The sunmmer training process is over and I am waiting for the mail from my project manager approving my report so that I can send the same to the HR and complete the formalities that still remain between me and my goodbyes. Since this is going to be my last post for quite some time (perhaps till I reach IIMK on the 19th of this month), I thought that I might as well jot down some things that struck me the most during the past two months spent in Sonar Bangal (not the seven star ITC hotel with a slightly different spelling...am referring to Kolkata). So here go a few observations about the city of joy:
Kolkata has a very high beauty quotient. Beauty Quotient, to me, is the natural beauty of the female population (can be accordingly modified by the fairer sex, if they wish so) divided by the forced beauty that is attempted at through tight-fitting clothes, layers of make-up and of course, some strong dieting and exercise to try and maintain that perfect 10. Compared to Bangalore (which has a low quotient because of the high denominator) and Mumbai (where the quotient is a little better but not as well because of the denominator and the numerator being high at the same time) and other places that I have had the opportunity to...ahem...study, Kolkata scores probably the highest. The natural beauty of most of the girls and women of Kolkata is supplemented well by the sense (of dressing, carrying themselves, etc) of the not-so-endowed ones to get the quotient quite high.
Kolkata is liberal. It is the only place I have seen (and I admit I haven't seen all) where the ladies sit by the side of the auto driver right in the front. There is no difference between a guy and a girl when it comes to filling an auto (though the buses still have the "ladies" seats), which I believe, is an indication and a fallout of the matriarchical Bengali society that we have all heard of.
Kolkata is not expensive at all. For the typical middle class big-city-dweller, Kolkata is heaven incarnate. Cheap food, cheap lodgings (unless you take up living quarters in the extremely posh or estate scarce areas) and reasonably priced amenities, make Kolkata the cheapest metro to live in.
Kolkata is not cheap either. When I say that Kolkata is one of the cheapest metros to live in, I am not being derogatory. For all its traditional nature and Bengali conservative culture, the city is shaking its chains off and pretty fast at that. The number of nightspots is increasing dime-a-dozen and the number of people (including college goers and the fairer sex) who go out past midnight to return only in the morning hours, is to be seen to be believed. And lest you believe that the middle class is going to have fun here as well, something else is in store for you. The prices are steep (perhaps not as steep as they are in Mumbai but comparable, nevertheless) and as the lifestyle and Page 3 craze gets going, the exclusivity is going to come in big time as an attraction. The prices are bound to follow the exclusive pattern, too.
There are some good cinema halls in Kolkata but not good enough. Be it the INOX or the 89 Cinemas, the multiplex culture is catching up but a little too late. Mumbai is of course right there at the top but even late comers like Bangalore have an edge over Kolkata in this regard. As of now, Kolkata still plays host to cinema halls and multiplexes as a part of a bigger picture of a mall. However, in contrast, at places like Delhi and MUmbai, shopping malls have been built around cinema halls (Priya, PVR...).
Retail is booming in Kolkata. The Pantaloons outlet in Kolkata is their biggest grosser across India. The Pizza Hut at Camac Street, Kolkata is the largest selling Pizza Hut outlet in India. The INOX theatre in Kolkata is again the biggest grosser amongst all INOX theatres in India. The story promises to continue. With Big Bazaar lowering the prices to suit the pockets of the used-to-economy Kolkata inhabitant, there promises to be another surge, putting Kolkata firmly on the map of the retail industry.
Kolkata is going to be the next hot software destination. With places like Salt Lake already filled beyond capacity and new buildings coming up wherever empty space could be seen a few months ago, the scene is picking up. With Wipro having set up one huge facility in Salt Lake and in line to open another at Rajarhat, the upcoming software center of Kolkata and with TCS going full steam ahead with their new building, things can only go up from here. The Kolkata map is expanding like never before to accommodate the new suburbs that have been coming up over the past few months as a part of the software revolution.
Bengalis in Kolkata are turning into one neutral lot. Although the quintessential fights-with-no-blows-and-only-words are there, the Kolkata crowd is fast appreciating the value of silence. The metro culture is creeping in and instead of shouting at the neighbour, the preferred option is to just shut your doors and windows down. with the Marwaari community almost taking the town over from the native Bengalis, the culture is undergoing serious transformation. The helpful and straight-though-immediately-provoked Babu Moshai is disappearing fast but still exists.
