Today, there was a bandh in this city by whom it does not matter (CPI btw..). It has been 5 months and this is the second bandh announced by the ruling govt. and the fourth in all, the other two being made by the very “eloquent and charming” mamta didi.
The fact remains that the normally “buzzing with activity” neighborhood of mine, with its proximity to the airport was at a standstill. No buses emitting tons of CO2, no rickshawallahs in their superbikes enacting a scene from Dhoom, no busy pedestrians moving about thinking what to do with their lives; nothing.
It has started occurring to me off late, that Bengalis seem to enjoy bandhs, as if not having a bandh every month or fortnight makes them restless. Relaxing the whole day with nothing to worry about, no waking up in the morning, no queuing for buses/ metro, no abusing the bus driver for his rash driving, just peace. Waking up late in the morning, having the world famous “Maach Bhaat” and then again lying down for siesta, in the evening have tea, chat for a while and then sit down to enjoy Zee bangla or Incoda TV. Aah!!what a relief.
Who cares for the crores lost in one day of a bandh, who cares about industrialization for that matter, who cares for people who might have to live the day just on biscuits bought one day earlier in anticipation of the bandh. Who cares for the loss of one working day, who cares if the lifeline of Kolkata, the metro is decaying. Who cares if the roads are filthy from the rains yesterday, who cares if the drains are overflowing, who cares if there is a garbage dump probably just 5 kms from the airport eagerly inviting the unsuspicious visitors with their stink.
The problem is that Kolkata has begun to love the filth that it is, no one wants to improve it, neither the government, the opposition nor the people. The buses plying here are centuries old, their drivers formula 1 wannabes, the metro has been in the same state since it was inaugurated by Robert Clive in 1857, not even one nut must have been fixed. The metro stations are in the same state as they were in 1950s and shall remain so until 2050 when the iron begins to rust and give away. Every year there are heavy rains in this region yet water scarcity, the water here is very hard and high in iron content(which can lead to hairfall leading to a loss in sex appeal). The shopkeepers here consider customers as a nuisance, to be nabbed and sent packing off. All the kolkatan wants at the end of the day is his daily dose of cigarette smoke and (of course) Maach Bhaat.
I guess the people who coined the term “Metropolitan City” had to change their definitions for Kolkata. As one of my friends commen ted, Kolkata is even worse than Patna.
There are some bright spots though, Kolkata will remain one of the intellectual capitals of India, that does not take away the fact that kolkatans are plain lazy. So, lazy in fact they did not even bother to change the government for the past quarter of a century. You will get cigarettes and khaini in almost every nook and corner but good quality, clean food is a rarity.
This is just one part..the next will be covered later.
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