Calcutta or Kolkata is an enigmatic city. “The city of dreadful night,” as Kipling described it. It is also referred to as “the city of Joy,” “the city of benign neglect,” “the city of palaces,” “the city of paradox.” There you will find; Strand road, Camac Street [does that remind you of an old Dublin river] Park Street, Shakespeare Street, McLeod Street, all these join, cross or otherwise engage with Mahatma Gandhi road, Ho Chi Minh Street, Lenin Street Chowringee Road and Gangooly Street. Street names tell a story of colonial and post colonial India. In the early morning the cry of the Mussein can be heard calling all faithful Muslims to prayer, at Kali temple there is that special Hindi chaos that surrounds pilgrimage, while nearby, in Nirmal Hriday, Mother Teresa’s home for the poor and destitute dying - all comers are received. You can play cricket in Eden Garden or golf at Tollygunge or watch the horse racing near the Victoria memorial, a structure bigger than the Taj Mahal. The Maiden or city park reminds me of the Phoenix Park, This is a city rich in poets, writers, and musicians - a city of unknown population, but possibly over 14 millions.
Maybe over a million people in Kolkata live in poverty or near poverty. In India 44 millions out of a 1000 millions live on less than 1 euro per day. I will not speak of unemployment or employment rates, these terms mean little where survival is the key term.
It is essentially these people; these survivors that I wish to speak of today.
A few months ago I stood at the lectern below and offered a short anecdotal instance of a little Indian boy and his prayer. Subsequently I went back to Kolkata to the Christian Brothers at St. Mary’s Dum Dum, with six students and a colleague. When I returned home I came here to Sunday service and later over coffee, in a local hotel, I related some of the incidents that occurred, while on that Immersion project in Kolkata. Our Pastor Bill, and colleagues Sean, Paul, Bridget, Diarmuid and Margaret, listened and it seems I prompted a serious mood, because they insisted that I relate my experiences directly to you the congregation. Not my personal experience, I insist, but all our experiences, recorded by every one of us as we chronicled what we sensed felt and thought while working and visiting in Kolkata.
And so I welcome you all, fellow members of the Unitarian church, friends and visitors, and those here today who have shared the experience of visiting or working in Calcutta.
All those who witness here in this church are seekers of truth; I have been thinking for some time, that my journeys to India are an embodiment of my truth and my search for truth.
St. Mary’s Orphanage and Day school where we lived is over 100 years old, a fine place and a haven for all who enter there. Originally a boarding school for orphans it also serves as a day school for fee paying students and most importantly an education centre for the poor. It is with those poorer students that we spent our mornings. Our six Irish students taught from 8 am till 1 pm each day, covering conversational English, science and devising a playlet based on the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. Our lads wrote the script, and directed the children in the various parts, they also filmed the production. I look forward to the edited version to see how the bible fared at their hands. The orphans return each evening to their homes most of them actually have families, I use the word home advisedly, in some cases a hut like structure housing ten or twelve persons. The orphans arrive at school around 6.30 to 7.00 am, once there they are fed and looked after. Their classes with us began at 8.00 AM. After classes they remain in the school environs till evening. They play, study or work at whatever need to be done. At all times when you meet one of those boys around the school they smiled and are intensely proud of their school. This really made an impression on us. There were also a number of girls present for classes. Most of the students were from the Christian community but not all, no one who needed assistance was refused help.
Suzi is a thirty four year old mother of two boys Amit (13) and Navin (11). They live one hour by train outside Kolkata. She is suffering from m.s. She was a teacher before her illness. She is married to Raju (also 34) who is Hindu, Raju who used to work in a shoe shop, lost his job as he had to take care of Suzi while she was in hospital. The two boys have not been in school for three years as they must take care of their mothers' every need while Raju is out looking for work. When I say every need I mean everything. Those little boys cook in the clay oven outside their one roomed house. They sweep the floor and keep the room clean and tidy. They also have to take care of their mother who sits on her bed all day - giving her food and drink etc. They even help her to go to the bathroom (pot under bed).
When we arrived Amit was on the floor grinding leaves and grass into a drink for his mother. He gets the leaves from the "jungle" behind the house and the grass near the railway tracks. Suzi has great faith in all natural remedies. Little Amit had his stone slab [For the archaeologists amongst us a Saddle Quern] on the floor and his stone grinder to make this juice. He rolled and rolled and sprinkled water from time to time. Eventually he had a little concoction prepared for his mother.
It was a hot day and although they have a fan they had no electricity. Sometimes, like so many of the poor they "hook" electricity - basically they steal it. But at the time of this visit they had nothing. Suzi told us that it would take 2,000 rupees [€35] to fix the wires and another 1,000 [€17] to connect to the meter.
You could see that both young boys were hot and bothered. Navin became a little agitated at one stage. He was hungry but they had nothing except a pot of stale rice in the corner. They often do not have food. We asked what food we can get right now. No point in getting rice as it would take half an hour to heat up the little oven. Puri (deep fried bread) and potato curry was the answer.
