Winds of Change...

Kolkata….the city of joy, now more popularly, the city of Dharnas and rallies. The city that almost all Bengalis living outside the region has a relative in, the city where childhood memories are carved in, the city where strangers come and make it their home and as a friend recently told me, a city that is politically conscious and not religiously divided.

Yes it is a city with hordes of problems, it is a city where the Red mark is etched out in every corner (and recently the flower of the Trinamool Congress) and where taking public matter to the streets is the only solution. Like almost all Bengalis living elsewhere, I have had relatives here and thus every winter I would visit this place. Unfortunately for me, I was cut out from the hustle-buslte of the city as my relatives decided to stay some kilometers away from the centre. Thus I, as a child, saw a part of Kolkata that was serene, green and filled with common faces. Very unlike the real Calcutta (as was known then).

But that did not mean I did not visit the centre at all. Most of my experiences were bitter feeling a bad impression on my young mind. Whenever, we would come to Park Street or Park Circus, we had to battle the terrifying bus rides, having to quarrel with all the passengers and the conductors for a rupee or even lesser than that. If this wasn’t enough, such matter would become public matter and everyone would join either side to battle the cases (as if it was required). This was something I faced every time I traveled to the centre. Naturally, my idea of Calcutta was bad. My child’s mind did not understand all these matters and I simply didn’t like the place.

Coming here after a long time and actually getting to stay in the centre has made me change my opinion a lot and also the fact that it has been some years from that experience now. I am commuting to my workplace everyday without any hassles though I should state that I am not traveling in those buses any longer but in the metro. Yes, the rallies are still there, the loudspeakers still cracking with those voices but I feel there is a change. I am feeling that the people are changing, their attitudes are changing and ultimately there is chance for some progress to take place. Mamata Bannerjee has already spear-headed the campaign for a wind of change with ousting the Left in many local elections and with the upcoming State Elections coming up soon, things are likely to change much more.

It may take many more years for the city of rallies to go back to being the City of Joy. For this to happen many things will need to change. Firstly, the people, who as I said are already change. I feel it is time for the people specially the politicians to realize that battles can also be fought in places other than the roads shouting slogans and calling bandhs. This only cripples the lives of many and makes the country loose millions in the process. It is also time for the private investments to come into the state and make it once more a prosperous place. It is time for the city to be the centre of developmental process.

As for me, right now I am liking the place and the amiable people who are ready to help you at every step.

Witch-hunting and my experiences with it...

Sitting in a university and talking big stuffs is always easy. Most of the world’s intellects do that. But going there to the place where the problem lies and trying to finding solution is quite another thing. Though many may say that both the aspects are important and change in the field cannot happen without the help of the intelligentsia, the truth remains that theories and seminars and conferences hardly ever reach the people it should. Seminars and conferences are always attended by the same group of people (the people who formulate the ideas and the theories). In many few important seminars do the field workers find place .

As part of the course, recently we were to do a street play in the tea gardens of Assam. Our play was on witch-hunting, a common menace among the tea tribes of the state. There are frequent reports on how innocent women are killed by frenzied mob on the pretext that they are witches. However, for me (and I am sure the most of the performers), it was just a topic and we had to play our part for the sake of marks. We were provided with an excellent teacher, a theatre artist, a ready-made script, dialogues in place and whatever we required. With some struggled efforts of collaboration, we managed to carry on with our rehearsals, most of the times in the AC studio of the department or otherwise, much to our distress, in the open field. (I am here mentioning the location to prove the point that we were in comfort zones, still we didn’t stop complaining).

After about two weeks rehearsals we were ready to go to the place and perform. We chose Balipara, one hour drive from our university, as they had been recent cases of witch hunting. We were helped in our efforts by the field workers of the Mahila Samita. They guided us to the heart of a tea estate were we were to perform. We gathered people and put up a good show with most people being impressed with the acting. We too were satisfied with our efforts. After the show, the field workers had arranged a small tea party in our honour. While sipping some delightful tea, one woman narrated a recent incident of witch hunting. She told how she and her husband rescued the poor woman and averted another death during the festive season of Diwali.

That was the time, reality struck me. Here we were cocooned in the serene atmosphere of lush green campus, merrily arriving at our “spot of performance’ as if we were going for a picnic, we acted our parts without feeling any of the emotions and there were a group of people struggling for were doing something with conviction. Specially for me, it was nothing more than an assignment we were pushed into. But after listening to that lady, I realized what was just an assignment for me was the reality she lived with everyday. We can afford to come in buses and perform and have tea and go away, she can’t. She has to think of ways of stopping this superstition and educating the people. What was more touching was the fact that her husband came to us with folded hands thanking us for the encouragement our play gave him. The whole idea that we encouraged him was ludicrous. He did not see us arguing and complaining for having to do this assignment.

I don’t know if I will ever be able to do anything in the level the couple are working but that day I understood that the intellects sitting in the comforts of their office need to come out and share their knowledge with these field workers. If only this happens effectively will many conditions change.