Today we went to the Bengal National Library and had a big find. There are two Kedar Nath Dattas! Both worked as Magistrates for the British! One was born in 1838 and the other in 1840. We pulled the service records for Kedar Nath Datta and came up with 2 of them. I can hardly believe this, but it’s true. This explains (perhaps) some things we found in London. I found 6 new books published by Kedar Nath Datta which were previously unknown. Perhaps they are by the 1840 Kedar Nath Datta instead of our TBV (1838). More investigation is required. Apart from discovering a second 1840 KND we now have the service record of our TBV. This is a big find. This in itself makes the trip worth it. The next thing that is required is to search the West Bengal Government Archives for details of TBV’s legal judgments. This will take some time to get access because it is a restricted governmental archive and foreigners are not allowed. That will have to wait for the fall. I expect this to be very revealing of TBV’s personality. We might also find his superior’s comments about his work performance. It is very exciting to discover these things. Photographing TBV’s own original manuscript of the Jivani was an unbelievable experience. That was tremendous. Krishna has been very kind to us. All doors have been opened for this research.
February 7, 1987 Calcutta
Well here I am back in Calcutta. God, how this place tries my patience. I am sitting in an auto rickshaw (smoke hog) on the street waiting while Gaura books our tickets to Madras. The smoke and noise in this place is unbelievable. When we arrived in Howrah (Calcutta’s main train station) another student demonstration was going on. Both police with lati sticks (clubs made of hardened bamboo) and students chanting political slogans were everywhere. Demonstrations must be a local pastime. I’ve seen about two dozen demonstrations and strikes since I’ve been in Calcutta. Later today we are going to Midnapur, a city 100 kms south of Calcutta to interview a disciple of Thakur Bhaktivinode. There is supposedly a Bipin Bihari and Thakur Bhaktivinode ashram there.
This will be our last stop in Bengal. Thank God. I’ll be so glad to set out of Calcutta and Bengal. Bengal is okay if you don’t travel. I cannot describe to you yesterday traveling to Shantiniketan. It’s a 100 kms trip from Mayapur. It took us 12 hours! A rickshaw, a boat, a rickshaw, a train, a bus, and another rickshaw. The bus was so packed there were people on the roof, people hanging from the windows, we were crushed right in the middle of it for 6 hours standing. My feet almost could not touch the ground because I was pressed off the ground by the crowd! I can’t imagine doing this when it’s 40 humid degrees in the hot season. After Calcutta everywhere is heaven. Traveling in India you lose all your inhibitions. You learn to push and shove, eat, sleep and urinate in public, and wait and wait and wait and then wait some more, and finally even to curse at people. The secret to India is this: you must have a superhuman sense of humor and extreme patience and be able to turn off your mind and desensitize yourself. I suppose good qualities for many places.
Actually I love India, it has such a charm. Here I am describing a horrible picture of it, but there is a good side too. The weather is great, the scenery is beautiful, it is exotic in the extreme and the people are wonderful (just not in the crowds). Ignore the street and it’s great. You’ll love it. Calcutta is a two edged sword, extremely brutal, dirty and nasty and yet extremely beautiful, exciting and charming. Bengali women are extremely beautiful with colorful saris, flowers in their hair, and pleasing smiles. A part from the street scene which is horrific, Bengalis are very sweet and gentle people. I have this love hate relationship with Bengal.
I love Bengali sweets. Daily we must have a stop at a sweet shop. Rashgula, ras malaya, mahabhog, shandesh, mishty doy, Ah! it’s all great. K. C. Dash makes the best sweets. We live on bread, cheese, tomato, cucumber, peanut butter and Bengali sweets. If we are lucky someone feeds us rice and sabji. I’ve become expert at making bread and cheese sandwiches while riding a second class train with a 100 Bengalis staring at me. I feel like I’m living in a zoo and I’m the animal. People want to touch us! When we are crowded into a bus, they touch my hands and arms! They can’t figure us out. In Calcutta you hardly see white people. In the villages you never see white people. Many people have never seen a white man! They just stare and stare and stare. They surround us in huge crowds. No blonde woman should ever come here without first dying her hair black! Gaura Keshava puts on a show for them: a dancing red monkey! I wish you could see it. He has no shame.