Kolkata is hot and HUMID.
The smoke knows no bounds in Kolkata which seems to be the biggest consumer of cigarettes amongst Indian cities.
The PG (paying guest, that is) homes at Kolkata that shut down the doors at 10:30 (inspite of it being an all-guy PG) suck.
The Kolkata metro rocks...even now.
The wooden seats and the general seat layout in Kolkata buses don't.
There are not as many of the North East India people here as are the Biharis and the Oriyas (unexpectedly, for me).
There are some really good hotels in Kolkata (not to mention ITC's 7 star Sonar Bangla).
You can get a cab willing to go anywhere in Kolkata, if you flag it down from Park Street.
The walls and buildings in Park Street remind you of CP in Delhi and VT-Churchgate in Mumbai.
The water in Salt Lake area is to be had with a great deal of caution.
For a non-Bengali, the sugar in the curry is not digestible. Maarwari food outlets in outhouses rock.
There are quite a lot of FM stations in Kolkata and boarding a taxi without an FM radio is sacrilege.
The latest Food Plaza opened at the Howrah railway station serves some quality food and a varied lot at that.
It is difficult to commute from Joka to Dunlop if you are on a time crunch.
The CD renting shop at the BJ market in Salt Lake has an amazing collection.
The classroom at Alliance Francaise has an amazing air conditioner that makes the three hour class possible.
If you want to party hard in Kolkata, you need to have accommodating hosts like Sandipan's folks who can take in a guy at home even at late nights.
The tea and snacks jhups near PwC practices CRM and knows what is to be served to regular customers without their asking.
The libido of Bengali women is not just a fairy tale :-)
Believe it or not, I shall miss Kolkata and remember it fondly ;-)
Believe it, I don't want to come back to Kolkata for any long duration (short visits will be welcome).
7 comments:
Wish u a belated happy b'day Nitai.
hey! when was ur b'day???...wouldn't send across a belated wish without ascertaining a timely one next year!
and where exactly is BJ Market???
Thanx for the wishes, Ramesh.
Arundhoti, if you had looked at the previous post, the day on which strange things happened (and keep happening) on this earth is the 9th of June. So there!
BTW, BJ Market is the local market of the BJ block in Salt Lake. I am sure that you are aware that each block in Salt Lake has a market of its own.
Nopes! had come back after sometime...so missed out on the strange things! Well, well, well....a verrrrrrrrrry happy b'day to u...though a trifle belated! hope u had a lovely day!
Well ok...Actually my place in GD....havent ventured to BJ ever! and have been in search of a nice CD shop for quite sometime.
Thank you for the wishes, Arundhoti.
hey nitai,
i really like the way you summed up cal in a webpage...its something which i would not be able to do if i tried...a book on it in a distant future is a possibility!
i like your neutral and receptive approach to cal.this is specially because there are two sets of very prejudiced ppl:
1) non cal ppl who have this vision of a very dirty, hot city with bad roads and many beggars.
2) die hard cal fans who can see nothing wrong with it, compare it favourably to all other cities incl NY, Paris, et all
i would be lying to say that cal isnt dirty, backward, caught in a time wrap of kinds, and sickeningly hot because unlike many bengalis, i cant be blind to the city's faults. But,I also think that it is a very charming and special city for many reasons, some of them mentioned by you and the rest saved for my book.
As someone who truly loves cal but wants to criticise it in hope that it will wake up and get goin, i am really grateful to you for giving a very well balanced account of your impressions of the city.
Lots written, more later!
sharika
Receptive, yes but neutral, not really! I did try to think based on what I saw and not on what I had heard but then, there are many things that one sees and ignores, not because they do not exist but because they exist as banalities which are but common across cities in India and are taken to be for granted.
BTW, your first comment on the blog prompted by a post on Kolkata...speaks of how Bengalis will always remain Bengalis...passionate about Kolkata. :-)
Anyways, thank you for posting this comment and liking the balance (if there was) in the post.
As for the book, all the best and please do send me a free signed copy. In return, I will not forget to send mine on Patna and Buxar, I promise. ;-)
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