Whats Calcutta's problem – An outsider's perspective

The 'City of Joy' as it is called is currently the 4^th largest city in India by population but not among the most sought after destination be it for education, jobs or business. From being the nerve centre of British India to fading away as another populous city in India, Calcutta or the modern day Kolkata has seen it all. Once considered to be the hub of education and culture the capital of West Bengal has be synonymous with bandhs and strikes in the recent decades.

It is not very surprising that once former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had once quoted “Calcutta is a dying city”. All the residents of the city and Bengalis like me around the world would never like to believe it but to be honest we have lost the plot somewhere. The entire eastern part of the country seems to be surviving in a different era as compared to the rest of the nation. Calcutta's decline has resulted in the underdevelopment of the entire region.

Being a outsider to Calcutta and working in Delhi and Bangalore I have observed some of things which I personally feel is the problem with Calcutta. People might not appreciate an outsider's perspective but at times its easier to understand things from outside.

1) An over influential political system, from education to land allotment everything is decided by which party one patronises. Politics is a drawing room conversation in the city which leaves it little time to talk about developmental issues.

2) The present Chief Minister is good but his party took Kolkata and West Bengal inside the black hole. Also the absence of a good alternative in terms of opposition leaves voters with hardly any choice. They are compelled to send the same people to the assembly.

3) All Bengalis like me are very emotional. The problem with being too emotional is at times our logical thinking takes a hit. Singur is a shining example where emotion and political ego cost the state an golden opportunity to revive industry.

4) Cities grow in proximity and Calcutta has been unlucky in this regard. Being far away from any other major city has made sure that it has been denied of indirect development. Pune gained heavily from being close to Mumbai, Gurgaon and Noida have benefited from being Delhi's neighbour..

5) The enormous brain drain that happens also hurts the city like anything. The cream of the city goes out and adds to the development of other major cities. This deprived the city and the state of visionary people who can bring in the change.

6) The pride in Kolkata's golden past many a times overshadows its present state in the minds of people. Its good to be proud of the past but the hangover should not be a barricade stopping people from venturing into a new future.

All the above mentioned arguments are my understanding of the situation after closely observing Calcutta and talking to the people of Calcutta. However I invite arguments from all those who do not agree with any of my arguments.

When will Calcutta rise again?

This is a question which strikes all the inhabitants of Calcutta (I prefer calling it by the old name due to its glorious past) and everyone who has a direct or indirect connection with 'City of Joy'. Such was the aura of Bengal in general and Calcutta that freedom fighter Gopalkrishna Gokhke had once famously said “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” But to be honest Calcutta cannot afford to sing praises of its past and regret its present for too long.

First hit by partition, then by naxalism and finally by vision less politics for decades Calcutta became an irreverent city in the context of the Indian nation. We Bengalis might argue against this being a very emotional community but the truth is we are not among the places people go gaga about anymore in India. It is true Bengalis are still doing well (mostly outside Bengal) but Bengal as a brand has failed miserably in the last 50 years.

When Tatas came to Bengal the the people suddenly saw a sense of hope in the cultural capital of India. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was being seen as a developmental leader trying to revive the state from the slump and driving it out of the 'Black Hole' in which it has been for decades. But for a leader and her demands the Tatas walked out of Bengal and with it crushed the dreams of many both within the state and outside it.

Many people were planning to re-migrate to 'desher mati' once decent career opportunities were available in Calcutta. They were eyeing Tata Nano to be a turning point in Calcutta's history. I had a bet of Rs 100 with one of my friends from Calcutta during the heights of Singur protest. He said Tatas would not leave after investing so much money while I insisted Tatas won't do business in a war like situation. This was one bet I would have been happy to loose.

The IT business which is the buzz word in the country has at the most kissed Kolkata when compared to cities like Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon leave aside the Silicon Valley of India Bangalore. This is pretty disappointing considering Bengalis or people from West Bengal comprise are one of the largest work force in terms of head count in this industry.

Another industry which has eluded Calcutta is the BPO sector. It surprises me as Calcutta is one of the most cost effective cities in the country a must for the BPO business. Add to it the huge number of BPO executives from the region especially North East this business would have flourished in Calcutta. But unfortunately apart from a few major BPOs the city has seen negligible job opportunities being created by the calling business.

A SWAT analysis of the state needs to be done immediately to bring in some much development to the state which is crying for it. The present chief minister seems to be the best man helming the affairs of the state right now. Hopefully people sitting in the opposite bench will realise and take a lesson from the grave mistake that they have committed in the recent past. Its a dream of many that 'City of Joy' also becomes 'City of Opportunities'

Calcutta calling

The City of Joy as it is called has something special and that is 'character'. Unlike many other big cities in India Calcutta or Kolkata has not turned materialistic and still has a humane side to it. Its a underdeveloped city by its potential owing to many reasons but its a city where people are still happy and have time to smile. I might sound bias being a Bong but the truth is many of my non-Bengali friends who have been there second my opinion.

