I have a ticket to the Maldives on the 21st (of May!). I will be there until the 29th. So I’ll be leaving India in only a few days! My sister and I are trying to spend some time together before we don’t see each other again for who-knows-how-long.
Jayanthi and I both love planetariums. In the US, when you go to a planeterium, the show is often better than an IMAX. Over your head is a 180º domed screen which makes you feel like you are flying through space. The last show I saw was in Boston, where a show I saw about moons (not just ours, but moons throughout the solar system) and their formation and effects, narrated by Ed Helms, was awesome. I felt like I was floating above the planets, watching moons rise, hovering in space as planets and moons had their births. These days, the projection equipment at the planeteriums is so state-of-the art, there are so many pixels and the picture is so life-like, it’s incredible.
When we decided to go to the Birla Planetarium in Kolkata, we weren’t expecting India to be quite so state-of-the-art. We were not, however, prepared for the experience that awaited us. We arrived at the time of an English presentation, and purchased our tickets for a whopping Rs. 40 (approx. 60 cents) each. When we came into the room, we selected our seats, normal planetarium seats, if a bit rickety. We were delighted because the room was cooler than outside.
Kolkata Skyline inside Birla Planetarium
Then, a woman took the microphone and began speaking. I thought she was introducing the show, as people do. She had a THICK Indian accent when she spoke in English – I had to really concentrate to understand her, and I normally have little difficulty understanding people with an Indian accent. Like a strict schoolmarm, she instructed everyone to “switch off their mobiles” and that everyone was expected to sit silently and listen. She lectured everyone that people who cannot control their children should not come. Up until then, the skyline of Kolkata had been projected on the base of the domed screen. The moment the sun was projected onto the dome, a young child gasped in excitement. The woman stopped immediately, yelling, “SILENCE IS EXPECTED!” As the parents shushed their excited child, she resumed her talk, projecting the sun’s path across the dome and making the night come. I don’t think the child was dared comment when the stars came out.
She spoke rather slowly, over-enunciating her words to the point of awkwardness as she continued the presentation, which was not (as my sister and I had hoped) to be a video show, but rather this lady with what was essentially a slide projector on a domed screen. She showed the night stars and projected images of the different constellations over them, mentioning the names of the constellations, both Western and Indian. Here, when we would’ve been happy for her to slow down, she sped up and breezed through the different Indian names for the constellations, before flashing on to a different slide. She interrupted herself regularly, to yell at the audience. “SILENCE IS EXPECTED!” was her favorite, but “SILENCE YOUR CHILDREN!” and the old standby of “I WILL WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE SILENT!” were utilized frequently as well. We had an awkward few minutes when she yelled at someone, “WHY HAVE YOU SWITCHED ON YOUR MOBILE?!?” and waited for their reply (which was not forthcoming, hence the awkward silence). After a 40-minute lecture/yell on the basics of the night sky, we left, our ears ringing. My sister and I felt like we had been properly chastened (not sure what we’d done wrong, though). We walked through the planetarium and looked at the very interesting paintings in the building, with Hindu gods and goddesses in the cosmos before heading outside, and indulging ourselves in a good laugh. I guess for 40 Rupees, we got what we paid for.
Jayanthi at Not-“Kamal” Restaurant
We went to a restaurant I had remembered from the past for dinner. I’d been wanting to go since I’d returned to Kolkata. Only trouble was, I couldn’t remember what it was called or where it was located. I’d had a name (I thought), and a general location, but it was hazy. I did remember they had delicious thaalis, though!
Yay, I found it!
During my explorations of the Newmarket area over the past week or so, I finally stumbled upon it. I took a picture, hoping to come back (since I found it just as I was leaving a place where I’d had dinner, of course). It was called North and South Indian Restaurant, not Kamala, as I’d thought. But it has a giant sign out front advertising Kamal Ice Cream, so I guess it’s to be expected that I assumed it was called Kamal-something. So Jayanthi and I went there – I was even able to find it again! It was tasty food – no Nizam’s, but pretty good for what it was. We enjoyed ourselves.
Then, after dinner, we decided to swing by The Fairlawn (it’s only a few blocks away, after all)! And of course, we met Neel! So we had a delightful time with Neel – and the three of us even ran into Sweetie, who I had met the first time with Neel. Jayanthi and Neel get along great, which I knew would happen, so we had a great time and Neel even gave us a ride home at the end of the evening. We made plans to try and meet tomorrow to go to Nizam’s since I’m leaving in a couple of days. Yay, this was a good day!