Tourists in a city of contrasts

Today we were proper tourists with the look of proper tourists. Here is Andrew looking like a tourist.

We were dropped off at the Victoria Memorial Hall. An impressive building that was built in 1921 in memory of Queen Victoria (which you'd expect!), driven by Lord Curzon. It suggested a British stamp of authority and grandeur on a city that was increasingly rising up against British rule. A man asked me if I was from the US, I said that I was English - he told me that I had built this, I was sort of embarrassed because of everything it represented....  It was interesting reading the history of the British rule and the uprising that led to India's independence. William Carey was mentioned as the compiler of the first Bengali dictionary, which was exciting as we are here with the BMS. 

We then tried to go to St Paul's Cathedral and Louise was up for doing a mock up of the occupy protest, but it was closed 12-3, so we were disappointed. We ended up eating our lunch beside a statue of Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1984. While eating our lunch an Indian family tried to take surreptitious photos of us as strange westerners but then stopped being secretive and asked us to stand with them for a photo. Slightly surreal.....

Our journey took us next to the Museum of India, after travelling through lines of mouth watering street food stalls which we avoided (for fear of illness) but I craved after. The museum of India is like across between the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, but smaller, hotter and less well looked after. A bit 'Night at the Museum' especially as the Cheetah's glass had cracked where it had clearly tried to get out. By this point we were flaking out and needed a rest (here are Andrew, Louise and John resting!).

We then braved a trip to New Market, where we split up into pairs to try and avoid being conspicuous. It didn't work as immediately on entering the market area Jon and I were followed by at least 3 'guides' who were working on commission. While Jon was buying presents one of the guides looked me up and down and said 'you need clothes' and proceeded to get out piles and piles of shirts...... an experience I was expecting but wasn't expecting at the same time. We caught an auto rickshaw home to Hotel Heaven, which had it's scary moments, but we wanted to do it to get a feel for a 'true' Kolkata experience after being driven around all week.

It was good to spend time seeing the sites and doing our own thing, but you still never get away from the poverty and the amazing varieties in people and what they have and what they are doing. We were dropped off outside a shiny landrover garage and then walked past people sleeping on the street as we went back to the hotel. 

A city of mind blowing contrasts..... 

I loved this image - at the gates of the Victoria Memorial Hall. It reminded me of the story of the Happy Prince which speaks of a self sacrificing care for the poor, very relevant for the things I have seen this week. 

Loving the old and embracing the new

Living in a small town can sometimes be great, but can sometimes be really frustrating. I like the history, the tourist stuff, the chocolate. The quirkiness of small town living makes me happy. I have got used to having the name of the place I live laughed at (although it gets irritating at times - but I can't talk - I used to laugh). I like the fact that about five minutes walk away I can climb a hill and at the top I can see into the centre of Manchester.

My problem is that I have been a city (or very large town!) girl all of my life. I am used to having every large supermarket possible within about ten minutes drive. I am used to being able to walk to the train station (I can walk to the train station here, but I can only get a steam train). I love the variety in the industrial landscape - new and old mixed together. My favourite city is Birmingham. You drive in and you see old Birmingham mixed with new. A combination of history and forward thinking. The Selfridges building rises up in its blue and silver curvy space age style amongst crossing railway lines and arches that have been there for years and years. 

Love it!

 

Yet I bet that whenever anything new was built - the town hall, the bull ring tower, the Selfridges building, the railways, people complained about the monstrosity that was to be built. 

I love history, yet I love new innovation, and history would not be so interesting if innovation hadn't happened in the past. There are people who have stood up and looked forward and things have changed. They didn't necessarily reject the past, and probably celebrated it, but were also inspired and more often or not walked against the flow, gathering people with like minds on the journey. 

Birmingham reminds me that life is constantly changing, that diversity is exciting and that innovation can run alongside long established ideas. A living and active church is just like that. The community sees the need to celebrate the past and appreciate its foundations, but also recognises the need for vision and diversity in its outlook. Community living is changeable, sometimes volatile, but so often brilliantly beautiful. 

When the community becomes insular and resistant to difference, then the community becomes more like a stately home, which is interesting for historical purposes but will continue to stay the same - stuck in an era that is separate from where people really are. It becomes a place to dream about what has gone rather than what might be coming. 

I was watching Four Weddings* and one of the brides said about another's church venue that it was like two different places - old and beautiful on the outside and like a community centre on the inside. She was very disappointed. She wanted the tradition without the church community. If we really believe that church is community and live that out, then perhaps that juxtaposition of old and new should become the norm, not the surprise. 

*Programme where four brides rate one another's weddings and somebody wins a dream honeymoon. Mind numbing entertainment!