A tale of two cities

Today is the day to tell the tale of two cities, here, two major metros in our own country, viz. Chennai and Kolkata.

Good news first, plus our own city, so Chennai. The city is in a celebratory mood for its 385th birthday,  viz. August 22, 1639. as per East India Company records. The city is pulling out all stops with Heritage walks, exhibitions of vintage photos, food festivals and what have you. Every newspaper is pulling out its archival material. Needless to say, the flagship newspaper of Chennai, the Hindu,  has the best, given its premier position in the city and its long history. This is one week when we look forward to the new story on every page.  We can't do better than them, so here are some links. Meanwhile, happy birthday, our city by the Bay of Bengal.

This brings us to the second city, viz. the premier city by the eponymously named Bay, viz. Kolkata. Here, the mood is somber and furious, due to the horrific rape and murder of a young Kolkata doctor at her work place at a government hospital. The events that led to the crime highlight the lack of safety at the workplace for women, the rackets that occur in large public hospitals, the nexus between the goons, the politicians, the police, and sadly, the custodians of the hospital. All are presently blaming the others, and the city is virtually under siege. Meanwhile, a young and promising life has been lost, in the most tragic way. It is to be hoped that the turmoil will finally lead to long lasting improvement in working conditions and environment, and not to be forgotten once the candles blow out at the candle light vigils. There have been too many such cases, and nothing changes after the hue and cry is over. Here, the fact that the city is under a virtual shutdown, may finally lead to some serious measures. There are lessons here for everyone everywhere, and no room for complacency on anyone's part.

So here we have the best of times and the worst of times, both together. We look forward to less turbulent times and more equanimity.

This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.