settle in.

This city is also known as the ‘city of joy’ and at first I really couldn’t understand this. I have never in my life seen or imagined such poverty. There is no such thing as space. Every square inch of the city is occupied by a person or a family. People sleep in the middle of the street, side by side with stray dogs. Babies are just sleeping on the pavement and busy crowds are stepping over them…

We are staying in a guest house in the middle of the city. It’s a little spooky. Next to a huge church. James and I are living in a small room at the top of a funny tower. Very weird but its becoming home!

We have met with our organisation which sounds very interesting. We are working for the West Bengali Public Services for AIDS Control. The organisation is the biggest HIV/AIDS org in India. They fund many NGO’s and it’s within these NGO’s we are based. One is called ‘Social and Community Intervention and Research’. This is where we will be spending a great deal of our time. Basically they work with those most at risk of becoming HIV+. (Mainly sex workers and injecting drug users.)

The centre is based in the middle of a huge slum. There is also a school at the top of the centre for the children to attend. It’s a place for the children to go to play, learn, eat and generally be children. They all live in shacks built with cardboard and tarpaulin on the railway lines. Most of their fathers are alcoholics and there is domestic violence within the ‘home’. The school is a place for them to have fun. We spend a few mornings a week helping out there.

The rest of the centre is dedicated to adults who are mainly HIV+. There is counseling, medical services, group work and vocational training for the men (leather making and screen printing). However, there is no vocational training for the women. This is where I am hoping to help out. We are starting a group for the women. Bead making (like the beautiful paper ones in Uganda) and general crafts. The women will then sell them in the local tourist markets. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes as of course it’s early days.

James is working in the research department of the organisation, plus the Public Services Office want to use his skills so he’s going to be splitting his time with them.

We are looking forward to diving into the work. However we have had a minor set back in the shape of a shitty virus! James has had a temperature and aches and chills but the doc’s pumped him full of drugs and he’s getting better. It does mean he’s spent the last 2 days in bed though!

So apart from that… Things are good. Kolkata is a crazy place but I am beginning to see why it is called the city of Joy. People may be very poor but everyone smiles and people are friendly to each other. Plus there is a lot of chai stalls which makes me happy! There is so much to see and do I do not think we’ll get bored in the next 3 months! I hope all is well at home and everyone is getting ready for Christmas. We are getting out of the city and spending some time in Sikkim at the base of the Himalayas, I can’t wait for fresh air!