Local Delicacies: West Bengal: Travelogue Part 5

I did say that the food in West Bengal deserves its own blog post and so here it is...

Perhaps nothing in this entire journey contradicted our expectations like the food. I must admit, we went in there having very wrong assumptions about what their food tastes like. And what we experienced truly left us in awe.

Right from the first cup of tea (the milk came from the cow in the shed behind the house), we knew we were in for a treat (literally). We ate lunch with other family members in the house in Debipur. They served us rice, followed by dal curry. There were many vegetable accompaniments, each one tastier than the last. But the one dish that stood out was the fish. Two large pieces per person was hardly enough. It's soft, white, juicy flesh was simply delicious.

The main course had us stuffed, and when they came to us with desert, how could we turn them away? Our mouths said yes while our stomachs pleaded no. Slowly we had the mango chutney they poured into our plate. It was the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Desert #2 was rice pudding with sugar balls. My mother attempted to say no, owing to lack of space in our tummies but they would have none of it. With the first taste of the pudding, we realized that we had just avoided a big mistake. It was truly scrumptious.

Dinner at the reception was a grand feast. A few snacks like pani puris and a dish of chicken were available before the main course. I tried to count the number of items that were served but, honestly, I lost count. Roti and rice items were accompanied by many vegetable and meat side dishes. Dessert included gulab jamuns and rasagullas, among others.

It was with these tastes lingering in our mouths that we boarded the train to Sikkim, the next part of our journey, where another adventure awaited us. 

Back in Debipur: Travelogue Part 4

Two hours in the cramped up train carriage that took us from Kolkata to Debipur was a fun and exciting journey, and the beautiful view of the fields outside was a good enough reason to not fall asleep in an awkward position.

The sun was beginning to set when we got off at Debipur station, although it was hardly after 5 pm. It was considerably easy to find our next mode of transport; or rather, they found us. In that little town, we stood out like a sore thumb.

A blue toto was waiting for us. These battery-powered three wheelers were a better alternative to auto-rickshaws, considering their efficiency, low cost and the fact that they are environment-friendly. All six of us (with our baggage, mind you) managed to squeeze in and not fall off, all throughout the bumpy and thrilling ride.

The toto came to a stop outside the house where the wedding reception was going to be, and while everyone else went in to get ready for the party, my dad and I headed out to do something before we missed the opportunity - explore the fields.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark. We walked through the mango garden and got to the other side. This time, we stepped down and walked into the fields. And there it was.

Paddy fields: up close and personal

I don't think a lot of people from my generation has seen paddy fields, at least not where I come from. It's a rare sight in Kerala these days; I doubt it even exists. I had to come all the way to West Bengal to see something that was an all too common sight in my parents' childhood.

By then, a man from the house and a couple of boys (from the neighborhood, I assume) joined us, and graciously showed us around the paddy fields, and the adjoining land, where they grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

It was getting dark, and the festivities were starting. We came out of the fields and our guide suggested that we take the long way back, just so we can see more of the village. We walked down the little streets, taking in the sights, sounds and smells I knew I would hate to leave behind. The air, unpolluted and unconstrained, the chatter of the chickens, dogs, goats and cows, and fields as far as the eye can see, into which the sun so untimely sunk; all of this carried breathtaking beauty.

It was night time, when we got back to the house. We had seen almost a dozen ponds on our little hike and the heat had made us seriously consider jumping in. And we would have, if we weren't late for a party. We could have stayed here for a week and still not have seen enough or done enough. That's what this village did to me. It showed me what I was missing, living in the city.

We came back to the house and I remembered, to my disappointment, that we would have to leave Debipur in a few hours. After a quick shower and dressing up, we went down to the party.

Later that night, we got into the car with our packed bags and headed for Barddaman Railway Station, but not before bidding adieu to our delightful hosts and all the wonderful people we met in Debipur. These people gave us a home miles away from our own. And we are eternally grateful. As the car pulled out, I made a silent promise -  I would do everything in my power to come back.

A little town called Debipur: Travelogue Part 1

Day 1 (29-4-17 / Saturday)
Kolkata/Debipur

Kolkata. The city evokes different images for different people. For me, it was not a pretty one. All that changed with this one trip.

I wasn't too keen on the visit; not at first. I had some false and damaging ideas about how the city might be. Plenty of movies had imprinted in me a very disturbing image of Kolkata.

As we stepped out of the air-conditioned airport into the hot, stifling night, I didn't know what to expect. I was in a big city, at night, miles from home. We didn't linger around much longer. What lay ahead was a two hour drive to our destination - a little town called Debipur just over 80 km north of Kolkata, where a family was putting us up for the two days we would be there. 

The roads were almost empty in the middle of the night; the huge trucks and lorries ruled the streets. Our little car scurried along amidst the giants in the middle of the night, and by 4 am, we arrived.

At first I thought it was a joke. We were in the middle of nowhere, amidst fields and forests, and we had left urban and suburban areas miles behind. We were in a very rural village when the driver stopped and said, "We have arrived." I prayed that this be a joke. It wasn't.

The old, creaking, wooden door opened and an elderly couple stepped out to welcome us. We greeted our hosts with a smile, although my mind hadn't recovered from the shock. This can't be where we're staying!

We stepped in though the narrow doorway into an open courtyard. If the house looked old outside, it looked practically ancient on the inside. It had cemented floors and wooden window panes. Plastic chairs and tabled were strewn all over the courtyard - the only indicator that this is where the wedding party was going to be. That's the real reason for our trip to Kolkata - my dad's colleague was getting married. And the groom's family were our hosts.

They lead us up a dark stairwell onto the second floor. There was someone sleeping in almost every room. We were given chairs to sit in the small bedroom, and our host went back down to get us some water. Only then did we drop our smiles.

We looked at each other in horror, feeling like we had made a huge mistake coming here. How are we ever going to stay here? This is a mistake, right? They don't expect us to actually...?

What was I expecting? Well... Oh, I don't know... Maybe a little luxury resort away from the crowds of the city; a nice couple of rooms with a beautiful view, air-conditioning and swimming pools. I soon realized what a spoilt brat I had become.

There's nothing wrong with this place, it soon became clear, as the sun rose. It just wasn't what we were expecting. We were a little shocked; that's all. At 5am, the sun was coming up. We went up to the terrace and was amazed by what lay around this house. It was a typical village with trees, huts, fields and ponds, and I couldn't wait to go exploring.

The beauty of the village was revealed to us only after sunrise, and I immediately resented any ill comments I made towards this place. We went down and had a look around. There were cows, goats, chickens and dogs around the house. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming, despite the language barrier. They mostly spoke Bengali and Hindi; very few people could speak or understand English. We only dabbled in Hindi, so communication was difficult. But we got by.

We met the whole family; aunts, uncles, cousins and kids, who were all here for the grand wedding. Our host took us to the smaller house right opposite this one, and only then did we know that this was where we were actually going to be staying. This house, though small, had a spacious upstairs bedroom with attached bathroom and a few large windows overlooking the street outside. From the balcony, we could see a pond and the fields beyond. It was beyond sufficient.

After a quick nap to rid ourselves of tiredness, we came down for breakfast. The food... oh, the food! The food in West Bengal deserves its own blog post [Coming soon].

This incredible little village and its people will always have a place in my heart. Its beauty was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. This rural village, untouched by the advances of the city, was peaceful and serene. And I would jump at an opportunity to go back.

This blog post is just a tip of the iceberg. There's many more to come, so stay tuned for more posts about our epic adventure in the north.

To be continued...