City of Joy – Tom Vater

Dominique LaPierre’s Calcutta

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019tomLeave a Comment

Far too many of you have read the ‘City of Joy’ by Dominique LaPierre. The book has sold more than eight million copies, put Calcutta on the map as both the world’s saddest and happiest place and got rave reviews by the pope. Yes, that dead POPE. Dominique LaPierre continues to come to Calcutta regularly. […]

India’s City of Joy: 3 days in historic Kolkata at CNN

December 9, 2017December 9, 2017tomLeave a Comment

My latest travel feature with Laure Siegel on one of my favorite cities – Kolkata – for CNN Travel Mother Teresa did the same for this spendid city as Spielberg did for sharks. She ruined the West Bengal capital’s reputation for generations. But Teresa is dead, the city is on a bumpy rebound and its […]