The attempt is to keep talking about culture, arts, sociology, politics and an imagined Bengali identity. All of this, however, rests on an extremely rickety economic base.
In a video on Instagram, Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly addressed the online abuse targeted at her after she posted photos of herself with Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium.
New Delhi: This week in photos, ThePrint brings together images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi paying tribute to security...
Lionel Messi was invited to Kolkata as part of his multicity GOAT India Tour 2025. As fans went on rampage at Salt Lake Stadium, police resorted to a lathi-charge to restore order.
As part of the GOAT India Tour 2025, which will begin on 13 December, Messi will visit Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi, with the organisers planning to add Ahmedabad to the list.
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RBI data shows personal loans tripled in six years, with rising slippages; real wages halved as middle class uses loans to maintain lifestyle fuelled by social media.
Shield AI will provide V-BAT vertical takeoff & landing drones along with licences for software, which will be integrated into aircraft and made available to select Indian partners.
No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.
Are you planning to leave India as well after the India Open embarrassment, Jerry, or was your piece simply narrative-building rooted in familiar stereotypes?
The India Open did draw criticism—and rightly so—but by that logic, Indians themselves should also be subjected to the same sweeping scrutiny for being “obsessed with culture,” as you imply. So who, exactly, is expected to apologise now?
This is no longer a “Kolkata problem” or an expression of some so-called “Bengali weakness.” What is astonishing is how effortlessly an entire narrative has been constructed around a single incident. A case of plain mismanagement has suddenly been transformed into a civilisational report card on a state and its people.
If isolated failures are to be treated as evidence of societal decay, then what about the Kumbh Mela stampede? Did that reflect India’s overall moral or administrative collapse? If we are serious about generalisation, why not apply the same standard uniformly to the entire country? Of course, that would be politically inconvenient.
This selective outrage is precisely the problem.
What you present as analysis reads more like personal opinion masquerading as objective truth. The fallacy of hasty generalisation is on full display here. One incident—regardless of how unfortunate—cannot credibly be used to diagnose political, cultural, or social decay.
Such an incident could have occurred anywhere.
Linking administrative failure to political decay, and then further stretching it to question the “hollowness” of cultural practices, is intellectually hollow. Culture has little to do with crowd management failures, and invoking it only serves ideological ends.
Ultimately, the piece appears less like a genuine attempt at diagnosis or reform and more like a politically motivated commentary designed to appease a particular audience—rather than a serious, well-reasoned analysis.
Jerry are you planning to leave India as well after the India open embarrassment? Or was your piece narrative making based on stereotypes.
India open drew flak so Indians too should come under scrutiny for being obsessed with culture etc since. Besides, who should say sorry now?
It is no more a Kolkata thing or exposed Bengali weakness!
Personal opinion of your are not objective truth.
I’m amazed at how easily a whole narrative can be built around a single incident. A case of simple mismanagement suddenly becomes a “report card” on an entire state and its people.
What about the Kumbh Mela stampede? Didn’t that reflect India’s decay then? Before the release of Baahubali, fans were so desperate for tickets that the chaos almost turned into a stampede. What was that? Just a “fan moment”?
Yet when it comes to political convenience, one particular incident is blown completely out of proportion and generalized to judge an entire state. If we’re going to generalize, then why not apply the same standard to India as a whole? But of course, that wouldn’t be politically convenient.
It’s ridiculous.
It looks more like a personal opinion meant to satisfy or create a narrative rather than a genuine effort to improve something.
Making generalizations based on a single incident is nothing but pure logical fallacy.
Fallacy of generalization is being committed.
It could have happened anywhere.
Linking this incident to political decay is nothing but intellectual hollowness of the author.
Besides, questioning the hollowness of the cultural practices is not even related to the incident.
It appears to be a political piece meant to appease certain section rather than a well thought out analysis.
The author’s assertion that West Bengal is “beyond redemption” may be carrying things a bit too far as despite its multiple shortcomings the state still ranks as one of India’s top economies. West Bengal is also the largest economy in eastern India. The Messi episode in Kolkata, unfortunate as it was, cannot be used to justify the “beyond redemption” argument as worse instances have happened and continue to happen elsewhere too. As a respected business leader and seeming well-wisher of West Bengal, the author could have underlined specific measures through which the state can improve its act rather than apparently resort to the usage of words which may not prove of much help and possibly appear prejudicial to some. By the way, the Messi programs in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi were also held due to the initiative taken by one enterprising “Bengali”.