I realise it more being in a plastic city like Bangalore. As a by product of the IT revolution the smile in a person's face has been programmed. People are too much engrossed in looking high up that they are having pain in their neck. Success here does not give time to relax and enjoy but puts across another gold in life. In doing so an entire generation is missing out on the beauty of life. The positive side is Kolkata is somewhat isolated from this syndrome.

Being born in the lush green hills of Shillong an annul visit to Kolkata during the winters was what I always looked forward to. It was time to see so many things like trains, planes and cycle rickshaws which were not seen in my 'Scotland of the East'. The numerous earthen pots of misti doi and rosogollas never could satisfy me. The slow moving trams and the hand pulled carts symbolised a city which is trying to hold on to its glorious past.

A paradigm shift happened to my love for this city when I started growing up and did not see Kolkata offering me much opportunities. Soon the 'City of Joy' seemed too doomed to offer me anything. I tried Delhi but could not find my solace there and now Bangalore has taught me interesting lessons as to why we are still lagging behind in comparison to other cities.

This city will only grow when the best of its brains work here rather than migrating to other parts of the country. True there are may factors resulting in this brain drain but we seem to over worship other places and look down upon out own. An entire overhaul needs to be done with our everyday thinking as India is changing fast and our glorious past needs to reflect in our present and golden future.

People think me to be a fool when I talk of working in Kolkata. They always reason it with the kind of salary Kolkata pays. But I value the quality of life and not its price may be because of my upbringing in beautiful Shillong. A smile on my parent's face is more valuable to me than a luxurious bungalow. I want to move to Kolkata and work there. I cannot be a General in the city's growth but can definitely be a foot soldier.

East: The Internet Shadow Area

Wyndham Lewis coined the term 'Global Village' and the world has indeed become a village where many things have neared if not physically but definitely psychologically. Gone are the days when to get a copy of foreign newspaper people had to wait for two days; internet now delivers the world in our finger tips. No other country has perhaps cashed on the internet revolution like India has done but the irony is that the Eastern and the North Eastern part of the country has been left far behind. We have fallen in a 'Internet Shadow Area'

The reasons are many both political as well as psychological. One of the major reasons Internet hasn't spread in the region is because it has been considered to be rocket science by many. They have thought it to be too tough to handle. That is far from what is true as research has time and again shown that it is more difficult to create a Word document than to surf the net.

We still not have realised the power of internet as an advertising tool. It is one the cheapest form of advertisement with a long shelf life. Here too we have failed ourselves. Take the websites of any educational institute or organisation in the region we will find that they are appear to be poor when compared similar sites in any part of the country. And even most newspapers of the region have their websites running on obsolete internet technology.

Working for internet portal for over a year I have realised the actual power of internet. Take a small example a regional newspaper which publishes for small geographical reader. Now its reach is limited to that particular region. With internet someone sitting at opposite end of the planet can have access the same news in real time. All other forms of media print, television and radio have their geographical limitations but no such law applies to the internet media.

Internet is a very powerful tool which can do wonders and being the fastest growing form of media we cannot afford to ignore it for too long. Staying in the internet shadow area has thrown us back by many years. We need to stand up and question ourselves for how long will we love to live in this isolation which is not only technological.

Ratan Tata’s open letter

Ratan Tata's open letter to the youth of West Bengal to choose between modern infrastructure and lawlessness. The letter showed how much Mr Tata a many of very few words was hurt in being forced to movie out of West Bengal. The Tatas did not say goodbye to the sate happily after having invested close to Rs1500 crores in what would have been a engineering marvel to roll out of a state infamous for bringing industries to a standstill.

Expectedly the letter met with severe criticism from the Mamata Banerjee and her party members. After chasing the Tatas away she has kept a low profile in Bengal and demanded a judicial enquiry into the Batla House encounter in Delhi. What a leader who crushes the dreams of thousands of youth in her own state under her meaningless ego and political beliefs and then rubbishes the sacrifice of a police officer who laid down his life for the sake of the nation.

Mamata Banerjee might have forgotten a that the Constitution of Indian bestows every Indian citizen with 'Freedom of Speech'. She challenged Ratan Tata to come and contest elections. No doubt she proved her insane self in throwing up this challenge to Mr Tata. He is an industrialist who brings in development to the nation and not a mindless politician like many in Trinamool Congress are. Ratan Tata can contest elections if he wants but can our Mamata set up industries and create jobs? She can halt them for sure.

