Where do I begin?
So many stories. How do I pen all of them down?

The tourism board of India chose the right slogan for their marketing campaign.
India is really i n c r e d i b l e.
The country is bursting with energy. India has got a truly captivating character. Nothing is impossible to the Indians.

Kolkata has taught me a lot. It made me realise how I’ve taken so many things for granted. Things like clean air and a safe environment. Kolkata is the 2nd most polluted city in India (1st being Delhi). When I first breathed in the Indian air, I felt the instant darkening of my soon-to-be carbon filled lungs. Travelling down the roads of Kolkata is an adventure itself. Each stretch of road has a different smell (sometimes pleasant but mostly, unpleasant) and the traffic is just awesomeee. More thrilling than a roller coaster ride, it induces an adrenaline rush. Driving in India is an art of its own. Cars go pass each other with barely an inch between them. I got freaked out numerous times because I thought I was going to get crashed to death. Nonetheless, Indians has proven to be skillful drivers. If you can drive in India, you definitely won’t have any problems driving in any parts of the world.

There are just so many things to see! Women and men, balancing a tower of goods on their heads. The roadsides are bustling with activities!

Roadside Stores

They have both the legitimate and illegitimate stores. But who cares?

Vegetable Store

Water Pumps

Their source of water.

Peering

Hand Held Ricksaw

And you said your job sucks.

Poverty was evidently everywhere. A constant reminder of how blessed I am. Its just so strange that 2 places in this same world, can be so different. The stark contrast between Singapore and India is just too vast and too drastic. I felt a bit screwed up, sitting in comfort in the car, watching India unfold through the windows. I saw homes by the roadsides, malnourished adults and children curled up on pavements and dogs, starved till it was just skin over ribs. And slums. Slums everywhere. The only FAT things in Kolkata are the obese crows. They are super larger-than-life.

Within Kolkata itself, the disparity between the rich and the poor is obvious. On one side of the road, you can see shantys and on the other, there can be big houses that are almost palace-like. India should adopt communism. Communism, a slow solution to poverty. West Bengal (Kolkata is in West Bengal) is the only communist state in India. I’ve been to Delhi a few years back and the evidences of poverty in Kolkata is not as prominent as in Delhi. But that’s just my own feeling.

India is a beautiful country. Despite all her drawbacks, I really love India. Her culture, her spirit, her heartbeat.

About Indus Net Technologies:
Indus Net Technologies is a seven year old ISO 9001:2000 certified web design and development company serving clients from fifteen countries from offices in India and Canada. The company is determined to set new standards of competitiveness in quality and speed of service and as such we are always looking for talented people that can match our pace and share our vision of global excellence.

Designation: SEO & Senior SEO

Experience: 2 – 5 Years

Job Location: Kolkata

Education: Graduate

Job Description:

• Here is your opportunity to be a part of highly creative and potential web marketing team. Indus Net, Rated #1 IT SME in India – 2008 by Dun & Bradstreet, is looking for talented, self-motivated, hard-working Internet marketing/SEO executives and managers to guide our web marketing.
• Perform in-depth competitive analysis
• Research and develop keyword target lists and establish page level distribution
• Find and define technological deficiencies and recommend best practice solutions
• Define and describe optimal website navigational structure for usability, indexation, and ranking improvement

for more details, SEO Jobs

The Indian Government issued a terror alert in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), and Chennai (formerly Madras). This comes after several militants claiming to be the Taliban alledgedly sneaked into India to conduct suicide bombings.
According to one source, the terrorists are planning an attack on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The Nuclear Plants across India received a similar alert, due to fears that terrorists would be targeting them. In addition, government offices and transportation facilities have received beefed up security.
This alert comes after another alert a few weeks ago after a tipoff by the FBI. That alert was issued because “Taliban-trained ‘fidayeen’ (suicide squads) had reportedly entered the country to carry out attacks at specific iconic structures.”
India has been the site of several terrorist attacks in recent history. On November 26, another alert was issued during the one year anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks for fear of another attack by militants.

Listen to a Londoner. This is a weekly post where people who live (or have lived for a while) in London answer a few questions about the Big Smoke. If you fit the bill and want to be interviewed, give me a shout at littlelondonobservationist@hotmail.co.uk. Always looking for new victims volunteers….

