Next day on the 5th, I
left for Belur Math where my brother was undergoing his spiritual training
to become a Sannyasi. After engaging a taxi for the day and leaving my
relative at his office on the way,
I headed for Belur Math.
Calcutta is a sprawling
city and I thought of the great Mother Theresa, Rabindhranath Tagore,
and writers Dominique Lapiere and Larry Collins who penned 'City of Joy'.
Streets were crowded but the traffic was moving.
Once my relative disembarked from the van, I was alone and wondering how and
when I am going to see my brother in his new incarnation. I wondered how he
will receive me.
Belur Math is situated on the banks of Hooghly river (Ganga) in a very
beautiful and tranquil setting. We headed straight to cross the river by the
famous Howra bridge of Calcutta. This bridge is always teeming with
vehicles. Once the bridge was crossed, the city streets appeared very old
and congested. It was a different face of Calcutta. I kept remembering the
book 'city of joy' seeing the ordinary people trying to make sense of their
tough day-to-day fight to survive running small shops and businesses.
Around 10.30 - 11 am,
after close to two hours in the van, I reached my destination. City of
Calcutta looked vast with no end in sight after an hour of fast paced
journey. Outside the Math gates, there were several vehicles of tourists
lined up after its occupants have left for the Math.
I requested my driver in
my average Hindi that he has to wait for me until I come back and however
late I am.
During the journey,
people I came across including the family I lived
with, asked me why I was in Calcutta? I do not know what each of them felt when I
answered that "I have come to see my brother who left home to become a Sannyasi".
Next :
Belur Math - On the
banks of mighty Ganga