On the Road: Calcutta

We reached Calcutta in the wee hours of the morning and made our way to our hotel- the oldest YMCA in Asia with lots of character.

Oldest YMCA in Asia

In the morning we visited Mother Theresa’s burial site and the Mother House where we learned about her amazing life of sacrifice. Then we toured Victoria Memorial which is a beautiful museum filled with history of the British Raj. Finally, we went for kathi rolls- street food at its finest-before enjoying a free afternoon of shopping and relaxing.

Chrissie, Maaike, and Lydia at the Victoria Memorial

  Happy Easter from Calcutta!! Students enjoyed the free day to explore the city.

Megan, Sarah, Maaike, and Chrissie enjoy kathi rolls

 Monday was very busy- first students visited an organization called Sari Bari which rescues women that were caught in sex trade and teaches them how to sew. The women use old torn saris that have been thrown away and create beautiful blankets and bags. The analogy is striking- taking something considered to be broken, useless, and dirty, and transforming it into something beautiful and of value! Students also visited Mother Theresa’s Home for the Dying where thousands of people have come off the street to be taken care of and die in peace. 

On the Road: Kolkata

These past 3 days we have been exploring the chaotic streets of Kolkata! We visited Mother Theresa's Home for the Dying as well as the Motherhouse where she is buried. We were moved to see the ministry that she started and hear about all she did for those that were hurting- over 87,000 people have passed away peacefully in the Home for the Dying since it was first opened!

Other visits include the Victoria Memorial- a beautiful museum that is a fine example of British raj. We also saw a Kali temple and Tagor's house (a famous Indian poet, playwright, and artist). We have enjoyed getting in some good shopping along the streets in our free day. Lots of presents to take home!

We also visited an amazing organization called Sari Bari which rehabilitates women who were trafficked. The organization trains them and enables them to sew beautiful bags, blankets, wallets etc out of old saris. The metaphor is very beautiful and powerful. These saris have been cast off and thrown away. They are torn, used, and broken. The women then use the saris to create something beautiful and valuable. Of course we are all very excited to be able to support this organization and purchase beautiful items with such a rich story.

Victoria Memorial

We are staying in the oldest YMCA in India and in Asia....and you can tell! The place has got character- from breakfast on an old bed to a beautiful wooden staircase to the market right outside the front door!

Victoria Memorial

Ferry ride

Tonight we board the train for Varanasi. Situated along the Ganges river, Varanasi is a holy city for Hindus.

Travel Component: In Pictures

Ready for some train travel!
Most Indians travel on trains and ISP loves taking students along for the ride.

The end of semester trip is always highly anticipated by all of our ISP students. After several months of making Coimbatore their home, they are excited to take their journey to the North and keep learning from inspirational people and new experiences!

 

Checking out a temple.

This time our trip took us to 6 unique cities around incredible India. We started in Chennai, the capital of our home state of Tamil Nadu, and wound our way north to Delhi, home of the famous Taj Mahal.

 

A woman selling flowers for puja outside a temple.

Our first stop was Chennai where we realized that it could in fact get hotter than the sweltering summer climate we were experiencing in Coimbatore. Despite the weather, we had a great time learning about the diverse offerings of the city. Chennai has a rich history of Christianity in India so we took the opportunity to visit where St. Thomas was martyred and buried. 

The site where St. Thomas was martyred.

We also visited Shiamala Baby, a woman who transformed her own abusive past into an organization working to empower women in their own communities. She is one of the many amazing people we meet that our students like to call "cool people doing cool things".

 

Shiamala and the women she works with in a self-help group.

Next on the list was Calcutta, a city that played a prominent role in India's colonial background. We were excited to try kati rolls and spiced chai in clay cups before heading to Sari Bari. This NGO continues to be a highlight for ISP students. It focuses on providing an alternative source of income for women who want to leave the sex industry by teaching them to sew beautiful products from recycled saris. As we toured their workshop and learned about the organization we were encouraged by the courageous stories of the women working there.

 

Enjoying some roadside chai in clay cups.

Filled with twisting alleys and wandering holy men, Varanasi is filled to the brim with nooks and crannies to explore. As the holiest city in India it was the perfect place to learn more about Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Varanasi is famous for its ghats along the river.