Sudakshina Mukherjee, 26

Sudakshina was born and raised in Hounslow, West London, till the age of 12 and she then moved to Kolkata, India, for further schooling. She then came back to London and graduated with a BA (2:1) Hons in New Media Journalism with Film & TV Studies from Thames Valley University, in 2005.

Since then, she has worked in several jobs in the print and online media, finance and education sectors.

 In her spare time she writes for various publications and manages her website- www.journalismwithsudakshina.com.

LLO: How long have you lived in London?
SM: Pretty much most of my life, aside from my high school years.

LLO: Where are you (or your family) from originally if not London?
SM: I was born here, but my parents are originally from Kolkata (Calcutta), India.

LLO: Best thing about London?
SM: It’s so cosmopolitan and the fact that there are branches of shops and banks in almost every town, which is very convenient!

LLO: Worst thing about London?
SM: The mismanagement of overcrowding.

LLO: North, south, east or west?
SM: Well, I’m a Hounslow girl, so west London is my cosy home, but I also love central London, obviously!

LLO: Best shop?
SM: Westfield Shopping Centre. It’s done wonders to London’s brand image, I feel.

LLO: 2012 Olympics – stay or go?
SM: Stay! It’s a big deal and it’ll work out to be good for us!

LLO: How do you spend your time on the tube?
SM: Bopping along to my iPod and reading the free newspapers.

LLO: Best London magazine, newspaper or website?
SM: London Lite. I miss it very much and sad it had to close down.

LLO: Best time of year in London?
SM: Spring time. We all start smiling broadly and the weather does make us feel good, even if life isn’t going that well.

LLO: Boris is……
SM: Funny. I really considered sending him a comb for his messy hair this Christmas. He has his heart in the right place, but sometimes makes a boo-boo and goes all weird.

Thanks Sudakshina!

More walkin interviews on December 28th / 29th / 30th / 31st.

Walkin – Fresher – Oracle Apps DBA.

Company : Yantro Software Private Limited. ** Skills : Oracle Apps Dba ** Experience : Freshers

COGNIZANT(Hyd) calls all Graduates/PG for VOICE PROCESS on 28th Dec09

Company : COGNIZANT ** Skills : PE / Sr. PE, Exp : 0 – 5 YRS, ANY GRADUATE CAN APPLY IMMEDIATELY ** Experience : 0 – 5 yrs

JOB OPENINGS FOR Call Centre Executives/Freshers

 Company : e-care India Pvt. Ltd. ** Skills : Communication/Typing Skills ** Experience : 0 – 2 yrs

JOB OPENINGS FOR Cash Posters/Charge Entry Specialists/AR Analysts

 Company : e-care India Pvt. Ltd. ** Skills : Enter demographics/Charges/Payment ** Experience : 1 – 3 yrs

Walkin – Openings for Medical Coders

Company : e-care India Pvt. Ltd. ** Skills : medical coding and medical terminology ** Experience : 1 – 2 yrs

Openings for Executive – Business Development

Company : e-care India Pvt. Ltd. ** Skills : Developing and implementing sales strategy ** Experience : 0 – 1 yrs

EXCITING JOB OPENINGS FOR JAVA DEVELOPERS

Company : e-care India Pvt. Ltd. ** Skills : Java, JSP, Servlet, JDBC ** Experience : 1 yrs

Walkin for Process Associate on 28th, 29th and 30th Dec 2009

Walkin for Process Associate on 28th, 29th and 30th Dec 2009 (more…)

Walkin – Java, Core Java (SE/SSE)-Delhi,Gurgaon-Dec 27

Walkin – Java, Core Java (SE/SSE)-Delhi,Gurgaon-Dec 27 (more…)

Walkin for PROTOCOL TESTING,Bangalore-Dec 29

Walkin for PROTOCOL TESTING,Bangalore-Dec 29 (more…)

JAVA WALK-IN on 29th,30th&31st Dec 09

JAVA WALK-IN on 24th,29th,30th&31st Dec 09 (more…)

With India winning 2-1, it was a must win match for The Islanders so they came in with many changes and high spirit. It was a different start as Dilshan and Tharanga kept quiet until the 6th over. In the 9th over, Dilshan pulled Nehra’s bouncer which was brilliantly caught by Virat Kohli.

