ABOVE: a fisherman paddling towards the Howrah Bridge on the Bhagirathi River

Agatha and I woke up at the crack of dawn with hopes of catching a couple hours in Kolkata (Calcutta) before we headed back to Delhi. When we arrived in Kolkata, we were greeted by Ananya's good friend Sanjib who was our Kolkata tour guide. He picked us up in a rental car and even grabbed a knowledgable friend to guide us through the city. With only a few hours to spend there, we caught just a bit of the once capitol city of India. We started with a delicious lunch at the popular local restaurant, Peter Cat. We followed this with a drive by the Victoria Memorial. We then headed to the Bhagirathi River and had some ice cream as we watched fisherman pass by. We ended our quick Kolkata stint at an indoor marketplace called New Market.

Coming to Kolkata was really special for me. When my dad was young his family lived in Kolkata. My grandmother told many stories and often referenced her life in Bengal. My father was actually given a Bengali name (Anil) and his mother was named after the main river that passes through (Bhagirathi). As I stood at the Bhagirathi riverside, I looked off at the Howrah bridge (where my father and his family stayed) and I thought about what there life may have been like. I thought a lot about my grandmother. If she were still here, I'm sure she would have given me a list of places to visit and of course sweets to eat in Kolkata!