The City of Joy

This journey continues to unfold in the most beautiful ways.

I made a quick decision to go and visit some friends outside of Calcutta on Tuesday at a clinic they run, and it just happened to be the day when one of the most famous men in India was also visiting the clinic that he founded. The streets were lined with people from all the surrounding villages and traffic was at a standstill. There were posters on every tree with the showing the smiling face of Dominique LaPierre and his wife who is also named Dominique. They came to Calcutta 30 years ago when they were young and then back again when he was doing research for the book The City of Joy. They fell in love with the city and the people and have never stopped supporting them.

On this day it was as if the Pope had come to town. Everyone was out in their finest clothes just to get a glimpse of him. Just before he went onstage to speak, I introduced myself and he kindly invited me to spend the next two days with him.

After touring this clinic, he put me in the car with him and a reporter from Holland who is doing a story, and I had a whole hour and a half to talk with him and ask any questions I had. It was so wonderful. He is such a kind and funny man and gives so much to the people here. We drove to another village where we were greeted as before, and then we boarded a medical boat to go out into the Sunderban Islands which were devastated by a cyclone in May of this year. Everyone was out again, blowing on conch shells and doing a wonderful greeting call that I've heard at bellydance festivals and greek festivals. The people looked very different than the other people of India that I've seen. They had more of a tribal look, and their eyes were beautiful and more green.

They sprinkled marigold petals in our hair and draped us with flower leis. All the women bent down and touched first one of my feet and then the other and then we bowed to each other with "namaste". It was all very surreal and one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I was floating through this cloud of the most vivid colors and so many beautiful faces that were all smiling and loving. We delivered blankets, rice, lanterns and juice for each family on this island.

The next day I met Dominique and his party at a hotel and we all loaded up and drove to the Asha Bahvan Center which he also founded. This is an incredible place that serves hundreds of men, women and children but the focus is on developmentally and physically handicapped children.

Again, it was as if the most major celebrity in the world was coming. So many people there to greet us, so many posters. We were told that the people had been waiting for several hours just to get a glimpse of this man.

I saw a poster of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was so strange and out of place, and I asked Dominique about it. He said the designer had given him that dress to auction off to bring money to the people of Calcutta. What a great story.

We were taken to a beautifully decorated room for some tea and snacks before we all went onstage in front of at least 1,000 people who were gathered there. There was a very sweet program of dance and poetry and they presented Dominique with a silver rickshaw replica inside of a glass case. Dominique spoke for a few minutes and he also had each of us who were with him say a few words about how we feel about India and the people there. It was such a touching experience for me. I am so happy that I got to say to these people directly how much I love it here and that I will be back to help in any way that I can. I am forever connected to India.