Okay, so it's rare for me to admit these things on a public platform but there are times when you simply have to put it out there for the greater cause. And, it's not fun when it means having to laud another city for trumping Bombay with the execution of a fantastic idea.

Recently, as we went on an online browsing spree after having negotiated an editing avalanche, we spotted a post by a friend, an academic and scholar on the Jewish community in Kolkata [though she prefers to still refer to it as "Cal" or "Calcutta"]. It was about a permanent exhibition at the restored Metcalfe Hall, once the Calcutta Public Library that became the Imperial Library. As we studied the show reel of images that she had posted, we did a virtual slow clap. Having lived and worked in that city for nearly three years in the past, the visuals made for a kaleidoscopic trail of its sights and sounds, and gave us a fair idea of the displays and installations. The permanent exhibition titled Ami Kolkata is a collaboration between the Government of India (Ministry of Culture) and the Archaeological Survey of India. Research by INTACH Kolkata and the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata ensured the content was top-class while the engaging design told many a story to someone sitting in far-off Bombay. There were sections and panels that applauded every aspect of the city – from performing arts and literature to its festivals and fairs, its icons (the yellow ambassadors), its diverse communities and its iconic built heritage.