Greetings from Kolkata, or Calcutta for anyone who took highschool geography before 2001. We sincerely hope that our blog is allowing all our readers to vicariously enjoy India. My name is Nate and this week I’ve been tasked with adding a little bit more to the story. It’s been a fast and furious week for the Shanti group. Last you heard from us we were attempting to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings at the Root Institute in Bodhgaya. Unfortunately no one was succesful but Ford and Chris did give us a wonderful lesson on non-attachement through the removal of their hair.
We left Bodhgaya on the 13th and arrived in Kolkata 15 hours later. Though the train was jam-packed for most the trip (Chris counted 24 people in his eight bunk section at one point) it ran precisely on time, a welcome surprise after some of our past train experiences. We arrived at our home for the week, Baptist Missionary Society, at 4 am but despite the hour we were warmly greeted and given a purgatory room to rest in until later the following morning. Once settled we were all very thankful for clean rooms, showers and comfortable beds to help regain our strength for the week to come.
During this week group Shanti has been volunteering their mornings at different houses of charity run through the Mother Teresa House and the Missionaries of Charity. Emilia and Catherine volunteered at Shanti Don, a women’s house for mentally and physically disabled girls and women. Catherine worked with the girls while Emilia worked with the older women. Women who were judged to be non-criminally insane used to be placed in jails but facilities like Shanti Don offered an alternative to provide the help and care that these women require. Emilia was struck by the distinction between women who had to be there due to physical disablility and those who were placed there by their families. A huge part of the volunteering duties, regardless of the house, was doing laundry and feeding the patients but Catherine commented that the primary goal for her, and I think many others, was to spread love, kindness and physical affection to the patients.
Ford and Chris had the longest commute of all of us, taking busses for an hour twice a day to volunteer their time at the home for disabled boys, Nabo Jiban. Our guys really enjoyed the daily trips, getting to see a lot of Kolkata and feeling like a few fish in the rushing river of the morning commute. Ford and Chris were the only volunteers from Mother House who chose to go to Nabo Jiban during the week we were here, perhaps in part due to the long commute. I personally found their commitment and intrepidness very inspiring, particularly given the fact that Nabo Jiban does not have the wealth of volunteer assistance that some of the other houses have available.
Kate was able to spend the week as a rover, going from house to house on different days. She was impressed by how quickly everyone adapted to their placements and got to see almost everyone (with the exception of Ford and I) in action. Kate made it to Shanti Don, Khalighat and Prem Don throughout the week, giving her the most complete view of anyone in group of the bredth of field that the Missionaries of Charity work within.
Alessandra, Savannah, Dani and I spent the week volunteering at Nirmal Hriday Khalighat, a house for destitute and dying men and women with physical and mental disabilites. Along with the standard duties of washing and drying clothes, feeding, and bathroom assistance the girls really enjoyed singing, colouring, and playing the ukele with the women. Alessandra developed her skills as a masseuse, with one patient in particular encouraging her to give 45-60 minute massages. I was able to do some physical therapy everyday on the mens side with a patient named Jishu. It was really rewarding to see him progress slightly in the short time that we were there.
Savannah summed up the feelings of the group very eloquently, saying that volunteering at a home for destitute and disabled patients was a very eye-opening experience. The first day we were all quite unsure of what to do and nervous in a very foriegn environment. However, like the new situations that we have been presented with all trip long we adapted and rose to the challenge. It was fantastic to see the group confidence and assertiveness grow and to hear each day about all of the different experiences that everyone had had.
Our afternoons were filled with adventures around the city. From Emilia’s acrobatics on the overhead bus bars, Dani and Alessandra ‘dominoing’ into a priest at an unexpected stop, eating Indian sweets, fruits, and some bomb noodles at everyone’s favourite hole in the wall, we feel like we had a diverse array of experiences in Kolkata. On the 19th and 20th we were also able to get out of the city for some R & R on a boat cruise through the Sunderband Tiger Reserve, which at an estimated 400 tigers boasts the largest concentrated amount in the world. Although we didn’t get a glimpse of the magnificient cats “don’t get eaten by a tiger” jokes abounded once we found out that they are excellent swimmers..
I realize that I’ve ran a bit over my word count but there is just so many events and experiences from even one week to condense into a short (not so short) posting. We are flying (!!!) to Dharmshala on the 23rd to stay and study at the Sustainable Living Institute. Until then y’all!
Shanti Shanti Shanti
