Back to Selimpur

Yesterday we took our stack of coloring books and went to Selimpur. We had a back order of color sets to handle, because the sad faces of the kids we had to disappoint last time kept us awake over the last nights.And so we went. We took Dutch Fiona, who also resides in the Crazy Wanderers homestay, along. She was curious about the projects in the slums, and generously donated a big pile of coloring books.Shortly after arriving in the district a giant circle of expectant kids started to form around us.Thanks to Fiona and her camera you can see how natural Shu moves among the kids. Given Ed’s slouched posture, he has more difficulty to keep up with the enthusiasm of the children.Soon Ed is completely vanished from the scene and Shu is the focal point of the children. However, that gives Ed the time and space to put together some color sets. In short: a serious case of excellent teamwork.Fiona’s mother is English and when we were invited for tea, and the cups were lifted, her little finger automatically went up into the air.It was the fourth time we were invited by Nabanita and her mother. This snapshot indicates that we have become part of the family - i.e. the crazy part.

Colorful mess

Recently we were pleasantly surprised with a generous donation from Ed's mother Wilma in favor of the kids of Kolkata; whether we could organize something fun for them. Very excited we went to all the stationary stores in our area, and we willed two bags to the brim with crayons and color books. With some of the Crazy Wanderers we took off to the slum in the Selimpur area.
After some measuring and deliberation the kids got a seat in the tiny community center. Of course, the distribution of drawing tools was a complete mess, and despite our very large purchases (about 60 sets), unfortunately we had too little to treat everybody.
However, we could make a lot of kids happy. Those who missed out, their names were recorded, and next Tuesday we will deliver 40 extra sets to the kids.Every dusty nook and cranny of the clubhouse was used for the very noble fine art of coloring.
A favorite of many was the fine coloring book in which the artist has to color an image - in this name, a green headed duck - similarly as shown in the .
Here and there a color artist took some artistic freedom. This guy for example, he invented a blue-white zebra.In the end everyone proudly showed us their artwork. We were impressed with what we were offered; from Ferrari-red beasts, to violet-colored peacocks.
We end with this little mouse. She did some serious coloring and sat concentrated over her coloring book the whole afternoon and left the building as the last. On behalf of this sweet and grateful little treasure we say: 'Thanks a million (Wil)Ma'.

Selimpur Basti

Even we have a good idea every now and then. We thought it would be fun to do a mini project with some Kolkata kids. In preparation, we went looking for a suitable place where we can organize a creative workshop for kids.

We already met the kids from the slums at Kalikapur road in Selimpur. Some of them recognized ma'am Shu and were pleasantly surprised to see her again.
This place goes to our hearts. So we decided that we will come back here next Saturday with a mountain of coloring books and pencils to work with these kids, trying to do some coloring within the lines. We already gave them our business card so they can order their crayons by calling us.
In the mean time Ed tiptoed between the kids taking pictures. Of course that did not go unnoticed. Within no time Ed was almost buried under a swarm of screaming potential models.
By way of distraction Shu took some group portraits, so Ed could catch the kids one-on-one on a roll film. It was fun, and we're looking forward to Saturday!

Gorakhabasi

Last Friday there were a lot of nice ceremonies performed in the nearby slum Gorkahabasi Basti. We seized the opportunity to once again go to our new made friends and took our camera along.
Gesticulating vividly Rupak explains who we are and why we are here. Due to the enormous run of hearers he had to be careful not to hit someone.
Meanwhile, to good Indian custom Daria's hair was braided.
Shu could not resist this exceptional talent, and had her hair done also.
Because of the enormous crowd in the house there was a dire lack of sufficient space to braid, so the end result of the session was a somewhat sinuous ponytail.
We went past some houses and stumbled across a huge amount of kids who were thrilled that a bunch of 'whites' visited them in their homes.
Whole families sleep in one room - admittedly, one of the girls in the picture [the middle one in the purple dress] is a friend of the family, but even without her it still are a lot of people for one room.
Our new friend Sarda wanted to have a photo taken with Shu, and preferably in the house of her family. Her younger brother refused to wake up and was certainly not going to make way for the photographer and his models.

Gorgeous Gorakhabasi Girls

In cooperation with the Crazy Wanderers Foundation we organized a get together for the Gorgeous Gorakhabasi Girls. Ten girls in the age of 12-18 years climbed onto our decorated bed for a crochet-workshop for advanced students.
At the direction of handicraft teacher miss Shu they began with their own colorful ball of wool.
Ed photographed the girls in a corner of the room, that was transformed into a semi-professional photo studio.
We conclude with a group portrait of the lovely ladies with their self made crochet hairbands.

Khristala part II

We finished our blog post 'Khristala' with the wish to return to the slum soon to spend some more time with the people. Therefore last Tuesday we decided to take a local train to South Kolkata for some acquintances and some portraits.
Around 2 pm we arrived in the area and found almost only women. Most men at that time are working as day laborers.
TIn the morning many of the women work in the households of wealthier families. In the afternoon they wash the clothes of theit own family.
Fortunately it seems that most Khristala kids go to school. At midday only the youngest run through the neighborhood.
The little ones here are like anywhere in the world: shy, but intensely curious.
Urban landscape: nature in a city of 14 million people.
It buzzes: there is a photographer in the area. Many rush away and within an instance the kids, wearing their best garb, are hoisted in front of the camera.
Despite the almost indifferent look on the face of this one, most of the kids think it's great that those weird people from Holland visit them.

Add some color to life

To add some color to the life of the children from the slum Gorakhabasi Basti, they were asked to decorate and paint the outer wall of Crazy Wanderers homestay.
Led by Sally - a traveler from Australia - the children sketched their ideas on paper. The 15-year-old Sagar proudly shows his drawing to 'the teacher'.
This artist wanted to be in a photo together with his creation.
Each of the kids found a spot on the wall and went ahead sketching their ideas onto their improvised canvases.
In pure concentration this girl made her drawing come to life on the wall.
The kids were given their desired colors by the paint mixing team. Daria, Moa, Anna and Sally - all staying in the homestay - hardly could meet demand mixing all the colors.
Soon a deep blue sea appeared on the wall, created with passion.
At the end of the afternoon the kids went home, happy as a bunch of Mickey Mouses. We wish there could be more days as colorful as this for these kids.

Khristala

The second slum in the deep south of Kolkata we visited is called Khristala. The approximately 1,500 residents of this area live mainly in mud houses.Again we were greeted warmly by the kids who led us into their lives.
Due to heavy rains during the rainy season many of the houses are damaged badly. Many homes have to be rebuilt completely after the monsoon.
This is what happens every time when we go around in the slums of Kolkata: within a short time after our arrival, we're surrounded by a bunch of laughing people.
The name of this area refers to the 100+ year old big Khristala tree, under which a number of houses have been build.
The concept of 'soul mates' is universal.
The concept 'sweetie' is also.Life lesson learned from this girl: Give color to your everyday existence.
Everywhere we look we see the curious dark eyes and shy smile.
Our hope for the future is aimed at the women. We are truly convinced that better living conditions will be realized through their commitment.
We feel our visit to the neighborhoods are always too short. We look forward to coming back to the amazing people of Khristala, so: to be continued!