Places
to Stay
Shopping
Calcutta
is set in a swampy lowland floodplain of the Hooghly river
(a branch of the Ganga) . Add the heat and sun and teeming population, you
can expect it is not really a place where people go to regain their health.
Industrial and traffic pollution adds to the woes. This applies to the crowded
areas of Cal, not the recent open planned areas.
However, as far as medical care goes Calcutta is excellent and has many large nospitals and innumerable nursing homes, besides Specialists and GP's. Here's an illustrative list of some hospitals in Calcutta.
Source: www.health-india.com.
Baranagore General Hospital: 104 A K Mukherjee Road, Calcutta-700
035 Ph: 033-5573536
Bellevue Clinic and Nursing Home: 9, Dr UN B Street, Calcutta 700
017 Ph: 033-2477920/2470986/7918
B C Roy Memorial Hospital for Children: 111, Narkeldanga, Calcutta
Ph: 033-3528101
B M Birla Heart Research Center: 1/1 National Library Avenue, Calcutta-700
027 Ph: 033-4797500/4794000-12
(www.birla-heart.com)
Calcutta Family Welfare Hospital: Family Welfare Services, 34A, Sashi
Bhusan Estate Calcutta 700 012 Ph: 033-274787
Calcutta Hospital and Nursing Home: 215, Park Street, Calcutta 700
017 Ph: 033-2473853
Medical College and Hospitals: 88, College Street, Calcutta-700 073
Ph: 033-2411891
Calcutta Hospital and Medical Research Institute: 7/2, Diamond Harbour
Road, Calcutta-700 027 Ph: 033-4791921 (www.cmri.com)
Calcutta Medical Center: 12, Loudon Street, Calcutta 700 017, Ph:
033-2401333
Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital: 24 Gorachand Road,
Calcutta Ph: 033-2440122
Chittaranjan National Cancer Research Center and Chittaranjan Seva Sadan:
37 S P Mukherjee Road, Calcutta-700 26. Ph: 033-4753045/4754584
Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital: 114 A J C Bose Road, Calcutta-700
017 Ph: 033-265771
R G Kar Medical College and Hospital: 1 Belgachia Road, Calcutta-700
014 Ph: 033-3558838
Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital: 138 AJC Bose Road,
Calcutta-700 014 Ph: 033-2443213
Ramkrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan: 99, Sarat Bose Road, Calcutta
700026 Ph: 033-4753636
Ruby General Hospital: 483, Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Kasba Golpark,
Kasba, Calcutta-700078 Ph: 033-4420291/6091
School of Tropical Medicine: Chittaranjan Avenue, Calcutta-700 073
Ph: 2414915/2414065
Eating Out: According to experienced samplers of food, the most varied eating experiences in India are available only in Calcutta. All regional cuisines of India are available here ( you only have to ask around) and further afield like exotic Chinese ( various provinces) and most South east asian cuisines.
Curiously enough authentic Bengali cuisine is available only in a few restaurants.
Floor shows are held regularly too, but the younger crowd naturally prefers more active spots like Discos. Like ' Someplace else ' , 'Incognito' , ' Equinox' , ' Anticlock' (Hotel Hindustan International). and 'Tantra ' adds a member.
Calcutta scores high in activities requiring leisure. Libraries, theatre, music are well represented in Calcutta.
Clubs: Clubs play a very prominent part in Calcutta, including the pucca Brit type with acres of wood panelling, discoloured walls and faithful, decaying retainers. All the same they are quite comfortable and fascinating.
The well known clubs are the Calcutta Club at Jagdish Chandra Bose Rd, the Saturday Club, the Outram Club, the Calcutta Swimming Club, Mohanbagan Athletic Club, the Dalhousie Institute, South Indian Club, National Library Sports and Recreation Club, the Bengal Club, Calcutta Rowing Club, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the East Bengal Club, the Tollygunge Club and many others.
There are any number of associations one can visit or join. Most are very active. For instance in Fine arts the Birla Academy and the Calcutta School of Music.
