January 2012
by Carolyn - 21:40 on 29 February 2012
January seemed to pass in a flash as we waited for our departure date for India. There were a number of Bahá'í and Interfaith functions, a lovely day in Bournmouth with our friend Wanda - a neighbour in both Cyprus and Britanny, and the funeral of Danny Denningberg MBE & Freeman of the Borough of Waverley.
Finally the day dawned and we had a comfortable Kingfisher flight to Mumbai, where we were met by Bibhas' cousin Mokul and their niece's husband Raju. Mokul's wife Rita & daughter Mishtu were waiting at home with the first of the many Bengali meals which we were to enjoy. Mishtu had taken a couple of days off work to be our 'City guide' and we explored some beaches and Mount Mary as well as visiting Bibhas' elder sister several times, recovering from hip surgery. (Her twin sister in Kolkata is recovering from knee surgery!) As Mokul's flat is under a flight path Raju's elder son kindly offered us his newly-refurbished flat, and there was a family party there for us. We then took everyone for a Chinese meal on the last evening before leaving for Kolkata.
At Dum Dum Airport our younger brother Babi was waiting, and we were to spend the next two weeks with him and his wife Gargi, very warm & gracious hosts who ensured that we kept well and mainly ate only food prepared by family members, in various welcoming households around the City (Carolyn having suffered slightly from all the rich outside catering during a 5-day wedding in 2010)... We stayed in Kolkata for 21/2 weeks, catching up with all the family news and getting to know our great-nephew, Jishu - though his busy Consultant father has to snatch quality time off these days. We visited one of Mother Teresa's projects, the Missionaries of Charity Hospital, and re-acquainted ourselves with some of the Calcutta parks and markets...
We met some of the local Bahá'ís, attending the 19 Fay Feast at the nearby home of the Mukerji-Milnes, where we were pleasantly surprised to meet Marco Abrar, a well-known photographer and film-maker from Germany who was making a documentary, and visiting the beautifully refurbished Regional Centre in New Alipore. John & Marco were the only non-Indians we saw in Calcutta.
We also spent a warm-hearted weekend with Bibhas' College friends at the Golden Jubilee of their Graduation from Bengal Engineering College - 50 years before he collected his Honorary Degree at Surrey University! The first day was a reunion, with three of their old tutors in attendance and a lengthy speech from the current Vice-Chancellor about past achievements and future vision, with lunch and a tour of the site.
The following day we all took to the River Hoogly, and had a very interesting and leisurely day chugging past fishing boats, temples and other land-marks, including some very impressive bridges. Everyone had to say a few words about their lives, and having our words about the Bahá'í Faith float back to us as we passed under one of these was a special moment in time...
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