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- Makara Bread, West Bengal
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- Cobra being charmed in streets of Calcutta
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- Rickshaw in Calcutta
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- Rickshaw in Calcutta
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- Traveling by Boat
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- Calcutta Street
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- Calcutta Street
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- Bengali Girl Spinning Yarn
February 5, 1987 Navadvip train station
Well here we are again leaving this time for Shantiniketan. We will try to meet a few people there and then leave for Calcutta. I will be so glad to get out of Calcutta. The place is so crowded. Everywhere you go people. I’m wondering how you will fare in India. It’s an incredible place. Frankly, I wish I was going home now. I’m reaching my saturation point. Life at the speed of Gaura Keshava is overwhelming. We have packed more things into last three weeks than you can imagine.
I am wondering whether or not I should travel into the South for a couple of weeks. More or less I am finished my work in India. As far as the Thesis is concerned, we did London, Delhi, Vrindavan, Calcutta, Midnapore, Birnagar and Shantiniketan. We’ve been out of USA about 3 weeks now. It seems foolish to return so soon. To come all this way and not see the South when it costs so little would be crazy. I could go back to Vrindavan and stay there for a week or back to Mayapura and rest there. I’m not sure what to do. I can’t bear the thought of returning to NV to face winter and the chaotic situation with Kirtananda. After the 10th of Feb. Shri Vatsa Goswami will be in Vrindavan. I should interview him and Vishvambar so how do I fit that in? Go south and return to Vrindavan before leaving India or go back to Vrindavan after Bengal without going south?
Wednesday, February 4, 1987 Birnagar
Photographing MS of the Jivani
Success! We were able to see and photograph the manuscript pages of Svalikhita Jivani. In addition we got the 2nd volume of the Poriade. This alone makes our trip a success. The Jivani was in Bhaktivinoda’s own handwriting. I
compared it to the printed edition and both editions correspond. We took handwriting samples from other works of Bhaktivinoda and samples of Lalita Prasada. We could see no evidence of tampering when we compared the hand writing. It appears that theJivani is genuine and now we have proof. Back in the West I will make a more exact handwriting analysis. We are now waiting for a train to take us to Krishnagar. Tomorrow we go to Shantiniketan.
Svalikhita Jivani MS
From this end it seems feasible that we will be able to live on the amount of money that Shastri Institute will give us. A little tight, but within reason. Tomorrow we’ll confirm this. Well we’ve been waiting about 2 and a half hours now. The train came, but it was so packed that we could not get on. That’s Bengal. Tremendous crowds.
While waiting in Birnagar huge crowds surround us wherever we go. These people are not used to seeing white people. They call us lal-bandhar – red monkeys! They are especially fascinated by my tripod stand. They can’t figure out what it is. Well here I am back in Mayapur. Finally got a train, then a motor Rickshaw, then a boat, then a bicycle rickshaw. All that for 25 miles!
February 2, 1987 Calcutta
Calcutta from Howrah Bridge
Bhagbazar: In India the outside is always bad and the inside is good. The streets are filthy. Garbage, no organization, defecation everywhere, pan expectorate in every corner, yet inside the homes things are generally clean and sweet. In order to survive here you must be able to shut out the external in everything.
