I had a chance to visit Calicut to attend a program at IIMK where I worked earlier in 2003. The campus (pic alongside) is so beautiful, you feel like staying there forever. The trees have grown since I was here, and so has the institute in number of students and faculty. There are still about 4-5 old faculty I knew from before. The current director was an old colleague at IIM Lucknow.
Calicut retains an old world charm, spoiled only by the gold showrooms, I think. What does the fascination with gold indicate? I have no idea. Went to eat at Paragon, a popular restaurant, with a friend, Ravi. Also visited Prof. Kumar, and family at the campus. The city is clean, and compact, and has not changed much.
The contrast between Bengal and Kerala is stark. Bengal looks a lot poorer, thanks to lack of any coherent plan for growth for 40-odd years. Kerala is dependent on the gulf region for its earnings, but has used it to improve life here. But the standard of spoken English and Hindi is poor, and is a problem impeding careers for youngsters.
Hope to return again for Kerala and Calicut are a sight for sore eyes. Amazingly green. Coincidentally, I also had a look at a TED talk series organised at IIMK the day I was there. It was an interesting event, with a diverse set of speakers from all walks of life.
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