Meltdown in the City Of Joy

The violence in Nandigram has rustled a hornet’s nest. Ms. Mamta Banerjee announced a state wide bandh in protest against the atrocities in Nandigram on Saturday which would come into effect from Monday, 12th November 2007. Even before getting out of my home this morning, it was quite evident that the All Party Bandh called for 48 hours was being enforced with party workers brandishing red flags staging protests right in front of my house and stopping vehicles. It wasn’t till late in the morning that a contingent of RAF (Rapid Action Force) in their blue camouflage uniforms and riot gear armed with lathis managed to disperse the crowd into one of the by lanes in front of my house. That is when I decided to head to work on foot.

Armed with my Canon Powershot A530 I stepped out and starting walking down the street. There were police Motorcycles patrolling the street and policemen at regular intervals lacing the streets. I came upon several Police pickets too at the Park Circus 5 point crossing and was witness to the Governor’s motorcade passing by with its entire Police escort. I read in the papers that the Governor had made some remarks about the ongoing situation in Nandigram which didn’t go down too well with the ruling CPI(M) party.

Anyway after the jokes going around the country about how West Bengal had just worked for 15 days in the month of October due to the festive season and the incessant bandhs, November is beginning to look the same. And as I had witnessed nearly a year ago the apathetic state of affairs in this state, progress seems to keep getting a spanner in the works. Does the political machinery in this state realise the potential loss of revenue that each untoward incident causes. With each day of lock-down how many daily wage earners lose as meal? Mamta can keep going on with her antics and latch on to every issue blowing it out of proportion, but does she realise that dialogue could probably get her further.

If Rizwanur’s case could be fought silently and get the mass support it did, why can’t Nandigram? And here again I appeal to people of Kolkata and Bengal; Unite and fight this sheer waste of time called BANDHS.

Above a pictures of the Governor’s Motorcade, Park Street otherwise impossible to cross wearing an abandoned look, people making the best of wide empty roads flying kites and playing cricket and various pictures of Police men on motorcycles and in their jeeps and finally a PRESS car, the only vehicles that roam the streets a bit fearlessly.