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| Didi greeting visitors to 'Kolkata' with her message of 'Paribartan' (please note the trident lights in the background and the yellow cabs on the road) |
This month (October 2012), I had the rare good fortune of visiting two of my (and Didi's) favorite cities - Calcutta and London. While, I am absolutely biased towards Calcutta since I originate from that far corner of the East and have spent considerable time there; On my return back to my current home in Noida, I was contemplating the current state of transformation (Bengali - 'Paribartan') in Calcutta and Didi's stated goal towards a general londonification of 'Kolkata'...
Here are some of my observations and suggestions for Didi:
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| A trio of Double decker buses caught in the London traffic |
1. The Traffic - While stuck in the London traffic this week on the rather quaint London Cab (I do like the Calcutta Black/Yellow and Yellow as well - though the London Black Cabs kinda win hands down not only because of the looks, but also due to the quality of the Cabbies) - I realized that Didi could not have chosen a worse model city. The traffic jams in London are as bad (sometimes worse) than what we get in Calcutta... I wish Didi sees sense and choses a better city to model the traffic on. My suggestion - do not Londonify the Calcutta traffic - you will be no better off than where you are right now...
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| The Riverside - with the Girl & the Dolphin, The Tower Bridge and a part of the Shard visible in the background |
2. The Rivers (The Thames vs. The Hoogly) - Two beautiful rivers, though I daresay the Hoogly looks far better. The Tower Bridge is the one I really love... and the Original Howrah bridge I remember with fond nostalgia... while the second Hoogly Bridge is far better than anything London could throw up. These two rivers are the lifeblood of these two cities. Hope Didi continues with her plan to develop the areas surrounding the Hoogly - would love it if it becomes something like the Thames riverside. Didi - May I suggest, to consider adding a London Eye, a Shard, and a Westminister or some equivalents on the Hoogly shoreline...
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| Puja Bhoj @ Aaheli, Calcutta |
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| Lamb Biryani @ Bangalore, London |
3. The Food - Both citities revel in food... The Londoner and the Calcuttan are both known to be partial to good food. The international cuisine at London is more evolved, but Calcutta is not bad either. The Indian food in London is par excellence, and whoever complains about good pubs in Calcutta should visit the Big Ben at Kenilworth... I think there is much that both these cities could boast about. Didi - My only suggestion here is for London, not Kolkata - can London please open a 'Oh Calcutta', 'Tero Parbon', 'Bhojohari Manna' or an 'Aaheli' please... and what about adding a 'Vivekananda Park' types street food corner?
4. The People - The citizens of both these cities are warm, nice and friendly. The Londoner, is much better dressed, and is more fit than the Calcuttan. I think Didi should invest in a set of Gyms and Parks across Calcutta to get the Calcuttan to look more like the Londoner. The fashion scene also is much more evolved in London... May I request Didi to reach out to some of the international fashion houses and Gyms to set up outlets in Kolkata, and look at the possibility of subsidizing operations for some of them. In this respect, Calcutta does need a makeover...
5. Political Billboards - This is something in which Calcutta differs vastly from London - In London I did not see any political billboards, hoardings etc. In fact, there was no larger than life cutouts of any political personality as well; Calcuta, the eternal city of ferment, is home to a set of billboards, hoardings, wall writings, festoons etc. that makes it feel more like a developing city in the midst of a revolution rather than a mature one. I would request Didi to take some effort and make sure that we remove all the political messages from the walls and the roads (including her own - Sorry Didi!)...
6. The Buildings and Monuments - Old buildings in Calcutta and London do have a lot of similarities. Give the Kolkata buildings a fresh makeover and they could very well rival what London has on offfer. My suggestion to Didi would be to set aside some budget for the makeover of the old buildings. Could even be marketed as a 'tourist' offering... They could shave off the top of the remaining double decker buses (I am sure that there are a few left!), give them a fresh coat of paint, and ferry tourists over across the old buildings and streets... might even be a fresh revenue stream for the cash stapped state...
7. The Roads & Lighting - The condition of the roads (even with the ubiquitous blue) in Kolkata and the lighting (notwithstanding the new trident lights that shed very little light) cannot be compared to the roads in London. Even with all the traffic, and the mindless congestion, the roads in London shine... In contrast, the cacophany of the vehicles, the potholes in the road, and the lack of discipline turns the Kolkata roads into a real life nightmare. May I suggest, Didi, to consider starting a 'Congestion Zone' in Kolkata to start with... so that folks atleast have to pay for the harm that they are causing to the beautiful city...
8. The Humor - Last, but not the least, I found that folks both London and Kolkata are fast losing their sense of humour. Isn't it a strange coincidence that while Didi locks up all folks who shares cartoons on her serious 'Paribartan' agenda, London choses (though sometime back!) to bring the shutters down on the 'Punch' magazine... My suggestion both to our Didi and our friends in London is to make sure that the people in these cities do not end up losing their sense of humour - for as someone said, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.”
