New Year's Eve

What was New Years like in Kolkata, you ask? It's hard to describe really.

It started off innocently with some drinking on the roof of the hotel. We were all careful to stock up on liquor because the shops were closing at 10 and we didn't want to be left out in the cold. By about 10:30, the heads were feeling a lot lighter and we were having a good time.

Being in India, I guess we were hoping that we could "stretch" New Years a bit...i.e. have the countdown at 1 AM instead of 12. Our hopes were fulfilled a bit, but only by a second (on account of the leap second that was added by the scientists).

I think we made it out on the street right at about midnight...there was no countdown, no noisemakers, and no party. We were perplexed as to the whereabouts of all the people. That was until we headed down to the famed "Park Street." This, we were told, was the place to find the good "craic (pronounced "crack")," in the words of a Northern Irishman. And boy were we not disappointed. Talk about pandemonium. It was absolutely crazy.

On the way, every local that caught a glimpse of us came over to wish us a happy new year and shake our hands. After about two groups of people, it got really tiring...to the point where I just tried to ignore everybody. Unfortunately, it's difficult to ignore the entire male population of central Kolkata. I am not joking when I say that there were more people out on the streets than in the city of Chandigarh. The only term that can describe this phenomenon is "wall-to-wall."

Naturally, I decided to go from one end of the street to the other...on the wrong side of the street. It was like trying to take on an entire army. Not even the technique of putting your head down and pushing through worked on this occasion. All I could do was work my way through as best as possible - and elbowing a few people along the way.

This "walk of death," so to speak, was like a hazing ritual. I had my balls grabbed, my face slapped, and numerous attempts were made on my pockets. I came out feeling like I just had the crap beat out of me...not a pleasant feeling.

On the main roads, there was gridlock. The remedy was for people to get out of their cars and start dancing in the streets. Yet the crowds still seemed to recognize the significance of the day for the foreigners. After all, this was our holiday and Diwali was theirs.

I was glad I finally got to witness New Years in a large city, albeit in India. Now it's time for me to go eat my way out of Kolkata...the food is so good I don't want to leave.