From Cologne to Kolkata

“My mother is a teacher at a high school at Cologne. A colleague of hers is associated with a German fundraising organisation,BONO,which is partnering New Light. We wanted to come to India and do some voluntary work. So here we are,” Julia,who has a bachelor’s degree in international business from a university in the Netherlands,said.

According to Julia,for them time,in an apparently shady corner of the Bengal capital,seems to be flying. “We will write a report on the works done by New Light in the red light district of Kolkata. However,primarily we are interacting with the kids at the various shelter homes run by the NGO. It feels good to see that they are getting a shot at life and we,in whatever little way,can help in the process,” Julia said.

The high school friends,who wore white kurtis and jeans and rallied over 5 km despite the heat and dust,have taken the year off to travel the world. “We arrived in Kolkata on March 8. After four weeks,we will leave the city and travel around India. In September,we will get back and do our masters,” Lea,a communications graduate,said.

The newly acquired “unsafe” tag on Kolkata,however,doesn’t bother the German duo. “We haven’t faced any untoward situations in the city. People are nice and accommodating. However,when we hear about the recent rapes all over the state,it definitely scares us. This must stop and the government must take drastic action,” Lea said.

When asked about the situation in terms of rape and violence against women back home in Germany,Julia said,“It’s much better than what we are hearing about in this state. The number of incidents is much less and police and administration are very proactive. Strict,exemplary punishments are given to offenders.”