BRUCE BUCKNELL is here as the new British deputy high commissioner. He spoke to Chandreyee Chatterjee of Metro about Calcutta, cricket, culture and... cows!

Welcome to Calcutta. Have you ever been to Calcutta before?

Not before I arrived two months ago. I have been to India though. I did the usual British tourist thing. I went to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur with my wife and sister. That was just over 18 months ago actually. And here I am back again.

Did you know then that you would be coming to Calcutta?

Nope, I had no idea. We have a system within our foreign service of bidding for jobs and I bid for this job well over a year ago, but after I had been to India. I wanted to come to India.

Did you talk to anyone before you came over to Calcutta?

I spoke to my predecessor (Scott Furssedonn-Wood) and my predecessor's predecessor (Sanjay Wadhwani). Sanjay and I were in the same school many years ago. Sanjay was very enthusiastic about his time here and Scott was enthusiastic as well. I had a good chat about various aspects, about what to expect and the delights of being in Calcutta and then also the fact that I cover quite a big part of India, so there is a lot of variety.

What have been your first impressions of Calcutta?

Well I have been here for a couple of months but I haven't been in Calcutta the whole time. We have a very interesting induction programme in which I have spent a week in UP and a slightly shorter time in Mumbai, which can't be more different from covering Calcutta and 13 states and one Union Territory. But I think it is really useful to see the other parts of India, to provide some sort of baseline for assessing Bengal with the other states.

I've met lots of people so far. The point of the job of course is that we are supposed to get out there. This is our mentality, and this is a phrase that we've been using a lot - 'Global Britain'. But in the first instance it is getting out and seeing and looking and talking to people. The point about India of course is that it is very voluble. There are a lot of people you've got to listen to.

There are some impressions (about Calcutta), but I want to take my time. I don't want to jump to conclusions.

Your blog says that the British embassy in Belarus, when your were ambassador, was on Karl Marx Street. What was your reaction when you found out that your Calcutta address would be Ho Chi Minh Sarani?

My reaction? Well what can I say?! Have you been to Vietnam? You should go to Vietnam. Vietnam is fascinating. This is a country that until about 20 years ago couldn't feed itself. But now it is one of the major rice exporters of South East Asia. Which just shows what can be done in transforming a country. All that is a long time after Ho Chi Minh but he was obviously a national leader in Vietnam. But of course the reason why this street was named Ho Chi Minh was I can see a little bit of political point scoring by the then regional government but we should take these with a touch of humour.

You've also said in your blog that the contrast between Belarus and Calcutta couldn't be starker. Can you highlight some of them for us?

That was partly seasons, I left in the middle of winter, I've arrived in the middle of monsoon. But the starkness is in just the sheer number of people. This is a tropical country as opposed to a continental one. There are so many differences. People in that part of the world, the Belarusians, are not particularly expressive, here, particularly in Bengal, they are very expressive, which is a very different culture to deal with.

London and Calcutta share a lot of similarities, an extensive riverfront, architecture.... Any similarities that you've noticed?

Good question, but I find it a little bit early to say. What I would say is London is one of the greatest cities of the world. Calcutta is a great city.... This is a place that clearly has had better times but it is very dynamic in terms of its intellectual capital and the people and the vibrant culture, all the talk and chatter and that Bengali thing, which is part of the reason why I am happy to be here. There is a real sort of vibe and buzz about the place.

But the thing that you clearly have to do is to channel that. All these creative people, what are they doing? It is just that Calcutta seems to have lost its drive. India is developing, as I have just seen in Mumbai, I think the trick for Calcutta is to get that sense of identity and focus and to use the talents.

Next year will be the India-UK year of culture coinciding with India's 70 years of Independence and one of things we'll be looking at is the Puja to think for inspiration for next year.

What will be your main focus as the deputy high commissioner in the city and Eastern India?

Well the first focus will be to get to know the region. I cover a large swathe of area and I'll soon be travelling to some of the other states. So that's a key priority. I don't want to rush into setting out priorities but there will be two particular aspects I'd like to talk about. First of all is this sense of collaboration and partnership. We have this history, we have a lot of common interests, and we have a lot of affinities. I hope to go and look at Eden Gardens and enjoy the cricket tour that's coming up. I'd like to find out how the Indians enjoy beating the English at cricket (laughs).

There is sport and cricket, but there is more than that. I want to look at the broader aspects of this partnership. We are very open for collaboration.... We have all sorts of scholarship programmes, fellowship programmes like Chevening. We also have research links with India through the Newton Bhabha programme. I would definitely be looking forward to talking to young people and going to universities.