Tatas have always done their business ethically and have been instrumental in development of the places where they have operated from. Personally I happened to witness the difference between the Tatas and the others in the tea gardens of Assam. As a part of our Mass Communication course we had to make a documentary and we chose the tea gardens of Assam. Most of the gardens we visited lacked the basic necessities like proper sanitation, drinking water, roads but to our sheer surprise the garden maintained by the Tatas were a startling contrast to the other gardens having elementary schools, good roads and medical facilities.

One of my close friends has the habit of chatting with people across the world. On conversation with a Brazalian boy he was asked what did he know about Brazil, my friend replied football, samba dance and pretty girls. When my friend asked him what did he know about India he replied Taj Mahal and Tata. Such is the aura of the company whom some super intelligent fellows chased out of West Bengal.

Tatas are gone and we have grieved enough and now its time to think ahead. Perhaps in his exit Ratan Tata has given some clues as to what the people of the state especially the youth have to do in the near future. As for the mindless politicians in the state I hope the next parliamentary elections puts them where actually the belong to. Thanks Mr. Tata even in your exit you showed us a way.

Calcutta to Kolkata: The joy still remains

The entire tourism industry is saying 'Look East' and what better place to visit than the 'City of Joy' Calcutta or modern man's Kolkata. A city which has something to offer to everyone from history to rich literature, music and most importantly an everlasting joyous environment. The erstwhile capital of British India Kolkata was once regarded as the ' Jewel of the East'

The modern day Kolkata is city fast changing metropolis but unlike other mega cities the old and the new have a symbiotic coexistence here. From Victoria Memorial to the river bank across Hoogly, Kolkata is a travellers delight. The ever romantic ride in a tram leaves a mesmerising impression on the mind of any visitor to the city. Some of the must visit spots in the city are:

Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial is perhaps the most renowned landmark of the city, a monument people in the city swear by. This magnificent structure was designed by Sir William Emerson in 1921. Victoria Memorial is regarded as one of the finest art museums in the world.

Birla Planetarium
The second largest planetarium in India the Birla Planetarium Kolkata was built in 1962. It is the centre of the space science, technology and communication. Astronomical shows are a must see here providing information about the solar system, galaxies, space, planets, life span of stars.

Nicco Park
Kolkata's own version of the Disneyland this amusement park provides a modern touch to the classical city. Situated in the northern part of the city it attract lots of youngsters everyday . One of the biggest attractions in this amusement park is the River Cave Ride.

Fort William
Situated at the banks of the river Hoogli it is named after King William III of England. It was established during the tenure of British Raj in 1696. It has served as the seat of military power from the time of the British Raj and is currently the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army.

National Library
The largest library in the country it is situated in a 30 acre estate. It was established in the year 1836 and houses a collection of more than 1000000 books making it one of the largest libraries in the world. The library is currently digitising most of its rare books and journals.

Howrah Bridge
A rare cantilever bridge on the river Hoogli in 1874 after which even a movie is named. Considered to be one of the busiest bridges in the world it connects Howrah to Kolkata. Rechristened as Rabindra Setu the 270 feet high bridge sees more than a hundred thousand vehicles pass under it everyday.

Hospitality
Kolkata has hotels and restaurants for every pocket. The city has some of the best hotels in Eastern India including Taj Bengal, Hayat Regency, Oberoi, Grand, Lytton and Hindustan International. Other than these there are hundreds of budget hotel and lodges around the city catering to thousands of people arriving at this magnificent city everyday.

Kolkata is a place to eat and Bengalis take pride in their cuisine. The taste here varies from a variety of fish curries to the rosogolla, sandesh and sweet curd. The city also has great eateries like Kewpie's Kitchen, Tung Fong, Arsalan, and Tamarind which serve mouth watering dishes. A must visit would be Aminia and Shiraz famous for their biriyani. The street food in Kolkata can be just defined a awesome.

Aviation
Kolkata is connected via flight from all major hubs in India and the world. The Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport serves as a major transit point to the countries in far east. It is located 17kms from the central business district of the city. It connects Kolkata to 26 destinations in the domestic sector and 14 international destinations.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is carrying a major face-lift of the airport and building a fourth terminal in it. The modernisation plan also include the lengthening of the runways for bigger jets like Airbus A380 to land at the airport. Recently the airport has been linked by a suburban railway system connecting it to major parts of the city. The airport currently has a capacity to handle 350 flights per day.

Some of the surrounding tourist destinations around Kolkata are Bandel, Sreerampur, Dakshineswar Kali Bari and Chandannagar. Kolkata today is fast changing but the fact remains the 'City of Joy' still has something to offer to everyone.

