The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata Kolkata (Calcutta)

Check out the link below and scroll down the newspaper pages on the right to the "Society" page (right under the "Medley" heading). Does "Jasmine" look familiar? You may call me "Jazz" for short...

http://epaper.expressbuzz.com/N E/NE/2009/07/22/index.shtml

Today we visited a small town (500,000 people- you know, very small) about an hour and a half outside Kolkata. We visited 2 different madrasas- one for boys and the other for girls. We didn't see much in the way of instruct...

I just enjoyed a remarkable evening- the Fulbright officer who led our Kolkata tour, Dr. Sunrit Mullick, invited our group to his home for musical entertainment and dinner with many of his neighbors. On our way to his apartment building, we visited a modern Hindu temple built in the classical style- it was unbelievably gorgeous! The interior was all marble, and inlaid floral designs made from mother-of-pearl, lapis, garnet, and malachite decorated the entire parameter of the larger prayer are...

So we've moved onto the next city. I'm in Kolkata (this is the new way India spells and pronounces the city after their Independence --Calcutta is what the British use). The flight here was surprisingly good. The airport was very clean and new. It was only a two hour flight. The bad news is that I'm pretty sick. The good news is that staying at a five start hotel gives you an advantage. They have an on call doctor. He came to my room and was very nice. It seemed like something from the movies...

I'm feeling much better today. The hotel staff was so amazing. I order room service last night for some tomato soup (it was delicious by the way). When the man, Vikash was his name I learned, delivered it he quickly realized I was sick. "ma'am," he says, "you're not well. What are you eating tomato soup for? I will make you the India remedy." Quickly using the tea kettle in my room he made me a concoction of some kind of Indian tea, fresh ground up ginger (he also did this in my room), and ho...

Upon my first arrival in Kolkata I couldn't quite figure out why they had called it the City of Joy. All I could see was the trash, the dirt, and the very poor people living in the slums all throughout town. Spending more time here I've realized that there is so much more to Kolkata than what first meets the eye, and the City of Joy lives up to its name. First of all, I do quickly have to make one note about the weather. Aagghhh! I've never experienced anything like it (sorry-I probably keep ...

This morning we w**e up at 04:00 so we could make our 06:50 flight h**e to Calcutta. The early morning drive through Bombay was again quite int**esting: sacred cows eating at garbage heaps, people sleeping on the sidewalks and roads, children sweeping in front of their cardboard hovels, the smoke of charcoal fires drifting in the morning haze and many oth** such sights. The Jet Air flight left on time, so we arrived in Calcutta about 09:00. We collected our bags and arranged a car to take us ...

If you've been reading all along, you're aware that two members of our group had a rickshaw accident a few nights ago in Varanasi. The next day when we were being taken around in the Ambassador cars, a cycle rickshaw sideswiped our car. It sounded and felt like he gouged several feet of the driver (US passenger) side panel. We were very startled and I'm sure we exclaimed loudly in some manner. Without stopping the car, our driver rolled down the window, stuck his head out and looked back. "Eh...