City of Joy?

(Text below written by Usha Alexander in Oct 05. For pictures and more, click here.)

Calcutta is a difficult city to be in. With its illustrious past as the one-time heart of the British Empire in India, its seemingly endless roster of lettered luminaries, social activists, freedom fighters, entertainers, and scientists, with lush tropical forests and fields along the Gangetic delta as its backdrop, the city has long since fallen into a sad state of decay, where it stubbornly remains. More than in any other major Indian city, the grind of poverty, pollution, and desperation were front and center at all times during our visit. It felt like a city left behind. But people with close ties to Calcutta maintain that its intellectual life and revolutionary spirit are not dead. Given that its culture and education system still produce a disproportionate number of India's scholars and artists even today, I suppose that must be true. Unfortunately, this isn't evident to the casual visitor. What I saw were the destitute widows of the Calcutta cliché—society's refuse—and sidewalks lined with sleeping families pickling themselves in the thick, black exhaust of autos, cars, and buses.

We went during Durga Puja, the region's most spectacular festival. At this time, every neighborhood constructs a pandal that depicts Durga, flanked by other gods, slaying a demon. For days these doll-like statues are fussed over, dressed up, prayed at, entered into competitions, and then with great fanfare and emotion, they are foisted into a nearby lake or river to dissolve back into the mud from which they were made. All day long during the week of the puja, loudspeakers all over the city hysterically amplify the beating of drums or sacred recitations—with interludes of film music—for those who somehow manage to retain their hearing. Frankly, to me the whole thing felt like just one arduously long, painfully loud puja, and I did not find it all that charming. Still, the joyful and festive spirit of the participants was frequently evident.

On the final evening of the puja, as we waited down by the riverside to watch the procession of revelers dunk their idols, a small fishing boat pulled up and deposited a freshly dead human corpse on the bank, then sailed off (perhaps to avoid getting embroiled with the authorities). It was the body of a handsome young man, not more than 20, strong and flush with health, except for being dead. He appeared to have been fished up from the river, perhaps a young fisherman, drowned, wearing nothing but a soggy dhoti, which now was coming undone. Lying face down, the body had gone stiff with rigor mortis; his nose still leaked blood into the dark muddy bank. The body was left directly in the path of the merry-makers who, refusing to let their enthusiasm be tempered, simply chose to dance around the corpse, careful not to step on it. At this moment, the whole spectacle turned surreal for me: the dancing-clapping jubilation of the devout holding up their glossy-painted, ornamented idols built of myth and mud as they surrounded the awkward, still corpse made of real flesh, the boy with a face but without a story. I found it vulgar; it was too severe, too human, too emptying.

Comments

[Swapna]

Oh, that's just so sad. Shows how much value human life has in India.

[sandipan]

when will u western people learn to value others tradition!?
Whats "fussy" in your eyes, may be of high sentimental value to us Indians...
Whats vulgar to you, may be very decent to us...
Hindus believe in the theory of worshiping FAITH. And the idols we worship are the symbols of faith.
Why do we find so many statues of Jesus in your churches? Are they not idols. And why do the people at the churches make so much "FUSS" over the idol of Jesus, a mere human being, who made a lot of false claims of being a miracle maker?

Also you mention life in Calcutta is dead and difficult! Why do you westerners always see the so called sad side when you visit our land? Next time if u visit our city, open ur colored contact lenses and if possible the snobbish white skin. And then u will see the good side of the city called Calcutta.

The vulgar and aggressive society that u were born in to has colored ur eyes to the extent that u no longer seem to see anything beyond what u see with ur eyes! Also u people think that materialistic pleasure is the source of ultimate happiness. But here in India we think its the satisfaction of mind that gives one ultimate happiness. Even with the highest number of poor people on earth, India's gross Happiness Product is much higher than that of Americas(the country with the highest number of riches)!
If wanna reply to this comment of mine then mail me at:

sandipan.ece@gmail.com
sandipan.cts@gmail.com

[VIctoria]

This was so sad ! It really opens my mind !

<3 Victoria