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Westerners most likely know India’s state of West Bengal for its famous capital city, Kolkata (in English, Calcutta). Although Kolkata is a vital and booming metropolis, much of the state of West Bengal consists of rural villages. This article will present some scenes from the rural district of West Midnapore (sometimes spelled Medinipur), approximately 3 hours drive from Kolkata.
Of course, one has to begin this journey in Kolkata.
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| View from the taxi. |
Street scene at Gol Park traffic circle, south Kolkata. |
Heading west from Kolkata toward Midnapore City (capital of the district of West Midnapore), one passes through a rice-growing region.
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| Flooded paddy field. |
Women working in the paddy field. |
One also passes railroads and temples, both ubiquitous in India.
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| Railroad near Midnapore City. |
Temple to the goddess Kamakhya along railroad tracks. |
The monsoon is prevalent in June, July, and August. In 2007 the monsoon was especially strong, resulting in flooding severe enough to destroy much of the early rice crop and to displace families living in low-lying areas. Many families built makeshift shelters of wood and plastic along the road where they could live until flood waters receded sufficiently for them to return to their homes.
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| Approaching a village road south of Balichak with plastic-covered shelters. |
Main road in village. |
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| Flood waters approaching the village. |
Goats grazing on causeway between flooded paddy fields. |
Household shrines are very common in these villages. Families set up a small shrine outside their home to the family deity. In this part of West Bengal, families commonly revere Vaishnava figures such as the god Krishna or Chaitanya, a 15th-century Bengali saint who was known for his ecstatic love for Krishna. The family’s economic condition impacts the size and decoration of the shrine.
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| Village women in front of their roofed shrine to Sri Chaitanya. |
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| The household shrine of a wealthier family. The plaque on the shrine depicts Krishna and his sweetheart Radha. To the left is a statue of Vishnu’s “vehicle,” Garuda. The Bengali text says “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna.” |
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| The unroofed household shrine of a less wealthy family. The plaque depicts Sri Chaitanya and his disciple Nityananda. Above them is the sacred syllable OM. On top of the shrine is the sacred basil plant. |
Also common in this part of rural West Bengal are sheds for storing the rice crop. These are typically decorated with alpana designs in honor of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune, in the hope that she will protect the family's stored harvest. The shed pictured here mixes the alpana designs with religious calendars that are distributed by local businesses.
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| Rice storage shed. |
Shed wall decorated with alpana designs and religious calendars. |
Between downpours, the courtyard of the home is used to dry laundry and cow dung, which is used for fuel. In a nearby home, a woman cooks lunch over a fire in her mud floor kitchen. Along with these age-old technologies, some villagers use more modern devices, as evidenced by a satellite TV antenna in one family’s yard.
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| Close-up of alpana design and calendar with pictures of the Bengali saints Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi sitting in front of the goddess Kali. |
Courtyard with drying laundry and drying cow dung patties and sticks. |
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| Housewife in kitchen preparing lunch. |
Yard with satellite TV antenna. |
Back on the main road of the village, the road surface itself is used for many practical purposes besides travel, such as these examples of drying rice paddy, drying cow dung, and providing a place for emergency shelter.
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| Rice paddy drying on road. |
Makeshift shelters along road. |
In Naya village is a community of patuas, or painters, who engage in the traditional art of scroll paintings that accompany folk songs. These paintings may depict mythological themes (such as accounts of the god Shiva or the local snake goddess), rural fables (such as the story of the fish wedding), or contemporary events (such as an earthquake in Pakistan or the destruction of the twin towers in New York City). This tradition of painting and singing is still handed down from parent to child.
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| Young girl singing about a “fish wedding” as she points to the scenes on her painting. |
Village children saying good-bye. |
After visiting the kind, generous, and welcoming people of these rural villages of West Bengal, it's back to the metropolis of Kolkata.
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| Gariahat Road, south Kolkata. |
View over the rooftops of downtown Kolkata. |
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