Bengal, geo-indicate your global cred

Strategists, experts and think-tankers have reportedly been put to work to come up with a Vibrant Bengal Global Summit. Yes, enthu frontbenchers. We know that West Bengal already has a Bengal Global Business Summit. But let’s just say that that annual event gets more MoUs than ATRs, more singing hosannas to wealth than wealth itself. Some bright spark wearing his think-tank has suggested a solution that involves putting one’s mouth where one’s money intends to be. And for the state that embodies (only?) culture and yet-to-be-monetised creativity, what better option than turning towards immaterial wealth to reap its more material version (read: money).

Turn West Bengal, in general, and Kolkata, in particular, international through semantic signalling. There was a time when Calcuttans were proud – some would say too proud to the point of silliness – of how well they spoke English like proto-Shashi Tharoors. Let Kolkatans channel that inner sahib, this time moving out of the jaded ‘Wren & Martin’ Victoriana, and go truly global-facing. And what better way to start than renaming roads and places with modern high cultural motifs from across the world. Joining Shakespeare Sarani can now be Marquez Maidan, Kundera Park, Tesla Sadan (the inventor, not the car company), George Harrison Road…. The rest (read: curious investors) will follow.