Sports : Sports fans are familiar with Calcutta anyway. The largest football crowds gather in Calcutta. Cricket, earlier considered somewhat elite, has witnessed a tremendous upsurge in popularity.
Calcutta is a very firmly a Bengali city. The influence of Bengali culture is seen in every aspect. However, since there are a large number of other people too, the Calcuttan is quite sophisticated , not regionalistic, in approach. Biharis and Marwadis are prominent. Nepalis and some north east peoples also feel at home. Fairly large numbers of people from other parts of India have made Calcutta their home.
It is said, "if you can manage to live in Calcutta for two months...you won't feel at home anywhere else, you've been captured by the Calcutta bug."
There are innumerable instances of people from other cities who live for a while in Cal, complain about EVERYTHING all the time, leave at the earliest possible opportunity ..and are seen to quietly come back when they chance comes and settle in Cal for good. And these are not the Arty-culture types but hard headed business executives!
Overall Calcutta may have declined , but the intellectual and cultural level of the population as a whole is MUCH HIGHER than anywhere else in India even today.
The Work culture of Calcutta usually gets criticised.
It is true to some extent: there is a combination of very high skills and sheer laziness. Those who work, do so very hard. Others have a grouse that they are ill paid and consequently take it easy. Rivalry among unions and political parties has worsened this situation. While things are changing for the better overall, traces of the old-gentry-landlord-culture still remain, in spite of the communist influence. It is called "bhadra lok" culture. (Correction: It is one and the same!)
People are allowed to do their own thing and slightly off beat types are appreciated, too. People have a great sense of humour. Calcutta women rule, say ladies from Cal. (Women are quite un-selfconsciously active in social and public matters.) There seems to be a great deal of leisure, with fierce animated discussions on various topics at tea shops and street corners. (They wouldn't come to blows--they are actually old friends, much to the disappointment of tourists)
Who is Calcutta good for, in terms of relocating?
Given the pace of the city, the amenities, the services and so on, "Calcutta is excellent for middle level professionals who have put in a hard ten years or more and now wish to enjoy the fruits of hard work." It is also excellent for spouses for the same reason. "Family life and togetherness is possible in Calcutta to a degree more than in a city like Mumbai ". Children get a broad education and exposure to values. Those who hail from a joint family background seem to like Calcutta. Group activities are numerous. (This is not the case in Mumbai for instance). People seem to have more spare time, and many avenues to spend it.
sources quoted from are credited.
For
detailed information you could consult some of these sites.
CALCUTTA WEB--- really a painstaking
and thorough job by these guys.
KOLKATA NET -- good information
India travelite -- adequate
information
MORE
LINKS -- not all may be up:
nitpu.wb.nic.in/dist.html----West Bengal Govt. Administration
www.westbengal.com----Westbengal.com -official site of West Bengal.
www.westbengalgovt.org/------WesBengalGovt.org - Govt. site
www.westbengal.nic.in/-----Westbengal - another Govt. site by National
Informatics Centre
www.kolkatabuzz.com-----Kolkatabuzz
www.calonline.com---------CalOnline
www.clickcalcutta.com------ClickCalcutta - portal with good/useful contents.
www.cypo.com/-------------Calcutta Yellow Pages Online
www.calcuttacave.com-------directory.
www.hicalcutta.com
www.calcuttainfo.com
www.calcuttaonweb.com
www.webguidecalcutta.com
www.calbuzz.com/
www. schoolsofcalcutta.com--info on schools Travel oriented-- www.allindia.com/cities/calcutta/default.asp
www.travel-india.com/cityac/calcutta/index.htm www.travel.indiamart.com/places/cities/calcutta/index.html
www.india-tourism.de/english/east/west_bengal.html www.hsd.ait.ac.th/ihsa/si/a13lc/calcutta/calcutta.html
www.travelfile.com/go/CALCUTTA_INDIA.html
www.rophy.demon.co.uk/index.htm----funny guide to night spots www.meadev.gov.in/states/wb/wb.htm>West
Bengal - govt. site
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