Rebranding Kolkata (Calcutta)!!!

“Who will funds all these projects?” the Danish girl raised the question. We were having a guest lecture on city planning and development and an eminent city planner was putting forth his vision for the city of Kolkata (I would rather use the colonial version of the name -- “Calcutta” as it sounds more appealing to me). The planner asked the reason behind the apprehension.

‘I know that most of these projects which you talked about will not take place because of the political compulsions.’ The girl replied. ‘Even after being one of the largest cities of this part of world this city lacks basic amenities and people here seem to lack courage to implement good plans on map.’

The planner smiled at this. ‘I think this is perhaps not the best time for you people to visit this part of India. The whole Singur episode might have left you with a very negative impression regarding the administration and politics of this state. And I am not advocating that the city offers the best infrastructure. On the contrary there are many things to be done. I am just saying that the city has the basic infrastructure, its fair share of intellectuals and business communities and provides amenities which are better than many cities in the country. The only thing is that we need to rebrand the city. There has been sea change in the city over the last decade. We need to compare the situation with a decade back and then we will be able to discern the changes that are taking place. But this rebranding exercise will require a great effort from all the stakeholders of the city.’

Rebranding Calcutta – A great idea, I thought, but will it be implementable? To my friends who have visited this place or are staying here for their work or study, Calcutta is nothing more than a filthy city. To some of them, especially the ones who have come from the ‘great’ city of Mumbai, this city is not more than an extended village. You could very well hear them complain about anything and everything. Thus as the number of people increases one can hear variety of complaints- City of slums, City of Bandhs (Strikes), City of Jams etc, etc. Judging the complaints impartially would make one believe that though a bit harsh these are not entirely untrue. However, I have a history with the place and hence cannot judge the complaints impartially. So, true that Calcutta is many things described above, but Calcutta has also been the hub of cultural activism; it’s the city where education has always been prioritized and it is also a city where the excellent centers of education are present. It is also true that it is perhaps the only Metro city of India which can feed even the poorest because it is cheap. And though the people are mostly political, they are helpful too (Just don’t ask their help for directions. Their sense of distance seems to be flawed as even a walk of 25 minutes will be converted into --- ‘Sojha chole jaan. Doo minute lagbe i.e. Go Straight. It will take only two minutes.’).

When I first visited the city I was a child and the expanse of it impressed me a lot. However the next visit to actually stay here for a long time made me come face to face with the reality. It was a dying city – to many it still is. All the existing industries were closing and the city infrastructure was in dilapidated condition. As in the case of my native place Bihar – People here were gaga about their past – and many still are. To me it remained a chaotic city which moved at its own damn snail pace and I sometimes could not understand the fascination of the people of the city with WBJEE (Well when you are doing your Higher Secondary from this place you cannot blame yourself for getting agitated by the stupid questions on WBJEE). However there were also moments of joy for me and I still cherish them – The run to my college almost every day so as not to miss the class, the walk in crowded Dharmtala, to enjoy the city traffic move from the foot over bridges, bargaining at Shyam Bajaar and above all the Metro train. I enjoyed all that and by the time I was leaving the city I started loving it despite all its failings.

The scenario has changed over time. And here comes the need of rebranding. The state government is trying (I can’t comment on the level of enthusiasm though) to bring the city to the eyes of major investors in India but it has to be a collective effort from all quarters. Thus the stakeholders of the city need to:

• Emphasize on improving the public infrastructure
• Improve the existing transport system. The extension of the Metro line is taking place but the condition of the Buses especially that of the private buses needs to be improved. To reduce the jams, links between arterial and link roads must be strengthened
• Improve the work culture. Stop whining about the bandhs over FM channels and start moving and doing work. Once the support of these activities will reduce, the number of bandhs will drastically come down (Never mind what Mamta di has to say about not going to bandh until necessary)
• The software firms have come but not to the extent possible. Attract the services industry by luring them to inherent talent of Calcutta—A city of well bred intellectuals and a hub for generating skilled professionals
• Improve the landscape of the city by implementing effectively slum rehabilitation, sewerage maintenance and upgradation and better street furniture. Face-lifting the river front will also do no harm
• Promote the culture and rich heritage of the city. Promote it as the ultimate destination to live
• There are many more things to do. But after doing all those if possible just give those Mumbaikars what they want—A better mall culture and some pubs and discos where they can booze and dance and finally stop whining about the city by keeping their mouth shut

Actually all our cities need face-lift. With increased trend of urbanization, our cities are facing population pressure they were not meant to handle. The infrastructure is crumbling and it is high time that the concerned authorities start restoring the old areas and developing the newer ones with a better vision of the future. Developing smaller urban centres in varied pockets of states to reduce the inflow of people to major cities may be a good idea; similarly developing satellite towns around major cities will be helpful in keeping the infrastructure intact.