Mr.Rao (1) 1st point do y know Kolkata is only city where Messi visited twice ? And both time organizer or the person who bring him was Bengali..yes its right.Much to pain your back right…you should give credit to the Bengali organisation who bring him to India..or should I say hyderabad ,Delhi and Mumbai 1st time ?
If recent event of alleged assault on a female Bengali singer is anything to go by, then even the cultural ethos of Bengal is being challenged by idelogy bordering on fantacism. Wake up call for many but then who are we kidding. Educated Bengalis have been immigrating to outside India as well as to other Indian states in since generations now.
Are you planning to leave India as well after the India Open embarrassment, Jerry, or was your piece simply narrative-building rooted in familiar stereotypes?
The India Open did draw criticism—and rightly so—but by that logic, Indians themselves should also be subjected to the same sweeping scrutiny for being “obsessed with culture,” as you imply. So who, exactly, is expected to apologise now?
This is no longer a “Kolkata problem” or an expression of some so-called “Bengali weakness.” What is astonishing is how effortlessly an entire narrative has been constructed around a single incident. A case of plain mismanagement has suddenly been transformed into a civilisational report card on a state and its people.
If isolated failures are to be treated as evidence of societal decay, then what about the Kumbh Mela stampede? Did that reflect India’s overall moral or administrative collapse? If we are serious about generalisation, why not apply the same standard uniformly to the entire country? Of course, that would be politically inconvenient.
This selective outrage is precisely the problem.
What you present as analysis reads more like personal opinion masquerading as objective truth. The fallacy of hasty generalisation is on full display here. One incident—regardless of how unfortunate—cannot credibly be used to diagnose political, cultural, or social decay.
Such an incident could have occurred anywhere.
Linking administrative failure to political decay, and then further stretching it to question the “hollowness” of cultural practices, is intellectually hollow. Culture has little to do with crowd management failures, and invoking it only serves ideological ends.
Ultimately, the piece appears less like a genuine attempt at diagnosis or reform and more like a politically motivated commentary designed to appease a particular audience—rather than a serious, well-reasoned analysis.
Jerry are you planning to leave India as well after the India open embarrassment? Or was your piece narrative making based on stereotypes.
India open drew flak so Indians too should come under scrutiny for being obsessed with culture etc since. Besides, who should say sorry now?
It is no more a Kolkata thing or exposed Bengali weakness!
Personal opinion of your are not objective truth.
I’m amazed at how easily a whole narrative can be built around a single incident. A case of simple mismanagement suddenly becomes a “report card” on an entire state and its people.
What about the Kumbh Mela stampede? Didn’t that reflect India’s decay then? Before the release of Baahubali, fans were so desperate for tickets that the chaos almost turned into a stampede. What was that? Just a “fan moment”?
Yet when it comes to political convenience, one particular incident is blown completely out of proportion and generalized to judge an entire state. If we’re going to generalize, then why not apply the same standard to India as a whole? But of course, that wouldn’t be politically convenient.
It’s ridiculous.
It looks more like a personal opinion meant to satisfy or create a narrative rather than a genuine effort to improve something.
Making generalizations based on a single incident is nothing but pure logical fallacy.
Fallacy of generalization is being committed.
It could have happened anywhere.
Linking this incident to political decay is nothing but intellectual hollowness of the author.
Besides, questioning the hollowness of the cultural practices is not even related to the incident.
It appears to be a political piece meant to appease certain section rather than a well thought out analysis.
The author’s assertion that West Bengal is “beyond redemption” may be carrying things a bit too far as despite its multiple shortcomings the state still ranks as one of India’s top economies. West Bengal is also the largest economy in eastern India. The Messi episode in Kolkata, unfortunate as it was, cannot be used to justify the “beyond redemption” argument as worse instances have happened and continue to happen elsewhere too. As a respected business leader and seeming well-wisher of West Bengal, the author could have underlined specific measures through which the state can improve its act rather than apparently resort to the usage of words which may not prove of much help and possibly appear prejudicial to some. By the way, the Messi programs in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi were also held due to the initiative taken by one enterprising “Bengali”.
Mr.Rao (1) 1st point do y know Kolkata is only city where Messi visited twice ? And both time organizer or the person who bring him was Bengali..yes its right.Much to pain your back right…you should give credit to the Bengali organisation who bring him to India..or should I say hyderabad ,Delhi and Mumbai 1st time ?
If recent event of alleged assault on a female Bengali singer is anything to go by, then even the cultural ethos of Bengal is being challenged by idelogy bordering on fantacism. Wake up call for many but then who are we kidding. Educated Bengalis have been immigrating to outside India as well as to other Indian states in since generations now.