kolkata kronikles..excerpts from F Factor

“And how is Kolkata since we left it?” Max asked Deb.
We all were excited to listen what he had to say about our beloved Kolkata where we had spent four years of our college life. This was the place where we met each other and became best of friends. The images of Kolkata were flashing in front of my eyes one after other.
What can one say about a city that discusses Kafka and Bertrand Russell during a power cut? That is jokingly called a city of Joy because every second person is either an Ajoy, Bijoy or may be Sujoy! That boasts of Tagore, Satyajit Ray, and Mother Teresa and last but not the least, Amartya Sen, which still has tram "garis" in tandem with India's first underground metro. That celebrates Durga Pooja with unbelievable energy and dynamism. That loves revolution and invented "rosogullas". It may have changed its name, but for many Kolkata still conjures up images of squalor, poverty and urban disaster. Too few bother to discover its enchanting colonial beauty, the energy and humor of its people and the charm of the city's distinctly Bengali soul.
While the teeming humanity, chaotic streets and crumbling colonial heritage are all too real, Kolkata is also acknowledged as the cultural capital of India and it’s the friendliest metropolis. It is also home to India's heaviest concentration of political activists, poets and artists. The city undoubtedly has its share of problems - chronic labor unrest, population overload, political ineptitude, environmental degradation and traffic snarls that bite. Yet time and again entranced visitors tell of its beauty and the dignity and altruism of its people.
My thoughts were broken by Deb’s reply.
“Kolkata is cool as always, but Pantaloons makes sure that I keep slogging as long as I can.” Deb said rather sadly.
“So how has Mani Square mall come up?” I asked Deb, willingly to change the office talks. We were too busy with our own respective jobs and we had met to take our much needed break and catch up with each other.
“It is really great, got award for space management last year from Images Retail. I would say it is the compact version of South City Mall. New town has come up very nicely and it shows that Kolkata is finally catching up in real estate business. I would like to see more of Mumbai.” Deb said filling up with latest developments in Kolkata.