How to improve Kolkata?

Question

I am in Kolkata for the past 6 months and I find it is in 18th century. There is no inspiration and there is no motivation to become at par with other Indian cities. I welcome practical suggestions. Those who are emotional about 'amar sonar Kolkata may please listen

Answer 1

I am from Kolkata.
I have spent 15 years of my life outside Bengal i.e. in Ranchi, New Delhi and London. I have traveled almost 200 places in India. I am trying to give my neutral view about the present status and way out.

Present status -
1. We live in past (not even present). Some 200 years back some Bengali achieved something and still we feel contended with that.
2. We always love to put fingers to others. (just like the first respondent - bikasroy). We forget that when we point one finger to others four fingers are indicating ourselves.
3. We are very slow and do not like to take risk. We need peaceful life. We want to work less, earn less and just eat, drink, sleep and gossip.
4. Most of us do not want to leave Kolkata.
5. We do not like to share unless I am a teacher and getting paid for it. Its not that Bengalis do not have knowledge. But they are very much reluctant to express it and poor to use it. We think that what ever we have learnt in text book are just for exam and no point in using them in daily life.
6. We are not professional at all. Some time we are emotional but do not help. In the road if there is an accident 10000 people with shed tears but not a single person would take him to hospital. Even if someone takes initiative others would discourage him.
7. We love to get appreciated but do not know how to appreciate.
8. Still now we are afraid of foreigners
9. There are 100 more such points but to write all my observation and experience is beyond scope of this forum.


WAY OUT - (at least I think so) -

1. We start living in present and forget all our past glories.
2. Lets start thinking that our development is our responsibility and Center (i.e. Central Govt.) would not do anything for that.
3. We Stop behaving like crabs.
4. We Learn to utilize our knowledge and learn to look beyond...
5. We should know we can start living at the age of 60 also.
7. We stop planning for yearly leave and expense plan.
8. We learn to say no (we should have lot of guts to do so) and also learn to say Thanks.
9. We should cheer the progress instead of cheering the end result. We forget our behavior in football field. The book GUNG HO by Kenneth Blanchard & Shidney Bowel should be made mandatory for all school reading.


However the good point is the new generation of Bengalis (20 to 25 yrs age) are quite different. They are much more professional in true sense. Now many Bengalis are leaving Kolkata and started taking risks.
If we continue changing at the present rate it would take us approximately 20 years to catch average India level. I am hopeful !

Answer 2

nothing you can do about Calcutta
as the people of city do not have care
my experience say this
Bengali are mostly need a table and chair job and some 5 to 10 tea per day at office, they satisfy with a sitting job nothing you can change the Bengali babu nature .
sorry i am not hurting any Bengali as i have seen they are not hard worker they will earn for a whole year and then go with family a long tour
in India the first number of tourist is Bengali then Gujarati,
they itself do not want that Calcutta should develop otherwise how a city does not have a simple living condition
the workers are in Calcutta are mostly bihari and up bhaiya
they need a babu post and just do the work by sitting and they will argue for everything
they will talk more but no work
see in writers building
not at such that all Bengali like that the new generation is good,brilliant, and also hard worker, but they do not want to live in Calcutta they sifted to USA UK and other foreign country or they will sift to Bangalore Chennai and some more peaceful areas.

Answer 3

I find everything of Calcutta "antic"........the whole city is historical(which the Govt and the people couldn't maintain....many lost/degraded already.....the Calcuttans didn't create those, but,done by the British) and all the things are very backward .Calcutta is living in its past.The people of Calcutta are always boastful of their past.That's good. What about their present status? No one thinks in that line. All the Bengalis think Calcutta is Bengal(West Bengal).Their world is not beyond Calcutta.They have very insignificant idea/knowledge of the whole country----they hardly know their own State well.Ask any Calcuttan whther he/she knows how many districts are there in his/her State and to name the District Head Quarters.You will be shocked to hear the rsponse.Ask anyone to tell you "howmany states are there in India and what are names of each Capital Town/city of every State.You will find a blank look ,.....yet, they think they are the BEST in every way.The don't know that survive on dole of other 'perfrming States' of India.West Bengal is Categorised as non performing State.Economically , they are the worst.....so also , in all other fields.
Calcuuta is DEAD CITY.this comment was made by former Prime Minister Mr.Rajiv Gandhi.The people Calcutta felt insulted(that's natural)......but, the fact remains....'Calcutta is a Dead City wth no future in decades to come.
Sorry guys, I have no suggestion to make as to how to make Calcutta a modern city.The answer lies in...."how to change the outlook of the Calcutta Bengalis".

Answer 4

The above person seems to be a' CHUTIYA'

Answer 5

u know buddies, i'm a kolkatan and i couldn't have agreed with swapan more on this cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!