I'm here a week now... waiting for a mission... Apocalypse Now (1979)

Okay so where were we? Kolkata we have arrived, so I will give you a rundown of week one in the "Black Hole" itself. Also Elaine has seen and done it all, so before the novelty wears off I'll describe.

Indian Sunrise from an overnight train

Tuesday 5/10/10:

Arrived in Howrah Train station and weaved our way down the platform past the many sleeping bodies (Point of note, unlike the quiet soulless stations at home the stations in India are a constant heaving body of people and noise and a home and a way of life to many). Next we had to haggle for a taxi to Tollygunge – massively overcharged but with it being 7am we were happy to pay the extra to our B&B, I'm tired and can feel myself getting a bit overwhelmed as much as I try not to (Elaine can sense it, like feckin' professor X that one). On arrival we crash into a well-deserved sleep.

Feel much better after sleeping, so we hit the streets to get our bearings, Elaine takes me to the office to meet some of the staff. We find out just how badly timed our arrival is as the Puja season (essentially Kolkata's Christmas) is just about to begin, meaning a virtual shut down of all projects for a 2 week period. May provide a useful chance to get used to my surroundings, I reckon.

"By the power of Grayskull"

Back to the B&B, tomorrow we move into our temporary accommodation until our new apartment is finished renovations.

Wednesday 6/10/10:

Moved in to the new flat, it'll do for now!

We are sharing with Pamela and Emily, both UCC students. We decide to get ourselves settled in and unpack - even if it is just for 2 weeks. Jenny who is another volunteer has arrived so we meet up with her and take a stroll to the Hope Cafe for lunch, by stroll I mean half a bloody marathon by the end of which it looks like someone has thrown a bucket of water over me. Here we also got to meet Ciara who is the volunteer coordinator.

Thursday 7/10/10:

Elaine and I go to South City which is a big fancy Western shopping mall and pick up some things to furnish our new home, it's all about the little things…

Marcella arrived today and we go for dinner in Banana Leaf, another vegetarian restaurant! It was good as it allowed us all to get acquainted plus we got to meet a number of the other volunteers; Suzie, Cathy, Eva, Deirdre and Ruth. There are 18 volunteers here at the moment.

Friday 8/10/10:

Time seems to merging as I'm finding it difficult to pin point the events of each individual day but I remember Friday night, volunteer meeting and after that my strangest off-licence experience ever (having to buy bottles from outside a tiny shop through prison bars) before Welcome to Kolkata drinks.

Deirdre asks me if I would play a part in a film for a producer she met during her time here, I agree (was after one or two) and all of a sudden I am outside the building being looked over by a well dressed Indian man. It turns out white men are difficult to come by in Tollygunge so a white man such as myself is quite in demand – I always knew I was destined for greatness... So he rings the director and within 5 minutes a car transporting three more Indian men show up and now I find myself giving my measurements so they can fit me for wardrobe,. They arrive back an hour later with my suit and the deal is done..... shooting at 9am, they'll send a car.

Where I'm filming, I do not know.

Name of the film, your guess is as good as mine..

Character and lines - hahaha this is Tollywood baby…

Mr. Hughes, you're needed on set

Saturday 9/10/10:

Got up at 8am to shave and beautify myself for my film debut, feeling the niggling beginnings of a hangover. I met with my agent and P.A.(Deirdre and Cathy) before getting the car out to the set.

*Please note at this point the whole celebrity bravado was being done as I was completely expecting to show up and it be a couple of guys and a handheld camera and some cheesy music playing on a stereo.

Dev fixes his hair, again!

Lights, Camera..... Action

Instead the car pulls up outside Eden Park (international cricket stadium) to a crowd of 200 to 300 people standing around a parked convoy of government vehicles which would later turn out to be my characters convoy. At this point I was bricking it as I was not expecting an audience – I’m not exactly a thespian! So off to my AC dressing room for a costume change, off came my Munster jersey, denim shorts, converse and on with my suit and aviators. Queue sitting around for an hour or so before being taken into the baking heat and getting the whole star treatment: umbrella holder, towel boy, chair fetcher. Starting to panic now…

6 hours later, 5 takes from 4 different angles and we were done, there is no worse feeling than standing in 38 degree heat wearing a suit and having warm sweat running down your back in front of so many spectators. But what an experience….

*still don’t know the name of the movie but I found the actor who I was trading lines with online, apparently his name is Dev and he’s the next big Indian actor. Once I find out what it was I’ll let you all know.


(Update from November 20th, the year 2017.... serious flashbacks looking back over some of these posts. Anyway I have finally gotten the time to put up that scene from Paglu - the film mentioned above. Turns out they felt it was unnecessary to have me come back in to record the audio so instead settled for an Indian actor to dub over me with an American accent, results are interesting, enjoy!)

