Lets fast forward to years closer to our independence, as I
will be looking closely to Calcutta during the British era while comparing it to where we stand
today.
Reality Check
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| Chowinghee 2000 |
Calcutta's heritage of old parks and buildings can be compared to the first European cities, but unfortunately we may soon lose these public treasures, which has and would have made generations of residents proud of their city. It is time we took a reality check. There are some heritage buildings that have been well maintained and so the credit must be given to the concerned authorities and individuals. Some buildings and parks, which are part of the 300 year old city's heritage are in urgent need of a face-lift as they lie in their neglected state. The blame has to be shared between the civic authorities as well as the citizens. We simply do not put pressure on the concerned authorities. These neglected sites will turn into ruined structures and then demolished to be replaced by modern structures or unplanned construction.
Chowringhee, the central district of Calcutta has often been compared to internationally known city centers such as Piccadily, Fifth Avenue, Champs Elysees, etc.
And now?
The year 1990 marked Calcutta's tercentenary- a major landmark in the history of the city and there is a growing interest in India's unparalleled architectural heritage, and we should take advantage of it to promote tourism. One of the Calcutta's principal arteries, Chowringhee carries an aura of prestige and importance. Although dowdier these days than it's more illustrious partners, Chowringhee no less exudes similar allure and magnetism in it's eastern setting. Whether we, as the present inhabitants of this great city share a collective responsibility to restore the reputation it once enjoyed, is a question we need to ask ourselves before it's too late.
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| Lal Salaam from longest serving CM |
There was a time not long ago when travelling through the streets of Calcutta was an unending political conversation. It was a heyday of political street graffiti, with large wall paintings of a red flag on which marched sickle carrying peasants or bold announcements of the next rally at the Brigade Parade Ground. In 2011, the people of West Bengal, voted for a change. After 34 years it voted out the left front and chose, in it's place, a grassroots leader who signature tuned, ironically, also happened to be 'struggle'. Not since Subhas Chandra Bose, became the last leader and the stuff of legend, had Bengal reposed such absolute trust in one individual. Among the first things to strike a visitor to Mamata Banerjee's Kolkata is it's steady incorporation into the melting pot of Indian urbanisation. What had made Kolkata distinctive in the past was it's congestion, the over crowding, the inhumanity of the city life, the disruptions, the stench from garbage mountains, power-cuts, pot-holes,etc. It's also an image of that refuses to away. Now, for the average middle class resident, the city has become a rather attractive place to live in. The new Chief Minister's contribution has not been insignificant. Thanks to the trishul shapes lamp posts installed on the main roads and even side streets, Kolkata must surely count among the best lit cities in India. Coupled with the improvement in the quality of the roads, an elaborate metro network and the mushrooming of modestly priced flats all over the city, Kolkata is experiencing a new normal, centered on the re-establishment of civic order: if a ruling Trinamool Congress MP's claim is to be believed, the administration has pressed into service 14000 people to clean the streets on Kolkata everyday. The Christmas lights reappeared in Park Street last year, there's always a wait for the table at Mocambo, Shiraz at the Park Street crossing has undergone a face lift and club life is booming.
Even the College Street Coffee House has changed. The Chief Minister did not create the change.
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| Victory for TMC |
The transformation had begun to be evident in the last years of the left front. Her advent and her over-stated claim of turning Kolkata into another London have reinforced a pre-existing trend. Kolkata today is embracing normally with infectious enthusiasm. The Chief Minister attached importance to the entry of the open, 'English medium educated Bengalis with contemporary, cosmopolitan sensibilities into films and theatres.' Yet, it is impossible to escape from politics altogether. Bengal is probably the only part of India where public intellectuals are not only taken seriously but also perceive themselves to be politically consequential. The CPI(M)'s excesses in Nandigram and Singur first brought the public intellectuals into the limelight and they certainly played a major role in undermining the legitimacy of the left front and transforming the image of Mamata Banerjee from a stormy petrel to that of a liberator. This was all too good to last for long.
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| Mamata Banerjee |
The Park Street rape case and the arrest of a Jadavpur University lecturer proved to be the flash point of estrangements. From being liberator, she was abruptly dubbed fascist and denounced in protest rallies and TV studios. The chief minister still continues to enjoy the confidence of those who seek to use her tenure to detoxify the state's institutions. The Mentor Group entrusted with restoring the quality of Presidency University has functioned without political interference but there is a fear that the present wave of the negative publicity may actually deter intellectuals from abandoning their posts over seas and return to Bengal hoping instant for results is unrealistic. The chief minister made a laughing stock of herself at an investor's meet by taking a role call of the assembled industrialists and demanding to know whether or not they will invest their money in Bengal. After what happened to the Tata's in Singur, it is unlikely that the state will ever be the first choice of manufacturing industry. The mentality of the state has undergone a definite shift from the earlier days but there are still some people who see every capitalistic venture as a blood sucking exercise. Their numbers maybe small but their capacity for obstruction is inconsiderable. In Kolkata, ambition invariably takes second place to the quality of life, with lots of stability of culture.
