I commenced writing this on a notepad waiting interminably in the waiting hall in Calcutta airport for a flight back to Sydney via Bangkok and it stuck me - I was probably in the most ancient looking airport I have been for a very long time.
I travel often to India - a lot less often than when GFC was an unknown 3 letter word - and occasionally travel through Calcutta where my parents live. I rarely have time to kill at the airport but this time I checked in earlier than usual - blame the unusually less traffic - but it stuck me suddenly - Where did Calcutta get left behind in the rush to modernity? As I began typing this on a notepad (as evidently the wifi wasnt working - does it ever work??? Can someone comment on this?), I realised - not just Calcutta but all the Indian airports have been left behind, way way behind. Forget the snazzy new terminal at Changi or the gigantic terminals (& half empty most of the time) at KL, even smaller airports across APAC look great, have good service, good lounges, working wifi and decent shopping and food. In Calcutta, all we had for food was a coffee shop and a cold drink vendor who didnt even stock Thums Up which my daughter and I both adore. Nothing to eat. It was a sad state to see the city which was called Paris of the east fade away so suddenly and absolutely - and one cant even blame a war or natural disaster on this.
Makes one feel very sad indeed. Where does all the tax money that folks like me pay (despite living and working in Sydney) go? The government claims to make progress - where??? Someone will claim that we need to spend on poverty alleviation - but there can be no development until the base infrastructure is in place - that has to commence with world class airports and services at the primary entry points.
Is someone listening?
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