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Kolkata-India. A city between communism, globalization and poverty. A presentation by Lela and Paula. Structure. Facts about Kolkata / Calcutta Old Calcutta New Kolkata globalization / economy different aspects of globalization - politician - business man
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Kolkata-India A city between communism, globalization and poverty A presentation by Lela and Paula
Structure • Facts about Kolkata / Calcutta • Old Calcutta • New Kolkata • globalization / economy • different aspects of globalization - politician - business man - rickshaw puller
Facts • about 4.5 million citizens • capital of federal state of West Bengal • area: 187.33 km² • population density: 24.452 citizens per km² • mayor: Bhattacharjee • religion: dominated by Kali, the hindu goddess, or by catholics • politics: ruled by the Communist Party of India • 40 % illiterate • 1/5 underfed • on the edge of AIDS epidemic • barely half of the population is supplied with clean drinking water and electricity
Old Calcutta • Calcutta has been dominated for 28 years by marxism • living conditions have been worse than today • clacutta was magnet for all this poverty • a very big part of the populatione lived in slums
quotations: - "They have 100 unlisted deseases" (Woody Allen) - "It's a pile of crap dumped by God" (Günther Grass) -"The home of everything in the world worth hating” (Claude Lévi-Strauss) • fighting for participation in global market • did not play an important economical role in the world
New Kolkata • economical boom started in the early 1990's • Calcutta was renamed as Kolkata (2001) • contrasts between highest techonology and a lot of poverty/corruption mark the city • fewer slums and fewer homeless people but prostitution rate increases • still problems with transportation planning, bureaucracy, electricity • small indications of an emerging civil society
education removes the barrier between well paid jobs for the higher castes and low paid jobs for the lower castes • high tech elite changed the appearence of the city • one of the world's best technical universities is in Kolkata • the youth wants to stay in india instead of planning an IT-career in Germany or other countries • is supposed to become Indias silicon valley
Globalization / Economy • Kolkata is a symbol of globalization and progress and has a chance to become the next globalization powerhouse • India has a growth rate of nearly 8 percent a year • exports are rising at a double • Indias future will be shaped by IT and globalization • IT-growth of more than 70% • brilliant international software engineers
main growth at computer technology not at textiles • Bengalis governement hopes to draw traditional industries back to Kolkata as well • on the outskirts of the city industrial parks are build up
Politician - Bhattacharjee • head of the Communist Party • the Communist Party regrets that they tried to stop the technological process and forbade unions • economical policy of the Cummunist Party is now extremly pro-business • the government declared all software and outsourcing firms to be essential services to prevent work stoppages • says: - alcutta needs to prevail in a world of global competition - land and work are cheaper - because of globalization they have to modernize and maybe cut down jobs /new jobs have to be created - he supports capitalism out of convinience
Businessman - Premji • benefitted from a gap in the market • founded a company for low-quality electronic goods • established a foundation to finance village schools • says: - capitalism only has a chance to improve living standarts when entrepreneurs do not boast about their richness - we are world leaders in high tech and train second most computer speacialist s but fail to create hope for our rural residents - worse is over in Kolkata - flexible way of thinking is neccessary
Rickshaw puller - Badal • aproximately 30.000 rickshaw pullers in Kolkata • live in slums • work is not a symbol of globalozation but of the senselessness of the union politics • politicians tried to abolish the inhumane work • rickshaw union stopped that • now pullers are only allowed on side streets • pullers who give up their rickshaw get $ 260 • does not profit from globalization but knows that future lies in computers
Sources • Spiegel special - international edition Globaization the new world(No.7 2005) • www.wikipedia.org/wiki/kolkata • www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel