Relax! Tigers are just big, fluffy kitties and snakes are...errr...there are not many snakes in Calcutta anyway.
This page is where we tell you a little bit about where Rup is from, and the place that is going to be Pat's second home. Rup is going to do it in the first person, because talking about himself in the third person feels distinctly odd.
My home is Calcutta, India (see map). It's a city of about 14 million people - give or take a few hundred thousand - but they are not all invited to my wedding. Calcutta is the capital of the state of West Bengal and is the third most populous city in India (after Mumbai and New Delhi). It is often called the "City of Joy', and personally, I have been very happy there. There are several places on the internet where you can get a good description of what Calcutta is like. Here are a few that I found to be fairly accurate.
1. The Lonely Planet page about Calcutta: It has fairly well-written descriptions and a lot of links that take you to pages describing different aspects of the city
2. This Wiki travel page on Calcutta is informative and accurate. It also has a link to South Calcutta, which is the part of Calcutta my house is in and where the wedding will be and where the guest house we have reserved for your staying pleasure is located. It is clearly the best part of Calcutta. FACT.
3. This New York Times article by Dan Packel is interesting because it's a more personal view of the city. It's quite touristy but it does talk about fish and mustard oil, which are the surest way to the heart of any Bengali.
There are obviously other websites but these are a good beginning and if you want any more information or have questions, please email me or Pat and we will answer ALL of them.
I also thought it would be nice to include some "Helpful Hints" if you will about Calcutta and the nature of this beast. They are not designed to scare you; just to make you aware of precautions that you might need to take.
1. Calcutta is one of the safer cities in India, and probably the world, BUT it is still a giant city of more than 14 million people (that's more people than the populations of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa combined) so there are a few not-so-nice people around. Take any and all the precautions you would take in large American cities like Chicago or Washington D.C. (Like not walking around late at night, flashing cash in busy markets etc.)
2. The population density can be overwhelming at times, but Calcutta is a very friendly city. The overwhelming majority of the time people are very willing to help and they are not out to get you. Err on the side of caution but try not to miss out on nice interactions with us Calcuttans. The southern parts of the city are less congested than the northern neighborhoods. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO GO TO THE DOCKS.
3. BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE CROSSING STREETS!! Try to go with crowds if you can. If you wait till you see no traffic before crossing, you will never be able to cross the street. The major intersections have traffic lights, and the last time I was home almost all the people and cars were following the lights. I will also point out that Pat has crossed multiple streets on her own the last time she was in Calcutta. and emerged unscathed.
4. The weather will be beautiful. In January the highs are usually in the 70s and lows are in the 60s. Very rarely highs will be in the 80s and lows may be in 50s early in the morning or late at night. It's best not to wear very tight or revealing clothing. Here is a representative pictures of Pat in India last winter.
5. There is a vibrant street food culture in Calcutta. I would recommend not eating the street food because you might get sick from it but then again you might not. In any case, if you do want to eat the street food, please do so AFTER THE WEDDING! It would be very sad if you couldn't eat the wedding food because you were sick from street food. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, DRINK ONLY BOTTLED WATER AND CHECK THE SEAL WHEN YOU BUY BOTTLED WATER. If you forget everything else on this blog, remember that.
As always, if you have any questions and/or just want to know more about Calcutta just send Pat or me an email or give us a call. We are very excited that you are considering coming and we will help you as much as we can to make this trip happen!
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| See? Aren't the tigers cute? |
This page is where we tell you a little bit about where Rup is from, and the place that is going to be Pat's second home. Rup is going to do it in the first person, because talking about himself in the third person feels distinctly odd.
 |
| Where Calcutta is. (BANG. stands for Bangladesh, not Gun-land) |
My home is Calcutta, India (see map). It's a city of about 14 million people - give or take a few hundred thousand - but they are not all invited to my wedding. Calcutta is the capital of the state of West Bengal and is the third most populous city in India (after Mumbai and New Delhi). It is often called the "City of Joy', and personally, I have been very happy there. There are several places on the internet where you can get a good description of what Calcutta is like. Here are a few that I found to be fairly accurate.
1. The Lonely Planet page about Calcutta: It has fairly well-written descriptions and a lot of links that take you to pages describing different aspects of the city
2. This Wiki travel page on Calcutta is informative and accurate. It also has a link to South Calcutta, which is the part of Calcutta my house is in and where the wedding will be and where the guest house we have reserved for your staying pleasure is located. It is clearly the best part of Calcutta. FACT.
3. This New York Times article by Dan Packel is interesting because it's a more personal view of the city. It's quite touristy but it does talk about fish and mustard oil, which are the surest way to the heart of any Bengali.
There are obviously other websites but these are a good beginning and if you want any more information or have questions, please email me or Pat and we will answer ALL of them.
I also thought it would be nice to include some "Helpful Hints" if you will about Calcutta and the nature of this beast. They are not designed to scare you; just to make you aware of precautions that you might need to take.
1. Calcutta is one of the safer cities in India, and probably the world, BUT it is still a giant city of more than 14 million people (that's more people than the populations of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa combined) so there are a few not-so-nice people around. Take any and all the precautions you would take in large American cities like Chicago or Washington D.C. (Like not walking around late at night, flashing cash in busy markets etc.)
2. The population density can be overwhelming at times, but Calcutta is a very friendly city. The overwhelming majority of the time people are very willing to help and they are not out to get you. Err on the side of caution but try not to miss out on nice interactions with us Calcuttans. The southern parts of the city are less congested than the northern neighborhoods. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO GO TO THE DOCKS.
3. BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE CROSSING STREETS!! Try to go with crowds if you can. If you wait till you see no traffic before crossing, you will never be able to cross the street. The major intersections have traffic lights, and the last time I was home almost all the people and cars were following the lights. I will also point out that Pat has crossed multiple streets on her own the last time she was in Calcutta. and emerged unscathed.
4. The weather will be beautiful. In January the highs are usually in the 70s and lows are in the 60s. Very rarely highs will be in the 80s and lows may be in 50s early in the morning or late at night. It's best not to wear very tight or revealing clothing. Here is a representative pictures of Pat in India last winter.
 |
| Examples of what you can wear while in India. Yes, that dapper lad is Rup. The other dapper lad is his future brother-in-law |
5. There is a vibrant street food culture in Calcutta. I would recommend not eating the street food because you might get sick from it but then again you might not. In any case, if you do want to eat the street food, please do so AFTER THE WEDDING! It would be very sad if you couldn't eat the wedding food because you were sick from street food. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, DRINK ONLY BOTTLED WATER AND CHECK THE SEAL WHEN YOU BUY BOTTLED WATER. If you forget everything else on this blog, remember that.
As always, if you have any questions and/or just want to know more about Calcutta just send Pat or me an email or give us a call. We are very excited that you are considering coming and we will help you as much as we can to make this trip happen!
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