Kolkata

My 38 days in West Bengal and Sikkim have gone by quickly, far too quickly. Am I now an expert on India? Let’s just say that I have learned a great deal from and about the country and the people. more ...

There are days when the world really seems to be just a little bit better of a place: for example, the day when a reader of our newspaper decided not just to read the articles but also to draw the consequences. Her wish has already been put into practice, i.e. that of opening up a new perspective for women in the countryside. more ...

There are not so many Germans living permanently in West Bengal. The number is estimated at about 150. Two of them come from the region around Nürtingen: Gundel und Bernd Meissner, both born in Kirchheim, have already done a great deal of good in the city and the countryside. more ...

The man, who is surrounded by stacks of files in his mini-office in Calcutta’s district of Lake Gardens, makes a quite amazing equation: “Let’s assume two villages are equally poverty-stricken. One has a rich cultural life, the other has hardly any. There where art can evolve there is virtually no human trafficking.” more ...

They are the “sculptors of the common people”: for centuries, in the street named after them, the potters of Kolkata have been producing – first and foremost - goddesses and gods. The technique is handed down from generation to generation – wood, straw and mud are their materials. more ...

What is happiness? This is relative, and one could argue endlessly about it. At the moment, however, there is one thing that is definitely a component for me: finding a taxi driver in Calcutta who doesn’t want to rip you off. That would be so good for my peace of mind. more ...

“The Indians” – this term appears again and again in this series of articles. Yet it is not really correct. The Republic of India is in fact a multi-ethnic state. Some of these peoples are completely unknown to most Europeans. Even though there are, for example, more Adivasi than Germans. more ...

Sometimes you cannot help but show solidarity with the Indian people, for example when the issue is the launch of overseas supermarket chains. more ...

Are old structures really everywhere as bad as one imagines in the “modern” western world? Jürgen Gerrmann asks himself this after a visit to a small village in West Bengal. more ...

Some things in India really cannot be measured by German standards – including, and above all, the way they deal with garbage more ...

Germany is the land of poets and philosophers. As a matter of fact, though, no one notices it at the world’s largest public book fair. more ...

Sabita (18) and Brihaspati (17) still go to school. In their free time they help out in a household in the West Bengal village of Karanjali (two and a half hours from Kolkata). One day they will marry, and it is almost certain their marriages will be arranged. more ...

For many years, he was the chief financial officer of one of the world’s leading makers of quality cable. When he retired, Dr. Roland Kern became a member of the supervisory board of the Lapp Holding of Stuttgart. As its deputy chair, the Neckartailfinger recently accompanied the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg on the launch of its India tour. more ...

In Italy, I enjoyed the sensation a few times, but it’s been a good while. And in Nürtingen I found no one who would give me a decent, thorough wet shave. So my stay in India came in the nick of time. I don’t want to go to a salon, as my colleagues recommend I do. I am drawn to Ramashish Thakur. more ...

Kolkata. Approximately 4.5 million are crowded into the city centre alone in this huge metropolis. That leaves little room for greenery. But, perhaps that is the reason that trees enjoy such high status. more ...

Germany is at third place on the FIFA football world-ranking list. Presently, India (tied with Pakistan) holds place 158. The Bundesliga is considered Europe’s third best league. The I-League yearns for international recognition, at least in Asia. How great are the differences really? more ...

I admit, over the past few days I have frequently done something that’s strictly forbidden: I jumped onto the moving bus. At first, it was from sheer necessity. There is no other way to enter these vehicles. In the meantime (to be honest), it’s even fun, as taking the bus in Kolkata generally is. more ...

Today is Thursday. I have gotten over the jetlag. Some streets are already familiar to me and I can find my way on foot to and from the Goethe-Institut on my own. I am beginning to acclimatize. Today is my first official day of work at the Times of India. more ...

From a small Swabian town to a metropolis in an up-and-coming threshold country, from a provincial paper (in the best sense of the word) to India’s largest English-language newspaper – will that be a culture shock? I will soon find out for myself. Our newspaper and I have been chosen for the Goethe-Institut’s “Close-Up” project. more ...