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1、TEXTAStill,theimageofanycityhasahalf-lifeofmanyyears.(Sodoesitsname,officiallychangedin2001fromCalcuttatoKolkata,whichisclosertowhatthewordsoundslikeinBengali.ConversinginEnglish,IneverheardanyonecallthecityanythingbutCalcutta.)ToWesterners,theconveyancemostidentifiedw
2、ithKolkataisnotitsmodernsubway—afacilitywhosespaciousstationshaveartonthewallsandcricketmatchesontelevisionmonitors—butthehand-pulledrickshaw.Storiesandfilmscelebrateaprimitive-lookingcartwithhighwoodenwheels,pulledbysomeonewholooksclosetoneedingthesuccorofMotherTeresa
3、.Foryearsthegovernmenthasbeentalkingabouteliminatinghand-pulledrickshawsonwhatitcallshumanitariangrounds—principallyonthegroundthat,asthemayorofKolkatahasoftensaid,itisoffensivetosee“onemansweatingandstrainingtopullanotherman.”Butthesedayspoliticiansalsolamenttheimpact
4、of6,000hand-pulledrickshawsonamoderncity’strafficand,particularly,onitsimage.“WesternerstrytoassociatebeggarsandtheserickshawswiththeCalcuttalandscape,butthisisnotwhatCalcuttastandsfor,”thechiefministerofWestBengal,BuddhadebBhattacharjee,saidinapressconferencein2006.“O
5、urcitystandsforprosperityanddevelopment.”Thechiefminister—theequivalentofastategovernor—wentontoannouncethathand-pulledrickshawssoonwouldbebannedfromthestreetsofKolkata.Rickshawsarenottheretohaularoundtourists.(Actually,IsawalmostnotouristsinKolkata,apartfromtheyoungba
6、ckpackersonSudderStreet,inwhatusedtobeared-lightdistrictandisnowsaidtobethesingleplaceinthecitywheretheservicesarickshawpulleroffersmayincludeprovidingfemalecompanytoagentlemanfortheevening.)It’sthepeopleinthelaneswhomostregularlyuserickshaws—notthepoorbutpeoplewhoarej
7、ustanotchabovethepoor.Theyarepeoplewhotendtotravelshortdistances,throughlanesthataresometimesinaccessibletoeventhemostdaringtaxidriver.Anolderwomanwithmarketingtodo,forinstance,canarriveinarickshaw,havetherickshawpullerwaituntilshecomesbackfromvariousstallstoloadherpur
8、chases,andthenbetakenhome.Peopleinthelanesuserickshawsasa24-hourambulanceservice.Proprietorsofcafésorcornerstoressend
