Friday, November 23, 2007

Photos of Kolkata From My Camera Phone:

Ekta Heights

We live in Jadavpur, in the southern section of Kolkata.




Will looking out the window onto the terrace.



Living Room



Living Room



Terrace

On the Road to Santoshpur

Every morning we drive through Santoshpur on the way to Ruby Hospital. Will's school is right behind the hospital. These photos are shots of everyday street life.










I love this photo, and this is so typical of India (at least here). This gent is delivering a refrigerator on a cart pulled by a bicycle.

E.M. Bypass

After passing through Santoshpur, we merge onto the E. M. Bypass (Eastern Metropolitan Bypass) which is a direct route to Salt Lake City, the Airport and other points northeast of Jadavpur.









Ruby Hospital

Behind Ruby, there is a small pond. Many people live around it, in shacks and ramshackle lean-to's. I will write more about this photo at another time.



Back to Santoshpur

After dropping off Will at school, I return to Santoshpur to pick up my coworker, with whom I share a car. This is also where I go shopping, at Ambuja, Big Bazaar, etc.




The Produce Department. Vegetables of every conceivable type can be found here, many that I have to idea what they are or how to cook. The farmers get in very early to set up shop.




The Meat Department. On the left, you can see the big slabs of Betki, some of the finest fish in the world. It's flesh is firm, similar to swordfish or mako, but less fishy - more like a flaky whitefish. Hilsa, another local fish, is not so mush a favorite for my taste because there are a ton of pin bones. On the right, the white lumps are live chickens in large baskets. Yes, everything is very fresh.




A place to buy gum and cigarettes.




The Lane to my coworker's house.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should submit some local news feeds to NewsPreserve.com så that they can track whats happening over there :)

Anonymous said...

Great pictures. I finally have a general sense of what it's all about there. I wish there was a means to transmit the sounds and smells, as well. It is all very different from my familiar New England surroundings.

I'm looking for you on Google Earth. I have the general neighborhood. When I zoom out, I get a very strong sense of what it means to be "a world away".

Anonymous said...

Awesome...Good luck to Will..sure he will find a girl!

~Radix

Anonymous said...

Can you please post some pics of your pet dogs and cat? Have you found any kitty litter? How the pets are coping up with the new situation and climate?

Yu Yu said...

Look like drive-by shootings! Great pics, perfect lighting especially this time of the year.
And good luck to Will indeed!

Anonymous said...

Isnt it time for you to change the title of your blog?

I mean change the "Moving" to may be settling or "moving out" or "moved" :)

~Radix

Anonymous said...

It seems you work for 123greetings.com Speculation is rife that the management is on the verge of selling off their stake to some company . The company of late has earned earned lot of negative publicity on the way it treats its employees.A lot of people of your company has joned dgreetings.com (one of its rivals).. Just thought of letting you know

Akansha

Avrajyoti Mitra said...

Great post. Talking about the first photo, though, you could have sacrificed a bit from the left for some more reflections on the glass to the right.
Also try to get some close-up of the fish-sellers, with their long fish cutting equipments. They come out very nice too.

Unknown said...

Dear Anonymous/Akansha: Of course I work for 123Greetings, and I am proud to do so. People come and go all the time from companies this size. The company has changed dramatically since I arrived. We've scaled back because there were a lot of very people here that couldn't take the company to the next level. There's probably another 10% that will leave through attrition. People working in internet companies need to be flexible and welcome risk. They need to think big, push hard, and work lean and mean. There are big paybacks for those who can work as part of a team, but there is nothing here for those who want to bask in their own glory. Attitude is everything.

The philosophy here is to work hard, work smart. I have the best team in my department. They are brilliant people and I love to come to work and spend time with them. Their enthusiasm is infectious, they respect each other and I have really enjoyed watching them take on more than they thought they could and succeed.

I don't know whether the company will be sold, but that certainly is a good exit strategy for the current owners. One that I would personally recommend. From my conversations with them, however, I understand that they love their mission and what 123Greetings does for people. We'll see where that goes...

Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion and not the opinion of my company.

Unknown said...

Avrajyoti: You're right, that would have been a much better picture. I think I still have the original to change the cropping. Thanks for the advice. :-)

Anonymous said...

Hello Jeanne, Can you please give us the name of the agent you went with when you found this place in Jadavpur. We have bought a flat in Park Circus and am looking for a good agent to rent it through. May i take this opportunity to say that your blog is Nice and informative. Hope to see some more pictures.
Thanks

Unknown said...

Anonymous:
I will not give you the name of my agent because I will NEVER use him again! Not only did he push the price of my rent up higher than it should have been, but he tried to wrangle three months' rent out of me and ALSO from the landlord! Apparently, he also threatened to come and visit the landlord's sister to get it from her directly. It was all very messy and I'm still dealing with my landlord calling me telling me to call the agent off. He keeps contacting the sister asking for his cut...

If you want to know the person to avoid, please email me directly at: jeanne.heydecker@gmail.com.

Anonymous said...

Hello Jeanne! How are you? Hope you are doing great. I was away from blogging for quite a long time, but since I love writing, I'm back once again:) I keep visitng your blog often, and I must say, that the photos are great! How are you liking the sudden change in Kolkata's weather? I hate it when it rains in winter here. Take care. Indrani

Unknown said...

Cute son :D

Christmas Tree Widget By 123greetings.com