kolkata when jaison abraham first stepped into mukundapur in 2005 there were only 30odd keralites like him who had taken up a nursing job in kolkatas stillnascent private healthcare sector in 2012 he says the number has increased to nearly 3000 in mukundapur alone mukundapur is like a mini kerala now even some shop owners at mukundapur market have picked up malayali almost every other person staying here seems to be speaking in it jaison says now whenever anyone decides to come to kolkata for a nursing job mukundapur is the first address they look for he adds jaisons observation is reflected in the rise in the number of keralite nurses that the city houses of the 15000 keralite nurses now working in kolkata even places like siliguri asansol and durgapur more than half 7800 to 8000 are male nurses simple recruitment logic explains the rapid increase a 200bed hospital needs to employ at least 500 nurses the figure may seem too high for the discerning but nurses work on two sixhour shifts and a 12hour night shift but why kolkata and least of all mukundapur kolkata jaison explains even six years back had only rtiics amri cmri and bm birla heart research centre but now the requirement has shot up even a few years back kolkata didnt top the list of preferred employers but now with the average starting salary of rs 7500rs 8000 per month it is only a few notches below new delhi rs 9000 per month and mumbai rs 8000 to rs 9000 per month the lower living cost in kolkata now makes it a preferred destination for young nursing aspirants for them the ultimate ambition is to crack the international english language testing system ielts examination this is a prerequisite to work in europe usa canada new zealand and australia but for that they need to gain experience which is mandatory english speaking countries for example pay anything from rs 2 lakh to rs 4 lakh per month the next target remains gulf countries where ielts isnt mandatory kuwaits ministry of health for example pays rs 11 lakh per month everyone demands work experience says abin m joseph jaisons former roommate who also yearns for a job abroad ielts is a very tough examination for engineers and others a fivepoint score is sufficient but for us doctors and teachers at times a seven to eightpoint score isnt enough to make the cut he adds these reasons prompt them to head to kolkata as another male nurse points out now even kolkata hospitals are aggressively advertising in kerala newspapers for job openings for nurses any new nurseaspirant who first steps into kolkata invariably heads to mukundapur within a kilometer radius of rtiics every other home some hastily built and plastered rent houses to these people from kerala it isnt bad business either the rent for a twobedroom flat is at least rs 7500 mukundapur now sports two flashy gyms the