More Kolcutta!
After a lazy day watching cable TV we caught the Metro down to Kalighat, the red light area of town to the children’s home. Our landmark was the Kali temple which is very famous and decapitates goats now and then. We found that eventually and then found the Mother Teresa home for the Destitute and the Dying. The area here is one of the worst I have seen in India, there a people dying in the streets, literally, out side the home. We thought we were meeting Max in here so we went in. The floor was full of little cots with very, very ill looking people. A lot looked like they were about to die. It was a buzzing place with lots of nuns and nurses around and volunteers showing people around. It turned out that the staff did not know who Max was but then one lady knew him and told us he worked across the street.
We went back out front and met Max again who took us to New Life, way down these tiny little alleys, very dark and confusing.
The kid’s home was absolute frenzied mentalness, about 45 kids from 1 to 16 odd, most under 10 though all just going bonkers having a good time. It was a special day today so no lessons. We stayed and watched a while and talked to a few kids and then meet the project manager, Arnab, and chatted to him and his sister who set the place up a few years back.
They told us about the kids and the work they do and that they were the children of prostitutes who have an even harder time than regular kids. The place gave them somewhere to go and do homework, get help, learn English etc. They had lots of volunteers due to being in an American news paper and a Spanish one and being totally bombarded with people to work with them from all over the world. Max for example was 19 and had never been to a city before Calcutta!! We said that we were off to Darjeeling the next day but would be back in a few weeks and would be on for a few days at the school if that was OK, Arnab said that was cool and to buzz in when we got back.
We made our way home and started thinking about Darjeeling the next day.
We went back out front and met Max again who took us to New Life, way down these tiny little alleys, very dark and confusing.
The kid’s home was absolute frenzied mentalness, about 45 kids from 1 to 16 odd, most under 10 though all just going bonkers having a good time. It was a special day today so no lessons. We stayed and watched a while and talked to a few kids and then meet the project manager, Arnab, and chatted to him and his sister who set the place up a few years back.
They told us about the kids and the work they do and that they were the children of prostitutes who have an even harder time than regular kids. The place gave them somewhere to go and do homework, get help, learn English etc. They had lots of volunteers due to being in an American news paper and a Spanish one and being totally bombarded with people to work with them from all over the world. Max for example was 19 and had never been to a city before Calcutta!! We said that we were off to Darjeeling the next day but would be back in a few weeks and would be on for a few days at the school if that was OK, Arnab said that was cool and to buzz in when we got back.
We made our way home and started thinking about Darjeeling the next day.
posted by Fionn at 12:01 AM
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