Alapan Bandyopadhyay

Contributing Author

Alapan Bandyopadhyay, of the Indian Administrative Service, has been the chief secretary of the Government of West Bengal. Over the years, he has also been the municipal commissioner of Kolkata, the chief executive officer of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, and the chairman of the West Bengal Heritage Commission

Written by Alapan

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Kolkata

The Enduring Enigma That Is Calcutta

Geography gives Calcutta — now Kolkata — unique advantages, and civilisational confluences have endowed it with fabulous strengths. Once a global powerhouse, despite its economic decline, its influence perseveres

Oct 18, 2026