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.