Past and Present

Barely two years ago I made up my mind that I wont be stuck in Kolkata for long.With the Singur-Nandigram agitation on in full swing I got frustrated with the city,the administration and the people in general.Every other day there will be a bandh called either by TMC or the CPIM party mostly by the former that disrupted the daily activities of the city people irrespective of their social status.During that time (2007-08) I was doing my graduation and private tuitions had spread its wings and enveloped even the higher education systems of the city.The education system in higher instituions  had denigrated to such an extent that the students had no option but to seek shelter at the door of private tutors.So at least four days a week I was going for tuitions and the bandhs were a severe headache for commuters.I personally made it a point to attend classes regularly.This habit of mine added to my woes.My grandmother would try and dissuade me from leaving home on a bandh day.I tried reasoning with her saying that a city where bandhs are becoming a norm we cannot afford to let our lives be disrupted by megalomaniac elements.Even if I was succesful in convincing her reaching my destination was a different story altogether.No private buses would be plying and the public buses were few and far between.The second choice would of course be autorickshaws but it had its share of inconveniences.Some autos were affiliated to the CPIM party and some to Trinamool,very few were politically neutral.So when the bandhs would be called by a party its autos wouldnt be plying on any route of the city out of solidarity.The opposing camp would of course be out on the streets encouraging people to defy the other camp leading to clashes.Being a woman in a city ruled by anarchy I had to be on my guard at all times.

                                    The city was dominated by two colours-Red and Green.At times it was hilarious to see how two political parties were competing with each other to paint its graffiti on the same wall.In ceratin lanes and bylanes one side would be decorated with red graphiti and flags and the other side with green.Scratching,rewriting,verbal abusing,endless haranguing finally prompted the home-owners to move a petition to the Election Commission seeking ban on graffiti on the walls of private properties.But as they say where there is a will there is a way.Flags and life size cutouts dominated the scene instead.There was one funny incident I remember.Someone out of mischief had cut off the head of the politician in a cut out.The ensuing conflict was one hilarious episode.Blame games became the order of the day. Police patrol vans were ubiquitous although I am not sure how much it helped maintain law and order.

     The ordinary people either belonged to the red team(those who supported the construction of nano factory in Singur which would have created lakhs of jobs) or the green team(people who were sick of 33 years of high-handedness by the CPIM party and supported the cause of the peasants).The CPIM vs Trinamool became a topic of heated debate everywhere.If someone unknowingly or deliberately let slip something derogatory about either of the parties the supporters would vehemently (verbally and even physically) assault the detractor(s).

The most disturbing thing about the entire affair was newspapers and regional media houses lost objectivity and started taking sides and promoting views which they considered right.A very reputed newspaper institution of Kolkata actively campaigned for TMC allegedly to stay put in the competition.When corruption/manipulation pervades the media,the fourth estate,death of society occurs.The guardians of democracy become its enemy.

As a kid the city fascinated me.The Old British architecture used to transport me back to another era.The sights.the sounds,the smell of the city had me captivated.It was the city I loved most and never wanted to leave.But growing up I saw people around me getting disillusioned but I maintained my foolish optimism.Looking back Calcutta was once the capital of India, the center of finance and trading of the East India Company.If the British were able to secure their footing in this country it was only due to their financial strength and military power.Back in the 19th century 80% percent of the revenue earned by the East India Company came from Calcutta.Calcutta was the birthplace of journalism, the clarion call for independence originated here.The first Indian to win a Nobel Prize was a Bengali.We Bengali's have a rich cultural heritage.The architecture of the city is a witness to our glorious past and cultural diversity.The Howrah Bridge and the ever-flowing Hooghly river a symbol of the strength and resilience of the people, a symbol of our achievements and our contribution to the betterment of our country.We belong to the land of Bipin Chandra Pal,Vidysagar,Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Even today Bollywood movies made from the novels of great writers like Sarat Chandra Chatterjee garner critical acclaim.We have so much in us.But sadly some of us have got sucked into the vortex of power,politics and corruption.In order to restore our past glory we need to know our roots. Does it really matter who won or who lost as long as we walk  with our head held high?