Monday, January 02, 2006

Lansdowne School of Pickpockets

No I'm serious, during the pujas, these people in Lansdowne run the All-India Lansdowne School of Pickpockets. It attracts some of the best talent from all around the country. They can cut your "hidden" pocket and milk you dry before you've even paid the conductor on the bus. These people, ladies and gentlemen, the creme de la creme of the thriving theiving industry.

Interestingly, these young professionals are as selective as secretive. No cellphones, no large bags. Usually it's wallets and purses. I've never seen one at work, but I've heard they're like ninjas.

God, I love this city.

15 comments:

  1. Eh? This in Calcutta? Wow...makes it seem like Ankh-Morpork. Did you ever read any Terry Pratchett?

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  2. Only "The Fifth Elephant"

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  3. I thought Lansdowne was some place near Nainital-Almora...

    Ninja pickpockets... cool!

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  4. I wanna be a ninja!

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  5. Yes Gakhs, you're right, Lansdowne is a military base near Jim Corbett... but there's a Lansdowne here in Cal as well. It is after all a name of a person, yeah, and like Washington, a lot of shit gets named after him.

    Ah ninjas...

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  6. Do you listen to Blondie?

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  7. I've heard essential Blondie... you know the must hear ones like "One way or another..." and "Maria" etc, why do you ask?

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  8. Do you happen to have any songs you could send?

    Ahh...don't wanna go back to school. =(

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  9. I'll try, but why the sudden Blondie trip?

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  10. I don't know, I'm always like this. If you don't have any songs, that's ok. I'll probably find some from someone back at school. But thanks tho =D

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  11. Normally, the stretch betweek sealdah to mallickbazar - park street has the highest concentration of pickpockets in Calcutta. There are quite a few narrow bylanes in the moulaly / entaly/ jora girja region which have huge mountains of shredded stolen wallets - of course without their contents. I'm surprised that Lansdowne has so many poket-maars. Maybe just like the city around them, the pickpocketers are moving upmarket too ;-)

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  12. Yay. You're back! :D

    Maggie, I have one Blondie song - the tide is high. Let me know if you want it :)

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  13. Back? Ah yes, I'm back and pissed drunk. What's pissing off about being drunk is that you can't enjoy the really good food at the restaurant, and the fact that you feel like crap after three bottles of Chianti and the restroom pot becomes your new best friend.

    Maggie is your pic from a TV show? It looks familiar.

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  14. Yes it is...it's from Arrested Development. It's a very funny show.

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  15. I saw a couple of shows, kinda felt sorry for that Michael Bluth guy. But that Buster guy is hillarious!

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