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First Impressions

I discovered immediately, leaving the airport, there are no lanes in Kolkata. People will swerve, narrowly missing the taxi next to them, they’ll abruptly stop to avoid hitting the bus in front of them and they’ll pass the min auto in front of them with centimeters to spare. Motorcycles will speed past and weave their way through the congestion, cars seem to interpret traffic lights as suggestions rather than commands and everyone is always honking their way through the intense traffic. But somehow, everyone narrowly passes by and makes it to where they’re going without incident. I wasn’t afraid-simply amazed at the complete disorder and disregard for traffic laws and each driver’s ability to somehow avoid getting into any accidents.

The streets are lined with rickshaws, tired looking buildings painted bright colors years ago, people selling chai in clay cups and trash that has accumulated and disintegrated over the years. The air smells like a mix of car fumes and spices with spots that smell intensely of incense or of delicious Bengali food while other areas smell strongly of sewage. Women in beautifully patterned saris dot the sidewalks, each sari completely unique, unlike any one I’ve seen before. Men crouch in doorways, observing the passing cars with disinterest, with their elbows resting on their knees. Women claim pieces of the sidewalk as their temporary home, a piece of tarp underneath them, an array of fruit spread out in front of them, clothes piled next to them and children tumbling around them. Some women claim pieces of the sidewalk as their only home, cooking over a small fire right next to the road, a tarp spread over a piece of that sidewalk, a child sleeping next to them and a child sitting next to them, wearing only a old, worn t shirt. Homeless men and stray dogs sleep soundly on the sidewalk in the midst of all the noise and all the honking.

And in the midst of all of this you’ll see 4 story homes, hotels, with gated driveways and a security guard at the gate. The stark difference between the poor and rich is apparent as soon as you arrive in Kolkata.

And all of this is simply first impressions, a glimpse of Kolkata but still, Namaskar-I bow down to you Kolkata. (Namaskar is the Bengali equivalent of Namaste)

There’s this underlying sense of exhaustion, but that’s not all Kolkata is-there’s this deep persistence, this will to survive, this vibrancy that pops up at unexpected moments, in a student’s smile, in a family’s interaction, in a street vendors flowers meant to honor Kali…

I was able to meet Urmi Basu today, the founder of New Light. She is larger than life. It’s humbling to simply read about her and what she has created, so to be able meet her was incredible. And completely unexpected. I walked into where I was staying for the week and there she was right in front of me. I was definitely a little stunned but I recovered, after a couple breaths. All I could think to say at first was thank you, thank you for this opportunity and for giving me the chance to work with the children and women of New Light.

She immediately welcomed me to Kolkata and thanked me for coming. Very warm and kind woman. She made it very easy to talk with her. And I was able to speak with her for a while, about the work she’s doing, the shelters she has established, how she wants to expand New Light and what she still hopes to accomplish.

I almost missed her since she’s leaving tomorrow to give a Ted talk in Spain. So I’m very grateful I flew into Kolkata today instead of a day later.

And now the first week here you get a chance to visit all the shelters New Light has established. I arrived in Kolkata just this morning and was able to immediately visit the Soma Memorial Girls home in the afternoon.

In 2005, Soma home became the first residential facility New Light established for girls at risk. The girls attend regular school and in addition learn Indian classical dance, modern dance, boxing…

The home is named after Soma, an infant girl, who died due to a lack of proper medical attention by her family. It’s the hope that Soma will live on through this home and the value of a girls life will be recognized and reinforced.

Soma is located in a fully residential area of South Kolkata and is home to 38 girls, aged 9-18, who have been removed from the red light district of Kalighat with the consent and cooperation of their mothers. The young women at Soma Home come from incredibly challenging backgrounds, some suffering years of abuse and violence. Many of the girls were born in the slums and red-light backstreets of Kolkata, the children of female sex workers who were once exploited or trafficked.

At puberty, around ages 9-14 is when girls are at increased risk of being abused and forced into prostitution, which is why the existence of Soma home is so essential.

The director of Soma Home was explaining how New Light prioritizes removing these young girls from this environment but how they also want to help them stay connected to their roots, to where they came from. Where they’re from no longer has to dictate their life but it’s still a part of who they are. And simply because many of their mothers are still in the sex industry doesn’t make them any less invested in their daughters, in their well-being. The girls still go back home to Kalighat to visit their mothers a few times a year.

These young women who were once socially and financially limited to a life on the streets now hope to become social workers, politicians, dance teachers, doctors… It was a real pleasure to get a chance to speak with these girls. To hear what the girls hope to do, what they now have the chance to accomplish.

One young girl was telling me how she grew up in one of the back lanes of the red light district and how she remembers her mother rarely had time for her. Her mother was always too exhausted during the day after working all night. She was left on her own many days, even as a young girl, until New Light was created. She said there are still days where she wonders where she would be now, if things had been different. Now she said, I want to teach, I especially want to teach young girls and remind them they can do anything. Because when I was little I didn't have anyone telling me this.

I think about how I grew up, with encourgement, with unconditional love, with the belief that I could be anything, do anything I set my mind to... one word comes to mind, GRATEFUL.

I look forward to returning, to spending more time with these young women.


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