Jayashri on Kolkata 1

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Selling Kolkata to the Calcuttan by Jayashri Basak Does Kolkata need to be sold to Bengalis? I don’t think so. A Bengali will always remain a Bengali, no matter where he is born, or how he has been raised. For example, you might find an American Bengali, who hardly looks like a Bengali, having a strange Bengali craving for ‘ilish machh’ or ‘sandesh’ or spicy fish fry or ‘muri ghonto’. Genes will always remain the same, no matter where they are transported to! Bengalis are proud of Bengal and it is justified. In the days of Job Charnock, when the rest of India had hardly been exposed to any development, Bengal caught the eyes of the British traders. Not only did they acquire the land but also brought in modernization. After independence too, Bengal was rich in industries and culture and well developed in almost every field. However, gradually there was a decline. But this is law of nature. Whatever goes up must come down. At present there is a ‘feel good’ feeling among Bengalis which will definitely pull it out of the pit and make is shine again. Kolkata might not be the richest or the cleanest city in India but it has Heritage. There is something there for everyone. For the tourist, it has historical places like the beautiful Marble Palace where Raja Rajendra Mullick lived. Lengths of Persian carpets, stuffed birds, statues and glittering chandeliers adorn the Palace. Then, there is Shahid Minar at Esplanade, Tipu Sultan’s mosque near Tollygunge, Mother Teresa’s house, New Market, formerly called the Hogg Market after Stuart Hogg of East India Company, St. Paul’s Cathedral opposite Victoria Memorial, Princep Ghat and lots of other historical places. Of course, you cannot miss Jorasanko Thakurbari - home of our beloved Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore who has given Bengalis a new identity with his Rabindra Sangeet. The children, too, need not be disappointed. Kolkata can boast of getting its first planetarium in India. The Birla Museum has children’s section which is full of dolls depicting the Ramayana. The Science section .

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