Whether you’re in a rickshaw or a limousine, in a city of fourteen million no one is immune to the horrors of traffic. India’s third-largest city, Kolkata (otherwise known as Calcutta, or কলকাতা), was my base for the last two weeks during dual video assignments for Lutheran World Relief and ChildFund. During journeys in and out of the city and on not-so-leisurely strolls, I spent a great deal of time in a teeming, chaotic muddle and thought I’d share some of it with you. Hit play below for 28 seconds of the city’s hustle and bustle.
While the videos are still on my editing table, I’ll share some select stills from Kolkata’s streets, as well as shots from Lutheran World Relief’s agriculture projects in the State of Bihar, where smiles are plentiful and life goes at a much slower pace.
Below I give a sneak preview of footage to LWR‘s beneficiaries in Bihar. They loved seeing themselves on screen.
When is it not a festive time in India? I arrived in Kolkata just after the Vishwakarma Day, as celebrants were floating their clay statues into the Hooghly river, an act of worship and devotion to the deity. Below, flowers in the market supply Kolkata’s innumerable temples with sacred decor.
The photo below requires closer inspection. Click to enlarge.
