Kolkata is India's untold tech story, and most challenging

KOLKATA, India -- Across a bustling intersection from one of the first dead-letters offices, a pale blue sign beseeches pedestrians to join the future. Several hundred feet separate old, colonial India from the promise of a new, technologically transformed country. An Uber sign urges traffic safety and a gentle nudge for the ride-sharing service, which is wildly popular here. In Kolkata, capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, there are traces of the future amid decaying buildings and staggering poverty. Samsung Electronics and Dell signs mark the entrance to a dilapidated Victorian structure in the heart of the city. Kolkata is India's untold story in tech.