Sunday 10/10/10:

Did nothing, as in NOTHING. After yesterday’s escapades we decided to relax and have a lazy day seeing as we have our induction tomorrow. At this point we’ve met the remaining volunteers Louise, Maeve and Winnie who are living together nearby, best place to go if you’re feeling off form I’ve noticed, the ladies really make you feel at home; tea and biscuits included.

Monday 11/10/10:

So today was the first part of our induction, we met with Annmarie who is a long term volunteer – into her 8th year in Kolkata and headed off. The following is a list of the places we visited and the work done in each:

RCFC: Is an orthopedic hospital that helps children with deformations, it provides everything from surgery to physiotherapy to family residential units. This was my first project and I was bracing myself for the worst, seeing a young child scream in pain from the physio being administered really threw me however without it the chances of that child being crippled for their adult life is nearly certain. Nobody likes seeing children in pain but when you know it is for the benefit of their health you accept that it is required, still won’t make it any easier to listen to though. It was uplifting to see the facility and resources available to those who need it, from the staff & wards to the playground that was built for the children. It’s important to maintain a positive outlook…

Arumina Hospice: Is holistic centre counseling and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. When we arrived the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury had just visited the day before. This was nice to visit as there were many people in residence from young babies to elderly men and women. It strikes a chord knowing that there isn’t a whole lot that can be done in terms of fixing their problems but work done here in helping the residents is as good as anywhere else in the world so at least they are receiving that care. Speaking with the man running the facility it was good to know that our involvement and even just volunteers coming to visit the centre is helping to remove myths and stigmas that exist about people suffering with AIDS and the dangers they pose.

Hope Hospital: This is the hospital set up by Hope which provides medical care to those lacking the means to be treated by any state hospitals, yeah it’s one you’ll have to get your head around coming from a social welfare state, but here there is a certain criteria you need to meet before you can be treated in a hospital here, but most of the people living in slums would not meet this criteria so that is where Hope comes in. It has a male and female ward which in terms of standards I would put beside any at home. They also provide a service that helps to locate and introduce each patient to some form of support network in order to aid them in the future, this makes sense as there would be no point in treating someone only to put them back into the conditions that caused them to be hospitalised in the first place.

Toll booth coming back from Howrah (for my eFlow peeps)

Howrah DIC: The DIC (Drop in Centre) is based near the Howrah train station, one of the busiest in India. It is nothing more than a small, one room building that opens each day to provide food, shelter and some comfort for the children living on the railway platforms. A lot of these kids are homeless and have resorted to inhaling glue as a means of staving off hunger pangs and allowing them to escape the reality of their situation, if only for a short time. Although initially intimidating, the boys were very friendly and when time came to leave we all hoped to be placed there as part of our project work. The rules of the DIC are no drugs taking and no fighting; one or two of the boys were clearly on something but this was probably prior to them arriving, which meant they were in a safe environment to come down in, as a lot of the time children can come to harm on the tracks. It’s not uncommon to meet boys who have lost a limb(s) or have had other serious injuries from falling onto rail lines while on drugs.

SEED Girls Home: A protection home for at risk girls, this home houses girls from 4-17 years old. A full time home, the girls who have families can visit during school holidays, if it is appropriate. SEED is a partner of HOPE – they receive funding for this home. Elaine had worked there during her last stint in Kolkata and was really looking forward to seeing her students again. It’s an amazing project and has a very sisterly feel to it (bordering on a full time slumber party to tell you the truth).

So a hectic Monday behind us we fall into bed to begin again on Tuesday!

Tuesday 12/10/10:

We meet Annemarie at the Hope office in Panditya and get the show on the road.

Panditya Creche: So to start off the morning we visit the creche below the older girl’s home, the children that attend are from nearby slums; which gives their parents the opportunity to work, knowing their children are in a safe environment. The children are expected to wear their uniform and be clean coming in each day, in return the children are educated in preparation for the older school whilst being fed and having a nap time.

To cry or not to cry?

I felt kind of awkward with 30 something infants looking up at me with expressions that bordered on “wow look at the big white ogre” to “I just poo’d my pants and I think I’m going to cry”. Luckily the old trick of taking turns picking them up and putting back down again worked a treat and soon I was seen as non-threatening merry-go-round ride. It’s good to see they are all being given all the advantages available and it’s somewhere I’d definitely visit if I need a reminder of why I’m here.

Life Skills: Is a training center based above the Hope Café; it provides classes in computers, tailoring and micro finance along with a facility for local women to manage their savings. During our time here we got to see some of the women making Christmas cards by hand that will be sold back home in the next month. Amazing to see the attention to detail put into the process. (Expect you all to purchase these ahead of any of the Hallmark equivalent!)

Kasba Girls Home:

A fully HOPE funded home it houses “the small girls” aged 6 to 12. The girls go out to schools in the morning and come home for food, a nap and lessons in the evening (singing/dancing/computers/English). There is also another Hope ran creche similar to Panditya for locals.

Phew – what an introduction WRECKED!!!


Patrick (13th October 2010)