Navin was sent out to buy food and he came back with 15 puris (his mother was not fit to eat after taking her concoction!!) and potato curry - which came to less than 20 rupees (approx 40 cents). Looking at those two little boys sitting on the floor with their tin plate between them tucking into puris and curry it felt - somehow - very sad. It was wonderful to be able to fill their little bellies but we were just overcome by the fact that these boys were truly hungry. If we did not come they would go through the day (we arrived at approx 8.45 am and they were eating by 11.00 am) without anything except that stale rice.
Anyway after giving Suzi some money to sort out her electricity and buy some food, we were leaving. She looked at Mags O’Donnell and said, “Auntie I want you to trust me, I feel I can start a little business, and I won’t let you down"! Her voice was catching with emotion. Mags was immediately interested because she knew that Suzi was both intelligent and capable.
At our group meeting that evening our boys decided on hearing the story to give Mags 20000 rupees - less than €400 to help set up Suzi in her business and husband Raju with a small business selling flip flops near the railway station, he would need a license and a stand and some stock. Suzi wanted to start a business making chain lengths and putting locks with them, the poor in India do not have door locks so for their most private possessions they use a little box and a lock and chain, Suzi felt she could make these locks and chains, this business could also give some employment to other women from the village.
I learned just last week that the €400 investment has begun to pay dividends. Raju's business is taking off nicely. Mags who is still in Calcutta saw all his stock of sandals and flip flops - he is so happy getting back into work again. Suzi has bought her machine for making the chains. She has also got a man who will instruct the local women in how to make the chains.
Mags O’Donnell whom I refer to here was born in county Mayo works in Dublin. She is on leave of absence from her job and has spent a lot of time working in India over the years from 1991. She is a great human being, living out the Christian message, and there are others in Kolkata that I met and could speak of.
Do bhuail me leis an Dr. Brendan Mac Carthaigh as Baile Atha Cliath, Brathair Criostai le fiche se bhliain, ta se ag obair le SERVE. Dr. Brendan from Rathmines has spent 26 years in India he cofounded and works with an interfaith group, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, called SERVE. They are and I quote their own literature “emphatically secular.” Their role is to counsel children and advise educationalists. The incidence of suicide among the young is extremely high in India. Calcutta has the highest rate of young person suicide in India with 49% coming from school years 15years to 19 years. They fight the examination system which while it is the escape route for many from poverty is also rigidly demanding for progress. They fight rote learning and propose human development programmes. Another day we went to visit a Muslim family, the husband is awaiting a hip operation, there are two little girls called Sania (11) and Ranak (14). Our group provided some funds for the girl’s education in an Urdu school. I wish I could show you a picture of their one roomed hut in the centre of Calcutta.
Eram (16) lives next door. Her father is dead and she supports her mother, she was the sharpest person I met in Kolkata, within a few minutes of conversing with her I learned that she is studying at home and passing all her yearly exams, she cannot afford to pay school fees, she was bright, articulate, thoughtful, political, “We are the poor,” she said. “How can we change things”? At that moment her tone and disposition was powerful. Now when in India I do not like to interfere in matters that I may not even fully understand, I fear giving advice that might not be appropriate but here my instinct compelled me.
“Education is your answer,” I said, “You are already on the right path; do not let anyone deter you, including an arranged marriage. Be strong for yourself so that later you may be strong for others.”
At that I stopped who was I to confront age old practices who was I to challenge a culture. Eram smiled at me, perceptively, I like to think. We gave her some money to help her along, people like her hold the key to the future I pray.
On another occasion we journeyed in auto rickshaws, like some mad formula one race, in a scramble for the first corner, from Sealdah Railway station to Dhapa and Tengra refuse dump. Here we visited a school and village situated in the dump. Yes, a dump, lorries arriving to deliver waste which is immediately sorted and recycled, nothing wasted here. Words cannot describe it, The Friends of Calcutta; an Irish based group provides assistance to the Indian volunteers CRDS, who provide the teachers for the school, some of the dump dwellers attend St. Mary’s school each day. The houses were mostly woven bamboo and old plastic sheeting, god only knows what conditions would be like when the rains came during monsoon. Yet every child was clean and smiling, much more joyful than many students I see before me every day.
VS Naipaul subtitled his story of modern India:
“A million mutinies now.”
In India there are millions of millionaires, there are Hi Tech companies, there is nuclear power, so why this poverty? Why this third world in the midst of wealth? I have no answer to that, perhaps it is the consequence of the people themselves, so placid, so calm, though I could talk of violence, I saw protest, I saw strike, I saw armed police in riot gear, here in freely elected communist West Bengal. Perhaps it is in the nature of Hinduism, the majority religion. Perhaps it is resignation after years of trying to end colonialism, perhaps it is something else altogether, I do not know, I only know that I believe that as a human being and as a Unitarian it is my duty - my right - my privilege - to help others, should they so desire it.
So be it

Joe McDermott Sunday 22nd May 2005
Dublin Unitarian Church