Many questions, not too many answers

for all its over 300-year-old history and politics that the foreign and the curious may have gorged themselves with, kolkata and for that reason, the state itself continues to raise questions.this became all the more evident at a dinner at mainland china, the ambience of which is redolent of some of its better-appointed counterparts in south east asia. the quartet that met to savour the delicious starters and the vintage french red, that was allowed enough time to 'breathe', comprised a senior foreign diplomat, a veteran west european trade and transport analyst and facilitator, an industrialist who was formerly chairman of the confederation of indian industry (cii), and, yours truly. as the conversation drifted from the usual tit bits and niceties to matters of consequence, it was inevitable that someone or the other would speak on either the city or the new chief minister. yes, everyone seemed very approving of buddhadeb bhattacharjee. the industrialist friend seemed to be pleasantly surprised with this transformation, that had come about in just a matter of months. in fact, had he not taken over as the chief minister a few months before the assembly elections, the left front would not have stood any chance of staying on in power, he said. there was little or nothing of consequence that had occurred in the last 24 years and if there was 'political stability', it was actually a stability of inaction, he went on. but what about the haldia petrochemicals project? the rs 5,500 project had come about all right, a little late in the day, perhaps. but, it was incurring losses and the downstream industries that everyone had been hoping for had not come off. if mitsubishi was doing well for itself at haldia, the credit went entirely to the japanese know how and management. but with the emergence of bhattacharjee, things could start looking up. whatever made him so sure, asked the european analyst. the very fact that even while retaining his refined cultural tastes, he had proved he could be both realist and practical. this time, a year ago, his decision to befriend and welcome business and industry would have been unthinkable. today he is frank enough to admit the failures of his government and spell out the priorities, promises and commitments of his new left front in as far as business and industry interests were concerned. last year, around this time, he would have preferred to be left alone, tinkering with either translations of vladimir mayakovsky or watching, say, a vintage bergman film at nandan. such is the transformation that has come about in a man who seems to be in a hurry to get things going . but what about the city itself? why does it always seem to be in a constant state of chaos and confusion? why are not most government functionaries friendly, competent or accountable? collectively, why are the people here not the successes that they could be? after all, you do not hear of a single failure among those that have left these parts for assignments overseas? does it have something to do with the system, attitude or the climate? why is there not as much life as in other major cities in the country or even in the neighbouring south east asia? and what is there in the city for the prospective foreign tourist? just the victoria memorial, the marble palace, the kali temple or the golf greens at the tolly club or the rcgc? and why is tourism so neglected and no attention paid to improve infrastructure? tourism, after all, saved the bubble economies of some smaller nations when they had gone all but bust? our friends of foreign descent had plenty to ask. but not all questions can find perfect or even diplomatic answers. but, for this beloved and not godforsaken city and the state itself, one did wish the answers were all there, or better still, there would not have been any scope for the questions that came on a pleasant evening.