Pictures from Kolkata

The photogenic city of Kolkata has been my home now for 5 months.  It is a beautiful, impoverished, rich city.  I have grown to love it despite its shortcomings and propensity toward extremes.  Here are a few pictures from my home.  

This man in a slum is standing in front of a small Hindu temple dedicated to the God "Kali", the sovereign deity of Kolkata.  Kali means "Lord of Death".

Howrah Bridge - An icon of the city since the 1970s.  Over 1 million people cross this bridge every day.  You can see some of them if you look close.

A man begging on a sidewalk.  Judging by his clean clothes, trimmed beard, and opportunistic location in a highly traveled area he is no doubt doing much better than most beggars here.  He probably pays a healthy percentage of his income to the local mafia as well as the local police for this coveted spot. 

If you have ever been to Kolkata then there is no doubt this photo will bring back many memories.  Most of them are probably repressed for good reason.  These yellow Ambassadors make up the majority of vehicles in the city.

Our groundskeeper's kid.  He just finished a cookie.

Crows are probably the only sight more ubiquitous than yellow taxis in Kolkata.  The mountains of garbage lying on the streets keep them livelier than their human cohabitants.

Looking for a prospective buyer for his flowers.  Like many things in Kolkata, the flower market is a striking contrast of vibrant beauty in putrid mud.

Tuk-tuks lined up for action outside of Howrah Station - the largest and busiest rail station in all of India.  Notice the colorful city buses in the background - these will take you almost anywhere in the city for 5 rupees (8 cents).

A street child poses for a photo.  She is barefoot but she doesn't let that dampen her smile.

Young adults chatting and hanging out at the riverside walk along the Ganges while ferries navigate through dense humidity further upriver.

Bathing done, everyone takes a rest to contemplate life.  Paradoxically, Kolkata seems to rush at breakneck speed in order to get back and take it slow.

A barefoot man searches for empty plastic bottles along the train tracks.  He can expect to make 2 rupees per kilogram for his hard work (that bag is worth somewhere around 10 cents) 

Fresh veggies at the market down the street.  If there is one thing India takes pride in, it is its produce. 

I was riding in a rickshaw when I took this picture.  Kolkata is one of the last cities in the world to employ rickshaws - there are over 50,000 of them. 

Bailing out their fishing boats under the cover of the ferry walkway.  These boats sometimes serve as home, job, and trasport all in one.

Note:  Most of these pictures were taken by my trusty Panasonic Lumix waterproof camera; however, for a few of them I had the privilege to borrow a friend's Nikon P series.  As always, I did no editing of any kind because, well, I'm just not a photographer.