Calcutta began life as East India's Company's foremost trading outpost. Today, it is trade and it's ancillary services that keeps the city vibrant. The present chief minister is not a great champion of capitalism as a historical process and unlikely our ex chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, she hardly understands Marxism. No wonder, Rabindranath Tagore and not Karl Marx, has remained the guiding force for a city that is rediscovering it's lost soul.
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| New Market/Stuart Hogg (about 1945) |
East India Company came several times to Bengal for trade only to
be chased, wiped and beaten out of here, yes you got me right, the People who
ruled us for several years were once
thrown out by us only to rule over us later. Their first visit to the then rich
and famous Bengal was at the time of Delhi Emperor Jahangir.
I couldn’t stop laughing when I came across the reason behind how
because of the kind hearted behavior of some rulers led us to be ruled over by
the
firangs for so many years. The
story went something like this,
the
daughter of the Emperor was severely burnt and a doctor, Mr. Boughton from
Surat successfully treated her burns and
in reward the Emperor allowed the company to establish factory at Pipili,
leading to English ships arriving at the Bengal ports for the first time, or
should I say the first nail in the coffin
.
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| Shah Jahan |
During 1638, under Shah Jahan’s rule Boughton was
again used to treat one of the ladies in the palace, and in return, the company
was allowed to establish factories in Balasore and Hooghly in addition to Pipili. It seems
like had the people in that era been more healthy and careful to not fall sick
and burn themselves, we wouldn’t have ever been ruled over for years to come.
But who knew that Dr Boughton’s services would be so expensive that it would
cost us our freedom.
Compare it to our present state, we are not under the rule
of any British or for that case any other Country but have we actually
developed or has our condition deteriorated??
I would support the latter.
For a place like Bengal, with so much history behind it, we
have witnessed a sea change over the years. Kolkata, formerly known as
Calcutta, was the capital of British Indian Empire till 1911. The city is also
noted for its revolutionary history raging from India’s struggle for
independence to the leftism naxalite and trade union movements. It was also home
to prominent people like Sarada Devi, Swami
Vivekananda, Rabindranath
Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose, etc. Now,
whether we look at our rich culture, human values, social values, everything
seems to have gone for a toss. It is debatable whether these changes have taken
us forward or pulled us many years backwards, compared to other states and
cities of India.
Bengal, of the past used to be a very rich and prosperous
state. It used to be said “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” We
used to be the leaders, while the rest used to follow. Sadly, everything seems
to be opposite now. Bengal has become a debt ridden state heading nowhere.
Agriculture, the backbone of any forward moving state has suffered the
most. From being a self sufficient state
we now have to depend upon others for our needs. Lack of planning, lack of far
sightedness has led to this mess. Youth from villages have left for greener
pastures due to lack of opportunities. We have to hold the panchayat system as well as their political masters responsible for
this mess.
In the capital city of West Bengal, Calcutta the situation
seems to be more or less similar. Earlier people from other parts of India
would come to Calcutta to earn a living. Today, due to lack of proper planning,
lack of investments, poor government policies, unemployment is at all time high,
skilled as well as non skilled workers are moving away to other states as well
as to abroad to seek a better future. The government of the day has failed to
attract investors due to its land policy, labor problems and petty politics.
The government has to immediately rectify its mistakes and make the state an
attractive investment destination or we will see a continuous brain drain from our city.
From being the safe capital of the country we have acquired
the dubious reputation of being the rape capital of the country. West Bengal
ranks second in the list of crimes committed against women. Earlier it used to
be said that a women could travel anywhere in the city and not fell unsafe. In
the recent past there has been a phenomenal amount of crimes and atrocities
committed on women in the state as well as in the city. In the maximum number
of cases the perpetrators of these crimes get away scott free as they are
affiliated to some political party or the other. The administrators have to
take strong steps to stop crimes of this nature. Social values in our society
seem to have eroded completely. We have to instill fear in the minds of these
kinds of people.
The divide between the rich and the poor seems to have
widened deeply. On one hand we have the people who do not have to worry about
savings, while there are people who hardly have anything to save. The middle
class people seem to be nonexistent. They are either moving to the top or to
the other extreme, thus widening the gap between the two classes.
We can go on and on about the fall from grace of our state
and city but hopefully there is a glimmer of hope still flickering somewhere.
An ex Prime Minister once remarked that Bengal was a dying state. It caused
huge protests in the state. It is most unfortunate that those remarks are
slowly but surely coming true.
Let us all resolve to work hard without thinking of personal
gains and restore our city Calcutta to its earlier glory.
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