It has become my experience that Kolkata, and the life which both dies and flourishes daily within its bounds is much better felt than described in words. It is tempting to avoid the task of assigning words to experience, a temptation I have often given into since our return to Australia. And yet, the deep gratitude I feel for my time there, and the people I shared it with is so immense that reflection on this time is a deep joy, despite some pangs of regret and wishing some things were different.
We (being my husband Steve, Miriam 3 and Henry not quite 2) arrived in Kolkata in July, 2010. Despite nearly 6 years immersed in the city, I have emerged, not none the wiser, but close to it. There are more questions than answers and for that I am grateful, because it is an indicator that ingrained beliefs, implicit bias, and the status quo that was my life had been challenged in a way that may never have otherwise happened.
By far the stand out of our time there were the people that awakened those thought processes in me. My neighbours and local colleagues who joined me in the deep task of cultural and spiritual work to navigate each other’s boundaries with respect are the people who will remain with me in spirit. And importantly our team members from Servants have been both mentors and peers, a community of thriving and challenge that has shaped me considerably. Kolkata and Servants has provided the grounds for the necessary struggle and deeply felt joy of understanding the ties of humanity that are universal, an ongoing work that now continues in Australia.
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