Kolkata-Bound

July 11, 2025 

Today, we departed for the heart of the TGC experience: the host community visits.

After a short two-hour flight, we landed at Kolkata Airport around 6 p.m., where we were warmly greeted by our wonderful host, Ms. Sharmila Sengupta.

Kolkata takes traffic to another level—our ride from the airport to the hotel would end up taking longer than the flight itself. But this gave us time to talk with Sharmila, our conversation unfolding against a backdrop of car horns and jostling vehicles. She gave us an informal introduction to the city and shared insights into local school culture.

One thing to know about Kolkata is that its nickname is the "City of Joy." It's a name that became popularized by a novel of the same name, written by Dominique Lapierre, in 1985. 

When I asked Sharmila for her take on the name, she replied, “Ah yes, the City of Joy! Kolkata has the most joyful people. And they are extremely helpful. This is something you won’t find in most other cities.” She continued, “People here are more laid-back. They like to take siestas, to enjoy their tea, to have long discussions. We really like to have long discussions over tea! We even have a name for this: adda.”

Our conversation then turned toward our upcoming work at the school, and Sharmila shared her philosophy on education to put us at ease: “As long as we meet and learn from each other, that’s all that matters. To be good human beings in life. To be happy. If the child is happy, that’s all that matters.”

As our car lurched through the jam-packed streets, we caught glimpses of the stark inequality that shapes the city. Sharmila told us she was educated in excellent private schools, and when she began her teaching career, she taught in a private school as well. But over time, she had a realization:

“In the private school setting, I was building lives for people who are going to leave the country.”

Instead, she wanted to build lives for those who would remain in India. She made the switch to teaching in government schools—there are over 13,000 government and government-sponsored schools in West Bengal—and hasn’t looked back since, saying the transition has made her “very happy.”

Tomorrow, we’ll begin our day with a visit to Barisha Janakalyan Vidyapith for Girls (HS), where Sharmila is Headmistress.

Note: tomorrow is a Saturday. When I asked how long students have been attending school on Saturdays, Sharmila explained that the practice began in the 1950s to provide students with a free midday meal. The goal was to improve attendance, nutrition, and well-being, and, by extension, literacy rates. It became very popular—and stuck. 

More to come after our visit!