Mamata scripts Bengal's biggest loss

What a puja it was for West Bengal and the entire Bengali community. After all the drama Ratan Tata decided to pull out of West Bengal proving who had the power to decide. Mamata Banerjee on her part scripted the biggest loss in West Bengal's recent history. It is ironical that she did not live upto the meaning of her name which means 'mother's love'. There was a time when she was looked up as a selfless politician but she has rather proved to be a cat among the pigeons. The truth is today she eyes the Writers more than she cares about the farmers of Singur.

Ratan Tata had earlier warned that any industry cannot run under 24 hour police protection and if the situation on the ground is not normal he will be forced to pull out. So he did just when the entire state was gearing for the biggest festival Mr. Tata gave the final blow. The entire state was left shell shocked and the politicians on both sides were short of words.

The best joke of the entire event came from the Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya belonging to the TMC who said they did not want the Tatas to leave Singur. Then why did he join the meaningless protest. Was he trying to script his way into a Tollywood movie facing the news reels everyday. People like Mr Rabindranath Bhattacharya fell sorry not for the farmers but for themselves as they made a lots of quick bucks supplying building materials to the erstwhile Nano plant.

The land that was taken from the farmers is not suitable to agriculture and so most of the farmers have lost literally everything. The thousands of educated youngsters of the state who were looking up at this project are heartbroken. The labourers and the workers employed at the Nano plant have turned jobless overnight. All because of a failed politician who wanted to revive her doomed political career at the cost of the state's development

As far as Mamata's CV is concerned she has been a 'big talk' politician all her life. People should not forget how she almost brought the Indian Railways to a halt while she was the Railway Minister. The same Indian railways is making huge profits under a surprising candidate Laloo Prasad Yadav. Mamata's dream of becoming chief minister of the state can only bring catastrophe to West Bengal

The big question that arises is in all this who has emerged as the winner. Surprisingly its a man by the name of Narendra Modi who has got one more jewel in his crown in his already industrialized Gujarat. Perhaps Mamata should have judged the importance of this projects from the politicians of other states who were in a rat race to get this project in their home state. Modi for now is surely in the steering wheel of the engineering marvel.

Now with the Tatas gone and Bengal's re-industrialization dream dented chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya will have to look of other potential investors. Perhaps the only sign of hope came from him when he said the war is not over yet. As for the people of West Bengal they will have to decide the fate of people like Mamata Banerjee who have the potential to take the state back to the stone age.

The rural v/s urban divide in West Bengal

The Singur land row over the Tata Nano project seems far from over. On one side is chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya who wants to have a renaissance of industries in West Bengal and the other side is Mamata Banerjee a emotional leader who had nothing to loose in her political career. It is very ironical that the Trinamool Congress is using the same modus operandi of road blockades, bandhs which the Left Front had mastered over the last thirty years.

The crisis had not only divided the political class into two different camps but even created a huge divide among the rural and urban people of West Bengal. The people of Kolkata and other urban regions are keeping their fingers crossed and want this project to take place at any cost. They want to be at par with their counterparts in other metropolitian cities in the country. On the other hand the people in rural Bengal whose only asset is their land are not willing to part with it at at cheap rates.

Two years back during my stay in Delhi I was talking to a panwala from rural Bengal when the Singur crisis was at its infant stage. Being a urban Bengali youth I was seeing this project as a event which will revive entire West Bengal. Mine and his concern and polarity on this issue were opposite. He told me "You are educated and will get a job if such projects. My entire family is illiterate so it will not benefit me. They will give me a job of of a security guard but I will loose the only asset my family has our land". I was taken back by his statement as the urban youth in me could have never thought on these lines.

Coming back to the present state of the land row the an important factor behind this stir which many are missing out is the enormous increase in the price of the land in Singur and its adjoining areas. The farmers have seen the prices go up by 10 times in many cases and are trying their best to get a better deal from the government. This problem has been hijacked by the mindless Trinamool Congress supporters who are promising a higher price to the poor farmers. It if amazing to see how TMC has turned this small village as its biggest battle ground.

Mamata Banerjee on her part is trying all the political tricks up her sleeves to revive her political future which was almost shattered in the last assembly elections. In a state which is crying for development the kind of opportunist politics she is playing brings shames to democracy in this country. Mamata should realise that for development industries and agriculture have to go hand in hand.

The solution to the Singur problem should be inclusive and not exclusive . It should not be tabulated seeing the rates of land today. It should be seen in a active manner keeping in mind the future. We need to be reminded of a place called Gurgaon which from a small outskirt town of Delhi became one of the most vibrant economic destination in the country owing to another small car projects.

It is up to the people to decide whether they want to see their state up in the league of or continue with the slow death it has suffered in the last 30 years. Once the Tatas pull out it will be nail in the coffin for further industrialization for West Bengal and with it the entire eastern part of the country