My journey to India. Feelings, photos and short stories on acute topics in my life. Since September 1st 2005 I've studied in Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC). The blog is to keep in touch and share my life with people who care and whom I love.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Day 9: First trip outside - Digha

16:20 The bus is leaving Esplanade Station, Kolkata. After waiting for an hour. They cheated us with the price of the tickets, 150rs instead of 90. Just lied with an honest face, that its more expensive because its express or something and stops only once and its got videos! Its raining like hell and I'm feeling cold. And thus, pissed off. Come to India and catch a flu!

Soon things get back to perspective (Kaisuli HUOM!) - naked kids playing happily with some garbage in the dirt. I feel ashamed.

21:20 The Bus arrives in Digha. The ride is rather comfortable. We call it the "Disco-bus" because of loud music and Bollywood-music videos. In urban India everything is loud.
The bus stops in each small village of course, but it doesn't matter. I'm happy! I use the new iPod. Its brand new and white and beautiful.

The music tip of the day: Listen ro Ron Sexsmiths "Cobblestone Runway" -album. Incredible music!

Touts (the guys who get small provision of taking travelers into certain hotels/stores etc...) are pretty easy in Digha. One "No" is enough and we take the hotel we want without any persuasing.

Getting the room and the price settled was a Kampf between a German and Indian mind. Sandra had to give up this time. Others were laughing. In India you have to feel relaxed. Its not always easy, but I'm quite satisfied with my performance and actually starting to like some oddities :-)

23:27 By the sea at last! High tide, half moon and the waves are impressive. The tallest ones rush over the wall!

00:30 Mum calls. Nice to talk back to home. Everything is all right!

Day 9: Mantra

I really like the course "Managerial Effectiviness & Human Values". The lecturer, rather charismatic speaker, described it like an adventure, which of course sounds funny to you - you cynics, relax - but sounded very interesting.

In nutshell, the idea of the course is to mix human values, psychology, old Indian mythology, spirituality and art of living (not THE "Art of Living) to modern business management. Its offered by the special "Management Center for Human Values" stationed here by the IIMC. Very interesting and captivating. We even ended the lecture with a brief meditation exercise. There's something coming...

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Day 8: Nothing happened

Yes, its true.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Day 7: Experiencing Kolkata

At 21:30 we stay in the middle of the Ghat (a Hindu-bathing place; basically wide stairway descending to the water) by the river Hooghly (a daughter to the holy Ganga). A surreal feeling standing here in the middle of the city that most people would consider one big slum.

The river is the center of all; its a place to wash yourself and the dishes, its the trash container and the sewer. Its the road and its an obstacle. Next to the ghat stands a temple of Kali called Badabazoo and a priest comes to talk to us. Tapan Ku Panda from Puri stays here with his colleagues taking care of worship on this temple.

The area near the Howrah bridge is famous for its fish- and flower market. We just visit the flower market, where different smells and scents mix in a lovely way. Well let's not be too modest; its basically shit and Lotus. The wonderful scent of Lotus fortunately winning.

Its raining a bit; people seem poor but happy. By 10pm streets are full of people sleeping just wherever. On the other side of the bridge vegetables and flowers are sold and people are shopping for daily things.

The remarkable (and pleasant) thing is that nobody tries to sell us anything; we're aliens and far from the target group. The feeling is great and powerful, but also a bit voyeristic; everybody is interested in our doings and the other way round. We see extreme poverty, but also happiness.

And the most surprising thing is that it doesn't even cross our (being Me, Johan and Robert - of course) minds to be afraid! Violence and theft seem to be completely out of question. That's worth thinking about; 13 million people and no reason to be afraid?

"Vähän toista, kuin kotona - vai mitä, Frank?" (Eikös niin Heikki?). No irritating Chowingree-Scheisse: "Buy sir, please sir - very beautiful sir!"

Suits you sir, oh!

Day 7: The awakenings

As predicted, waking up was not the easiest one. After four hours sleep I went to the lecture just to find it postponed.
--> Back to sleep and lunch before next class at 14hrs.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Day 6: What happened on Tuesday?

The following things happened on Tuesday:
-I went to the gym twice. The instructor seems a bit wacko; wants to control everything and doesn't let me put more weight or do bench press before "I'm ready"
-I froze during the lectures
-First time to spend the whole day on campus
-We had a step-student - buddy -eveningparty. Nice time and beers! And a lot of names to forget.
-Afterparty acoustic concert by the lake
-"A day in the life" was rewarded by the audience.
-I met Abhishek Guru; guy with great taste in music and nice and fragile indie-pop voice. Promised to introduce me well to Indian classical music! Shakti!!!

Day 6: One week without each other

Today its exactly one week since I saw Kaisa stepping into a bus that would take her away from me for exactly three months.
We cried a bit and hugged and kissed a lot. Still feel it. Bye bye baby!!

Monday, September 05, 2005

VERY IMPORTANT REMARK

Most of my friends know that sometimes my feet sweat quite a lot. Now, the situation in India - despite the heat and the moisture - is completely different! My feet are as dry and gentle as they can be!

BUT, going inside to the air-conditioned lecture hall they immeditially started to sweat! This is a very profound and important remark and will probably affect my life - and maybe those of the yours as well - greatly.

I don't know yet how, but it sure will!

Day 5: Classes

8:00 Little guided tour around the campus, after which the first breakfast in the campus. Mix India-western. ok. Of course with fresh orange juice.

9:36 Lecture hall - the prof gives a short introduction ten minutes before people arrive/lecture actually starts. Just to begin properly the very minute 9:45.

11:00 Relatively difficult to understand - both written and oral. The guy is enthusiastic and somehow funny. Commercial banking. Jee.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Day 4: Tourists

A nice day! Eventually we went to Kolkata to visit the Victoria Memorial. It was built to memorize this former foreign Queen Empress of India and is a nice mixture of British Victorian and Indian/Mughal (Indian muslim rulers before British; best example Taj Mahal) style. The place is huge with some interesting museums. I noticed that not everybody wishes to read all the small texts. Freak!

After some great group photos - including me with an unknown Indian family - we walked through the big park, Maidan, to the city. The park was nice with boys playing football, shirts as their goal poles, mothers boiling chai. Another scene from The Fast Show... :-)

The park was also home to some horses/ponies doing their share for the Kolkatan economy and also to the parks vegetation, which we indirectly noticed from the bottoms of our shoes.

To complete the middle-classed Kolkatan afternoon we had a nice dinner in a nice Chinese Restaurant locally famous of it duck. Izz good! Boriz recommedz!

Afterwards really to embarass ourselves we went to "Flurry's" for a European coffee and a brownie!! I felt bad seeing all the street kids outside. And also a bit frustrated because I'd also like to experience the not-so-posh India. Anyway, it was the fourth day, so I'm sure I'll get my chance.

Our group was great and with Robert and Johan we decided to start our own charity program called "STEP Up" and to start by building a house for the homeless. Girls - as usual - considered our plans "irrational" and "naiive"! We had to admit that all the three are rather easy to get enthusiastic, but perhaps not also so down-to-earth or unrealistic with our "plans". Anyway, how girlish thing to shoot down our great and noble plans!

Haihattelua?

Day 4: Time for myself...

9:48 Woke up without help. After the two days of new experiences I feel I need a little time of my own. And some "ruisleipä"! (Finnish rye bread -editors comment) Reissumies tastes wonderful even though its getting a bit moist (as everything else too). Also met the laundry guy - dobi-wallah - who took some of my clothes to wash. The charge will be 300rs per month, which accounts for 6 euros. Not bad. I wonder how the system will work...