As Dilshan departed for only 9, Ishant Sharma was introduced. The flow of boundaries started when Jayasuriya and Tharanga scored 20 runs of Ishant’s 1st over. Jayasuriya was in fine knock but it ended when Zaheer Khan struck him for 15 of 15 balls.

The Captain himself came in to bat today at No.4. Tharanga and Sanga were scoring runs in a brisk pace not allowing the bowlers to settle. It was a fine batting from both as Tharanga scored 100 and Sangakkara with a 50. But the 126 run parnership ended when The Lankan Skipper tried to attempt a cheeky shot but deceived but the spin of Harbhajan and stumped by Karthik for 60 runs.

The Experience Mahela came in as Kumar departed. Runs were coming very good in both ends. As they put on a 36 run partnership, The batting powerplay was chosen and Zaheer Khan was introduced. But in his first ball he struck the Tharanga’s timber and made him to depart for 118.

This time as Tharanga departed there was a surprise in wait for the Indians when Thisara Perera was sent in. No one thought he would play so well. But he blistered fours and six as he went on to score 31 of 14 and was caught out bowled by Nehra with a beautiflu catch in sqaure leg by Jadeja.

Jayawardane too was run out with a athletic performance by Nehra for a direct hit. Then with interruptions of light failure match started and Lanka managed to score 316 for the loss of 6 wickets.

The most shameful part for Indian cricket as the lights went of in the middle. This happened in IPL too. Its real shame which wasted 15-20 minutes.

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After about 34 months The “Mecca of Cricket” or commonly called the Eden Gardens got to host an ODI in its jam packed stadium. Everybody in Kolkata would expect to go and watch it. But unfortunately for the spectators in the stadium there is no tickets. I’m not joking its true.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) could incur a loss of up to Rs.2.5 crore from gate sales as there will not be any single priced ticket during the fourth ODI tomorrow.

“Our collection from the gate sales could have gone up to Rs.2.5 crore had there been a full house. And normally, we get full house in ODIs at the Eden. Moreover, with Eden getting an ODI after more than 34 months, the spectator interest would have been at its peak,” said a CAB source.

The coliseum of cricket last hosted an ODI between the islanders i.e the Lankans and The Men in Blue on Feb 8,2007 but unfortunately the match was washed out. It then hosted an India-Pakistan test in Nov 2007.

The courtyard was tucked away at the end of the blind alley. As the hot summer sun would start to tilt westward, the forever familiar faces would appear in the neighbourhood windows, calling out  names, impatient to run out of the house. My name was also on that list, I now remember fondly, counted an equal among my peers. It was a mixed bunch, some of us tried to speak in Gujrati or Hindi to sound like  them while they  joked in Bengali. And by 4 o’clock in the afternoon the courtyard would be full of little voices laughing, joking, crying, fighting and more than anything running around with the wind in their hair. 

And soon with the change of season the equation in the camaraderie among the little boys and the little girls, who were now in their adolescence and early teens, started to change. The girls and I started to wear plaits, grew quieter, took to giggling and chatting more with the sisterhood on the terrace while the boys continued with their backslapping brotherhood and loud, rowdy ways. Once in a while the playful backpackers, would yank at the shy plaits in mischief, not quite ready to understand why they had replaced the giggly ponytails .

And before the raging hormones could take control over the mind or the heart, some of us had to move on to other parts of the city. The moving away changed a lot. I moved away from the warm comfort of the familiar faces and moved into a colder para  which offered more of acquaintances and less friends. Once the initial barrage of ‘we all miss you’ letters had died down, I settled down for the occasional birthday or seasons greetings. And after a while, they too became rare. Time had come  for the ‘blind alley and its gang’ to fade from my memory.

We have all gone through this phase when we trade one set of friends for another, retaining only the favourite few. These are the ones who we call, we keep in touch with and turn to both in despair and in glee. It happened to me as well, in some cases I was retained in address books and in others, I retained some of the old faces. So whether it was  a fight, a breakup or a crush, whether it was to share grief or joy or simply to fight we called each other or visited those close by. I accepted that with each move, from one alley to another, from school to college and then on to university, I would make new friends and while  some old friends would remain in my address book, some would fade.

