Kolkata: Likeable but not loveable

Horses on the road - as you do....

Victoria Memorial

Paper mache elephants being created in the suburb of Girish Park - to celebrate the upcoming durga puja festival

I may have been too harsh earlier when I described this city as a grand wasteland. There is a spirit of perseverance and there are glimpses of grandeur within the decay. Tiny children who are living on the street smile and wave when you walk past. Delicate shrines to the various Indian gods are built on dirty streets and are covered in flowers. The shrines are often lit up and are kept in mint condition. The laundry man who comes to my door every day is upbeat and chatty, despite the fact that he earns 1000 rupees a month ($26), works 7 days a week and told me that he fears being rejected by his family if he decides to change religion.

The other day a teenage boy ran up to me, asked to shake my hand and when I did, he insisted on kissing my hand. I don’t know why - I’m just like anyone else here except I have white skin. It does get a little unnerving to have people stare all day long.

One minus though is the beggars – it’s so heart-breaking. In some parts of the city they are incredibly persistent and yesterday I had a small boy grip onto the back of my dress for a good two blocks before I told him to go home. Sometimes I give in and hand them some money but often it just entices them to hassle you even more. The laundry man tells me that many of the beggars are tricksters and not to give them money under any circumstances. He says they earn more from foreigners giving them hand-outs than if they were to work and he says this is very lazy. There are places they can go for meals like the Mother Teresa house and this is available for mothers and babies, but they choose not to go. What are you meant to do?