India, I’m yours again
Laura Jeffrey, Destination Expert.
The sights of India, stunning though they may be, have never been the big draw for me. It's the people, the smell and the general knowledge that I am back in my lovely India. Henrietta would say ‘Africa, here I am'; I say ‘India, I'm yours again.'
Calcutta has some interesting sights but I think you really come here to see the hustle and bustle and the general air of a crumbling, old, colonial city. Rush hour on the Howrah Bridge; the early morning flower market. The Botanical Gardens in Calcutta are mildly interesting and the enormous Banyan Tree in the middle is impressive enough but what is really evocative of a bygone era is all the dilapidated and crumbling buildings which used to house and surely host all the East India Company bigwigs. You can almost hear the music playing, see the dresses twirling and the scandals brewing.
But perhaps my favourite has to be the Indian Coffee House, otherwise known as Albert Hall. Right next to the University and in the middle of the enormous book market, this is where the intelligentsia gather. It is where philosophies are borne and revolutions are planned. It has that vibe, that buzz, and sitting there, unable to understand a word that is said, I am actually a part of it.