On our walking tour we spent hours making our way down the ghats and seeing daily life on the holy river Ganga. Those of us who were early risers saw bathers and dhobis doing laundry on the riverbanks. Then in the evening we all headed to the ghats to watch the Ganga aarti, a fire worship ceremony to the holy river.

 

The daily Ganga aarti.

Of course a trip to the north would be incomplete without making our way to Agra, home of the Taj, and Delhi, the capital of India. Pulling into the train station in the early morning we had  a breakfast of puris before checking out the Agra Fort and the famed Taj Mahal. 

Jumping for joy at the Taj!

The Mughal architecture was stunning and we took the opportunity to not only soak in the history but also to taking some group snaps! Once we made our way to Delhi we took some much needed time to relax and wandered the city - seeing everything from the Lotus Temple to a lively Sufi singing performance at the tomb of a saint.

 

Sufi music at the Nizamuddin Dargah.

Our last destination was Dehradun, a gorgeous hill station nestled in the Himalayan foothills. In addition to debriefing the semester, we visited some organizations in the area focusing on social entrepreneurship and one that mentors Tibetans in the area. 

Riding in rickshaws.

One of the best ways of getting to know someone is over a meal, so we were delighted to share a lunch of buffalo momos with the mentees in the program! Then we spent time with one business that sells beautiful furniture and crafts while partnering with locals to work towards sustainability. And of course our trip would not be complete without some whitewater rafting down the Ganges!

 

Whitewater rafting.

All in all, our end of semester trip was two weeks of insane traveling around and witnessing India's vastness and complexity. We are excited to see how we can continue learning from these experiences! 

On the Road: Calcutta

Sorry for the lack of updates folks but it has been for a good reason! We have been traveling all over India and are currently in the chilly North. We recently spent a few days in Calcutta, which was described by one student as "what you think of when you think of India".

Rolling out parathas for Kati rolls!

While its poverty is undeniably in your face, Calcutta is also overflowing with India's colonial history and a plethora of fascinating sites and experiences. On our first night we had kati rolls, which are parathas stuffed with your choice of filling from paneer to mutton. With this flavorful street food, Calcutta was off to a great start!

The Rama Krishna Mission.

Calcutta is also known for the Kalighat, a temple dedicated to Kali, widely known as the goddess of destruction. So on our first morning we hopped on the metro and made our way over. While some temples in India are quieter, the Kalighat was bustling with early morning devotees. We wandered around taking in the noises and fervent worshipers and some of us were able to witness a goat sacrifice. While it was certainly startling for those who watched, as we reflected later on several of us were reminded of what the true meaning of sacrifice means and what it truly signifies when we say that Jesus was sacrificed for us.

A roadside shrine.

We also visited Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying and the Motherhouse, her home in Calcutta. We were struck by the beauty of her ministry and how much one person was able to accomplish. Another highlight was Sari Bari, an NGO dedicated to providing an alternative livelihood for women who no longer want to participate in prostitution. They do this by teaching the women to sew and create beautiful handmade sari blankets. Our students came away inspired by the work that the staff and women do!

Our next stop was Varanasi - one of India's holiest cities. Keep an eye out for our next post!

On the Road: Calcutta

We can hardly believe our first ever semester of ISP is in its final two weeks! Sometimes it seems as though time crawled, and sometimes it seemed to have flown. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 am, we'll say goodbye to our homes away from home and hello to two weeks on the road. 

First stop: Calcutta. Home of Kali, the goddess of destruction, the former capital of British India (one of them, anyway) and Mother Theresa's Home for the Destitute and Dying and the work of Sisters of Charity.

We've got 3 and half days in Calcutta, and are looking forward to visiting sites related to each of these claims to fame. We're also quite excited to be visiting with a non-governmental organization called Sari Bari, which works to rehabilitate women formerly employed in Calcutta's booming sex trade.

To say we've been looking forward to travel component is a tremendous understatement. Many of our students are huge fans of Mother Teresa (or, "Mama T," as she is sometimes known), and visiting Sisters of Charity is bound to be a highlight of our semester!

We'll keep you all updated as we travel these next few weeks. As always, thanks for reading. And romba thanks, Tamil Nadu, for being such a great home state for the past three months! 

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