Calcutta
is a decaying city full of beggars and mother Teresa wannabes? Decaying?
Hah! It is a dynamic, alive and happening place. Sure it has a
lot of poor people and big problems, just like most parts of India.
But then Calcutta has been written off several times and has bounced
back afresh. It is currently in the upward bounce phase. What
wannabees? They're doing something worthwhile, aren't they?
Ok
Its a vibrant metropolis. But would I fit in? I do have a kurta,
but what do I know about marcel proust's structuralist remembrance
of post modern magic blade runner reality? In fact I like potter
and baywatch and never get past thousand in the Crorepati show.... The
media image of the ridiculous bong intellectual is just a caricature,
a joke. People in Cal lead everyday lives, pal. They just respect
learning and culture a bit more than others, perhaps.
They
are fanatic about Bengali language, and my kids don't know.... For your information, they certainly love their language.
But everybody in Calcutta understands Hindi and most try to follow
English too. You wont have any problems in Cal. Least of all kids
who speak their own special unprejudiced language anywhere.