One of the areas is perhaps the fact that there is great heritage in the city but there aren't that many visitors. So it is not just Jaipur and Agra, it is also Bengal and Calcutta. There are lots of jewels that I didn't know like the Victoria monument. There are all sorts of aspects that we could actually do more of in the future.

How does UK industry perceive the business climate in Bengal today? Bengal hasn't always had a positive image....

You are absolutely right. I think that is a bit of an issue but that's an issue not just for me but for everybody who lives and works in this part of India. As I said earlier, it's the perception. There is always a lag with perception isn't there? You think the perception is foggy London, it's the one I was constantly coming against in Belarus, well actually that was from the 1950s due to the burning coal, London used to be terribly foggy. I think there is that sort of perception back here. Some British companies are invested here - British Telecom, who have taken advantage of outsourcing here.

So yes, there is a challenge. Yes there may not be as much obvious interest but Calcutta is a centre/entry point and if there is a bit more investment in infrastructure there is a great possibility to improve the connectivity with and through Bangladesh and beyond. But these aren't things that will happen overnight. But in the mean time, just to see the development of places like Salt Lake, New Town and Sector V... that is changing.

Obviously a key focus for my organisation is to promote trade between Britain and India. It is no secret, we are here to sell to India, Indians want to sell to us. It is a two-way flow. And exactly the same with investments. We'll be looking to support that as much as possible. Our mutual prosperity is obviously of great interest to both sides.

Coming to your Twitter bio... you've said one of your interest areas is cricket.... Your favourite all-time and current English cricketers?

Well I grew up, I was left-handed, when David Gower was playing. He was effortless, very stylish. I don't intend to fly planes like he did but I used to think I was like David Gower! I could hardly hit the ball off the square, but that was me. He was great to watch, he was graceful. I will put my foot in it completely now by saying that of the Indian batsman I've watched, it was Sunil Gavaskar. I mean I grew up seeing him bat. He was just very neat and tidy for such a small man and he played those West Indian bowlers. He was great. Of this generation, I think Rahul Dravid. He was so elegant. He got the elbow up and played so neatly.

Right now I think Virat Kohli is the player. There are two of them actually. Kohli and Joe Root. Then there is young Kane Williamson. I haven't actually seen Williamson but Root and Kohli, they play, it's not slog cricket. Kohli's scored more fours on the ground playing 20:20, he doesn't hit sixes, he hits fours. That's what it is. I am somewhat traditionalist in that respect.

While on Kohli vs Williamson, will you be watching the India-Zealand Test match at Eden Gardens from September 30?

Well I am not in town on September 30 but I will try and catch a bit of the match later if can slip out of office for a bit.

Team England is going to Bangladesh in October. Will you be hopping over for it?

Well I would like to but the issue would be just time. I mean it is my first three months. If I can take leave I will go. But, you know, I have to do my job (shrugs and laughs).

Don't you follow football?

I love football. I love a lot of sports. I am slightly amazed by how much interest there is in English football here. I think this season in going to be fascinating. Leicester City winning last year, that was fantastic.... I would have loved to have gone to a Calcutta Derby (East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan). Unfortunately their games are mid-week and mid-afternoon. There is ISL. Atletico de Kolkata....

We gave the world football and when was the last time we won a trophy? Everybody seems happy and that's fine!

Which is your team?

Well my team... well, I am again a traditionalist. I was born just outside a town called Redding in Southern England and it has had three seasons in the Premier League. It has done very well, partly because of the wealth of the town. I don't have one set team. I'd say I'd prefer Leicester to win again, of course.

The other interest area you've mentioned in your Twitter bio is cows... have you caught the irony of being in a country where cow politics is at its peak?

I know. You know I wrote that before cow politics came to the fore. That's purely because I'm a farmer's son. I grew up with cows. My father was a farmer, my grandfather was a farmer, my great-grandfather was a farmer. So I grew up with cows. It's just a part of my past. I have gone to extent that I can even tell you roughly what the cow population is in India and what it is in Britain. I think it is one cow for 10 people, roughly in India, and one for every 50 in Britain. I'll write about cows in the future. I am going to discover how much milk you get from cows in India as compared to Britain!

What are you looking forward to doing here when you are not being the deputy high commissioner?

Well I need to get fit, so I am trying to lose weight. I am definitely going to travel around. We have lots of things to visit. I have got to go and touch the turf at Eden Gardens and cross-examine the groundsman I hope! I am going I hope very soon to Bhubaneswar and I am looking forward to seeing the temples there. There are lots of things; it is so big, so vast, and so diverse. Then there is the Northeast which is another world of places to visit. It is a pretty full agenda really and I am delighted to be here.

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