Once the British Capital of India and often called the London of the East, Kolkata was once the financial and intellectual powerhouse of the country. Today it barely features in India’s growth narrative. We constantly hear about Mumbai, Delhi and its NCR siblings of Gurgaon and Noida, Ahmedabad, Surat and the southern cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. Followed by the fast-growing cities of Pune, GIFT, Indore, Lucknow and Jaipur.
But no one talks about Kolkata. Home to 15 million people, the City of Joy is ignored, and not just that, the entire region has been ignored. No nation can grow big while ignoring one-fourth of its map, especially when that region has one of the largest population densities of the world and has fertile land, rivers and ports, while housing India’s third largest metropolis.
This wasn’t always the case. It used to be the capital of British India and the second most important city of the empire. It was the centre of literature, arts, revolution and trade. It gave India the most number of Nobel Laureates. The man who gave India its national anthem is from Kolkata and the man who led it spiritually, Swami Vivekananda, as well. Sourav Ganguly, the captain who made India fierce in its most popular sport, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who led India’s freedom struggle, hailed from here. The list is long and the list is top-notch. Home to India’s football culture and two of its best football clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Just like the saying, “Powerful people come from powerful places,” the city is indeed powerful. Blessed by Kaali and Durga, the city is rich with its history and geography. Kolkata was India’s global city before that phase even existed.
Kolkata had a head start but then it fell behind. In most infrastructural and economic parameters, it is not even in the top 6–7 cities anymore, and that’s a shame. Instead of scaling what it already had and doubling down on its strengths, it stagnated. There were many reasons, some external, but a lot of them are still fixable.
While it houses India’s largest library, the National Library and prestigious institutes like IIM Calcutta and ISI, and while it has world-class landmarks like Eden Gardens, Salt Lake Stadium, Victoria Memorial and Science City, the youth still don’t want to stay in Kolkata. Even with its companies, colleges and affordable lifestyle, people migrate out. The city has the potential to be India’s closest equivalent to a European city, cultured, artistic, human-scale; but it isn’t. The infrastructure is crumbling, the once-beautiful grid-structured downtown roads are worn out, faded and ignored. The bones are there, but the muscle has gone weak. Kolkata doesn’t need a new city, it needs a revival.
The Missed Race and the Sleeping Giant
Kolkata’s story is not of failure, but of pause. When liberalization came, Bengal didn’t adapt fast enough. Business and capital moved west. As other cities built glass towers and ring roads, Kolkata was left debating ideology. But no sleeping giant sleeps forever.
Because Kolkata’s foundation is still unmatched. A river city with a port, a cultural capital, an educational hub, and the gateway to the entire eastern frontier. You can’t replicate that geography or that soul anywhere else.
The city sits strategically, closest Indian megacity to Southeast Asia, and the perfect entry point for foreigners heading to Bhutan, Sikkim, Kanchenjunga, or even Everest. Its airport, once among India’s best desperately needs revival and expansion, not just in infrastructure but in vision. New air routes to Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and even Kunming and Guangzhou should make Kolkata the aerial gateway of the East.
A Vision for Revival
Kolkata needs a New Dawn Plan, one that balances modernization with heritage. It needs to rise again, not by copying other metros, but by doing what only it can.
The Hooghly River can become Kolkata’s lifeline again; the next Sabarmati or Thames — lined with parks, promenades, restaurants, museums and open theatres. Imagine a Kolkata Eye overlooking the skyline, surrounded by gardens, cafés, music performances and water taxis. The riverfront should be the heart of the city, not its backyard. It has the beautiful bridges of Howrah and Vivekananda Setus, it has the beautiful backdrop of Victoria Memorial and The Eden Gardens, it has the temples alongside the Hooghly.(distributary of Ganga, and therefore it is the largest city around India’s most revered river Ganga or the Ganges). Now all it need is a business district, cultural centres, stadiums and public space around it.
The city needs a real downtown, a true CBD which does not have scattered growth in the periphery. Right now, Kolkata is expanding outward and forgetting its core. A world-class central district, well-lit, safe, walkable and filled with heritage-renovated structures; can bring back life to its middle. Somewhere near the Esplanade, somewhere near Park Street. Maybe, revamping its taboo red light area of Sonagacchi and making it into a world class CBD could be the key. It’s the best untapped real estate of the city, the best possible location. It is difficult, but what is not when it comes to making things great, and I am sure it is not as difficult as revamping Dharavi, so all it comes down to one thing, the political will. We never know if the sonar days of Bangla needs a Sonartown in Sonagacchi and the blessings of Durga might come once the current inhabitants of the present red light district reform with the area itself.
Then comes connectivity. It is absurd that a 100 km trip to Haldia port takes nearly three hours, and the road to Diamond Harbour is still a two-lane route. These are arteries of Bengal’s economy and need expressways, flyovers, and smart logistics hubs. Modern freight lines, container terminals, and express corridors can turn Kolkata into the logistics capital of the East. It’s sad to see why we don’t have expressways from Kolkata to Bhutan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh borders yet. That’s the golden hen no one is hatching yet, reminding again that its geography makes it a trading city and no trade happens without roads and connectivity.
Kolkata’s riverine port itself must evolve, larger capacity, deeper channels, and stronger links to ASEAN ports. It can be India’s trading bridge to East and Southeast Asia. With a clear policy push, HSR (High-Speed Rail) and expressways to Myanmar, Thailand, and China through the Northeast could one day make Kolkata the start of India’s East-West Economic Corridor. The geography allows it, it just needs leadership that believes in it.
Preserve the Culture, Don’t Mummify It
But revival doesn’t mean replacing the soul. The world doesn’t visit Paris for its IT parks, it goes for its culture, art, language and life. Kolkata has that in abundance. Its art schools, film heritage, literature, music, and theatre culture must be revived and celebrated. New museums, opera houses, concert halls, and artist residencies can make it the cultural capital of Asia.
The goal should be balance, modern infrastructure with timeless soul. A new generation of planners must understand that Kolkata doesn’t need to be another Gurgaon. It needs to be a better Kolkata.
The East Must Rise
Safety and perception also matter. Kolkata needs to rebuild its image on the fronts of women’s safety, tourism optics, and city governance. Safety needs action for image, it’s culture permits it to be a truly 24 hour city, now its administration needs to buckle up and make it happen. It’s a city once known for warmth now needs to show confidence. It needs to solve its problems internally, not wait for New Delhi’s attention.
Because ultimately, this is the land of Durga, Rabindra, and Dada, power, poetry, and pride. The spirit of Bengal has never been ordinary; it has just been quiet for too long.
Kolkata is surely India’s own London. Some nicer aesthetics in its trams, better buses, and a strong push in infrastructure will change its story forever. And I bet there are still gems of old British pubs in Park Street for a perfect sundowner, the kind that reminds you what the city once was, and what it can be again. If done right, it might just give London a big high five. But I don’t want to strip away its identity by comparing it with any other city, as it can be as good as anywhere else and it should be as good as it can ever be.
In the next chapter of its growth, India has to be ambidextrous. The birds of India have to sing Sonar Bangla once more, for Bengal to gift India back its golden sparrow.
Photo by Arindam Saha on Unsplash