Kolkata ....
When i had first encountered the "City of Joy" it just occurred to me that it is a city in a time-warp. It could be because i was quite accustomed to view a metro city through the prism of New Delhi and Balgalore.
After 6 months stint in Kolkata i can now proclaim with some authenticity about the First National Capital of British India. The first and slightly irritating part of living in this city for a non bengali is , almost everytime you will say Kolkata to a native bengali you will hear Calcutta from the other side. If calcutta hi bolna tha toh
name kyun change kiya yaar !
I sincerly think that no CNG in the year 2011; and that in a metro city should be a strict No-No.
Unlike New Delhi or any other metro Low Floor Buses in Kolkata are a rarity in itself. One thing i surly miss from my Delhi Metro days that is leaving your seat for an elderly person or any lady with a child. That is almost absent in Kolkata.
Apart from the Non Low Floor WBSTC buses and private Mini buses The Victorian taxi is all you will get in most parts of the city if you want a ride . The taxis unlike the Auto rickshaw of New Delhi are a bulky, quarrelsome and costly medium of transport in Kolkata.
Now comes the Kolkata Metro. It was the first such form of transportation in entire India when it first opened its commercial sevices back in 1984. Now see Kolkata Metro vis-a-vis Delhi Metro which started as recently as in the year 2002 . In Delhi Metro all coaches are AC. whereas Kolkata Metro is now dishing out its first set of AC coaches along with the Non-AC coaches already in vogue. So it is no surprise that riding in Kolkata Metro is cheaper than Delhi Metro.
The most inhumane scene that you will see in Kolkata is the scene of hapless people pulling Hand Rickshaw. Instinctly you will abhor this mode of transport if you are a right thinking people.
This is only the transport part of the Life in Kolkata . Food and other aspects will be discussed in later posts i guess ...
So long ....
When i had first encountered the "City of Joy" it just occurred to me that it is a city in a time-warp. It could be because i was quite accustomed to view a metro city through the prism of New Delhi and Balgalore.
After 6 months stint in Kolkata i can now proclaim with some authenticity about the First National Capital of British India. The first and slightly irritating part of living in this city for a non bengali is , almost everytime you will say Kolkata to a native bengali you will hear Calcutta from the other side. If calcutta hi bolna tha toh
name kyun change kiya yaar !
I sincerly think that no CNG in the year 2011; and that in a metro city should be a strict No-No.
Unlike New Delhi or any other metro Low Floor Buses in Kolkata are a rarity in itself. One thing i surly miss from my Delhi Metro days that is leaving your seat for an elderly person or any lady with a child. That is almost absent in Kolkata.
Apart from the Non Low Floor WBSTC buses and private Mini buses The Victorian taxi is all you will get in most parts of the city if you want a ride . The taxis unlike the Auto rickshaw of New Delhi are a bulky, quarrelsome and costly medium of transport in Kolkata.
Now comes the Kolkata Metro. It was the first such form of transportation in entire India when it first opened its commercial sevices back in 1984. Now see Kolkata Metro vis-a-vis Delhi Metro which started as recently as in the year 2002 . In Delhi Metro all coaches are AC. whereas Kolkata Metro is now dishing out its first set of AC coaches along with the Non-AC coaches already in vogue. So it is no surprise that riding in Kolkata Metro is cheaper than Delhi Metro.
The most inhumane scene that you will see in Kolkata is the scene of hapless people pulling Hand Rickshaw. Instinctly you will abhor this mode of transport if you are a right thinking people.
This is only the transport part of the Life in Kolkata . Food and other aspects will be discussed in later posts i guess ...
So long ....