The transition from an address book to the phonebook stored in a memory chip was not too difficult. And keeping in touch couldn’t get any better. Mobiles brought in a revolution  that changed how we would  ’keep in touch’ henceforth. It suddenly brought back calling or texting to wish near and dear ones on various occasions into fashion. By this time I was also in another country, where mobile giants kept lowering call charges to kill competition. I spent hours creating messages for any given reason in any given season, birthdays, Diwali, Durga Puja, Christmas, New Year and I know some significant few still remember my fervour and as a result the deluge in their inbox.

But it was early 2007 when an email landed in my new Gmail inbox. “Come, join me on Facebook” it said, sent by a dear friend who I couldn’t refuse. Earlier I would stay away from  social networking sites, the likes of Orkut, because I found them a lonely place. Each name I had looked up returned the same message every time, “Sorry, the user you are looking for does not exist”.

Facebook was comforting in a strange way as I found a lot of  my friends, my compatriots, there. And one day I found a  curiously familiar face in my inbox with a question I had expected the least. The slightly balding, heavy-set face had a smile I knew from a forgotten time. He had left a message asking me where my plait had disappeared, a question relevent only if I was the same girl from the blind alley of his childhood. 

And soon my friends’ list on Facebook started to fill up with old, smiling faces from across the world. All were faces with whom I had common roots, in the alley, in school or college, at the University campus. Some went back to the cities I had moved on to with my new life, to coffee mornings in a desert city, to hours of Arabic lessons, long days spent at work or a group of knowledge seekers quizzing into the night.

Without the new revolution called social networking, these faces would have faded and would have been pushed to the dark alleys of the mind with the old ones. The freckled boy, who yanked at my plait and had once hit me with a deuce ball lived in Australia with a smiling wife and two pretty daughters with pony tails. One of my best friends from school, whose number i had misplaced and who never called back, was a research scholar at UCLA, California. The lady who got her Omani driving license at one go now lived in Zurich. My American friend from the Arabic lessons at Polyglot Institute had finally married his Phillipino girlfriend.

Smiling faces with perfect holiday albums and picture perfect lives gave me hope. Facebook helped me connect with that part of my life with which I had almost forgotten,  friends with whom I had lost hope to reestablish  contact. For nomads like us, like me, the fact that somebody from the past, distant or near, would remember, care to look up and connect gives a different high.

Hi! I am a final year student of a premier MBA institute in Kolkata, one of the Indian Metropolitan cities. Being a mighty presence on the global platform of education, the institute enjoys eminence among prestigious institutes of the world. My institute has tie-up with a few world-class foreign universities. So we invite students of those educational establishments for a cultural exchange program in our annual fest.

This year our invitees were from Boston, Sydney and Singapore. Some of them were curious about Kolkata, my native city. In India, Kolkata is a hub of multi-cultural activities. Home to eminent personalities from literature, politics, theatre and education, the city is a mirror to the historical heritage of India.

Roaming through the ancient parts of the city opens at the pages of British history in India. Historical landmarks like the Victoria Memorial, the Fort Williams and the National Library are not only the finest specimens of contemporary architecture but also portrait a picture of the colonial India.

A seat of education and enlightenment, Kolkata houses many learning hubs of excellence like the Indian Institute of Management, Jadavpur University, the University of Calcutta, the Ramakrishna Institute of Art and Culture, and Maxmular Bhawan that welcome a fair number of students from foreign countries every year.

Kolkata is a living witness to the service and sacrifices of legendary personalities like Mother Teresa, Bhagini Nivedita, Dirozio and many others for the well-being of the Indian society. The literary wealth of Kolkata enriched by Rabindranath Tagore, Sararchandra, Bankim and others, the gems of India is appreciated in glowing terms all over the world.

The honorable guests to my institute were filled with joy to the brim on visit to the cultural, religious, literary, educational and political landmarks of Kolkata. Wonder was twinkling in their eyes. Then, why should not I be proud of my native city.

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