Businessmen Nadeem Ahmed (left) and Gokul Binani, who have pledged to support Hey Calcutta!

Moved by what they feel Calcutta has given them by way of an inspiring education or loyal friends or a humane outlook on life, a group of influential people with emotional connections to the city have set up an organisation, Hey Calcutta!

The name is almost used in the sense, Hey Good Looking!

The declared aim is to “give back to Calcutta”.

The co-owner of Typhoo Tea, Nadeem Ahmed, was chosen as chairman of Hey Calcutta! at the first working dinner of the organisation held in London at the weekend. “We have been talking about this for a long time,” said Nadeem.

The venue for the gathering was Vama, an Indian restaurant in Chelsea which was started by Calcutta brothers Andy and Arjun Varma. They wish to look up their old teachers, in particular.

Andy had initially thought of registering the domain, Oh Calcutta!, as the name for the organisation but later it was decided Hey Calcutta! would be a better choice because it has no link with either a sex revue or restaurants.

One aim of the organisation, to which non-Bengalis are as welcome as Bengalis, is to raise funds for charities.

But other aims will be set out when Hey Calcutta! establishes a charter and works out how the bonds between people who grew up in Calcutta and the city they still love can be nurtured and strengthened.

One of the founder members, banker Jeremy Ghose, the son of an Indian father and an Irish mother, had hoped to bring along steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal who was educated at St Xavier’s.

Jeremy echoed the sentiments of Nadeem and stressed: “We have been talking about this for a long time. We really want to give back what we got from Calcutta.”

Although Mittal was unable to attend, it is hoped he will be involved along with people such as Lord Swraj Paul and Lord Raj Bagri, who are in steel and metals respectively.

Some industrialists did come to the launch and said they were keen to help. They included Gokul Binani, who is in copper mines. These are early days but the ambition is to link those in the Bengal capital who are interested in Hey Calcutta! with people — not necessarily Indian — with Calcutta connections all over the world.

There does not appear to be another organisation with similar aims to Hey Calcutta! anywhere in the Indian diaspora.

One practical result may be the availability of greater funds for heritage work and restoration.

The intention of the founders is not to make Hey Calcutta! an elitist organisation but throw it open to a wide cross-section of supporters. At the very least, Hey Calcutta! looks like being a networking organisation for Londoners who were either born or educated in Calcutta.

The grandson of tobacco businessman, Haji Ilahi, and son of Sir Abdul Rahim, Nadeem has often spoken warmly about Calcutta.

“My children get bored with the south of France after two or three days. They would much rather be in Calcutta,” he said.

Trader shot: Rakesh Shaw, a 48-year-old gunny bag trader, was shot dead by four unidentified persons in Sodepur on Monday afternoon.

Police said Rakesh was in his shop in the Sarkar Dairy area of Agarpara when the gang fired four rounds at him. Shaw was taken to Sagar Dutta Hospital where he was declared dead.