Today we spent the whole day in downtown Calcutta. It’s insane. I am exhausted. This trip is go go go. No time to sit still. We get up by 6 AM, go out by 8 AM and return by 8 or 9 PM. We eat on the run. Tomorrow we’ll leave Calcutta for Mayapur at 6:30 AM, we’re booked for the whole day. We’ll interview Nimai Chand Goswami at Shrivas Angam in Navadwip. The next day on Wednesday we’ll go to Birnagar and try to photograph the Jivani. That may take a few days, we won’t know till we see what’s there. When that is finished we’ll go to Santiniketan and Midnapur. No stopping. It hard going, but at least we are getting tremendous work done. Some of the interviews we’ve done are amazing. I have a much better idea of what the Gaudiya Sampraday is, who TBV really was, what Bhaktisiddhanta did, what happened to the Gaudiya Maths and what ISKCON is. I can now appreciate what Bhaktisiddhanta and Bhaktivedanta did.
Manuscript Library
Today we spoke with Radha Kanta Cakravarti for almost 4 hours, an amazing conversation, very revealing. He gave me some good ideas. He also confirmed that I am into something good and on the right track. Today we also went to the West Bengal Government archives in order to get TBV’s government service record. I could not get it, but I now know how to get in. It will take some time. We went to Calcutta’s all India book fair. A fantastic show. Every book published in the country was there. So far this trip I’ve spent a fortune on books. But what can I do? So far this trip my health is holding up (knock on wood). Feet are a little sore. But God we’ve done a lot of walking. It’s interesting that almost every day we never know when or how we will eat or sleep. But each day we do nicely. Krishna makes all arrangement for us. Traveling is good because you learn to depend on Krishna. Every day is different, but every day Krishna provides.
Sarasvati Moulds
Tomorrow is Sarasvati puja. All of Calcutta is in a festive mood. Statues of Sarasvati are everywhere, they sell them like Christmas trees on the street in lots. It will be a holiday tomorrow. The Bengalis really know how to have a good time. Calcutta has a lot of life. Surprisingly it is not as depressing a place as you would think.
January 29, 1987 Howarah Station, Calcutta
Birnagar Station
Ah, Calcutta, what can I say? Chaos, a sea of humanity, noise, smoke, filth, incredible sweets and tremendous excitement. If you just turn off your mind to the noise and the filth and tune into the life it’s not too bad. Gaura and I are waiting for a train to Navadwip, but it is late because of a student’s strike. Typical. Political slogans are everywhere along with the hammer and sickle. Such a strange sight.
Calcutta Street Bath
Calcutta is such a place! Walking around I saw corpses lying on the street. Mangled animals, appalling filth. Words cannot describe Calcutta, whole families of 10-12 kids plus grandparents live on the street. Literally, you don’t walk on the side walk, it’s someone’s living room. Calcutta is one unending slum. It’s a grotesque boil, a festering wound on the body of mankind. In spite of all this it has a vibrant life going on. Children play games on the garbage piles and have fun. Everybody just ignores the squalor and gets on with it.
Material Home of TBV
Now we are traveling to Navadwip by train. If you could just see where I am sitting! In the hallway on the floor just outside the toilet – what a stench! The smell of urine is overwhelming. Not very comfortable. Before we left we visited the Calcutta They think that Bhaktipad is crazy. They have heard so many things. But then they have their own crazy gurus.
The Bengal countryside looks beautiful with lots of rice and vegetable cultivation. Two women just boarded the train with bags of coal which they proceeded to store in the toilet. On all sides I am surrounded by women dressed in filthy rags. The train is so packed, you can’t even breathe, a tea vendor comes on with his whole heating equipment – red hot coals and all. What a scene!
Calcutta Street Scene
Birnagar is a beautiful place – serene. I can see why TBV praises it. Took some good pictures. Bhakta Ma is in charge of the place. She was a servant of Lalita Prasada, sweet old lady. I picked up Krishna Dasa’s biography of TBV – a great find. We are returning on Wednesday with Gadadhara Pran to photograph the Jivani. In Calcutta at the Bangiya Sahitya Parishat I found 16 volumes of Sajjana Toshani, I gave them 2000 rupees! for photo coping. That’s $150, it’s worth it though. This material is very rare. It will take a few weeks to photocopy and so I will have the set shipped to me by sea mail. At least this way there will be a protected set of the Sajjana Toshani in the West.