Calcutta Corner

All Films Are Equal...

When I read George Orwell’s Animal Farm in school I found the ending distressing and disappointing. A group of pigs, oppressed and exploited for generations, had led a mass revolution against the oppressors and exploiters. But when these pigs came to power, they themselves became the oppressors and exploiters, having declared “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is a simplistic recap of the an extraordinary story of how power corrupts though I was convinced that such betrayal was indeed possible, I refused to be so cynical as to accept that power invariably corrupts. I don’t know if before the TMC came to power the party and its members had good intentions, but one incident after another is making it more and more evident that power not only changes equations but misuse of power is unabashedly unapologetic. In the latest incident the state government cancelled the screening in state funded Star Theatre of a movie based loosely on the Park Street rape case, which had become an embarrassment for the state government (because the Chief Minister called the rape a fabricated incident— “sajano ghotona”— only to be challenged by a senior police officer from the detective department who had asserted that the woman was indeed raped.) The government move to stall the movie is more shocking considering that the TMC, when it was in the Opposition, raised a furore when the former government tried to stall the the staging of a Bengali play Poshu Khamar (based on Orwell’s Animal Farm) just before the Assembly Elections because it was critical of the Communist government. The TMC government claims that the reason it has cancelled screening of the film is because it is too long. That is not only a lame excuse, but also arbitrary. The state government must remember that that all films are equal—even if some are longer than the others!

Nothing Happened

This week another group of people felt completely let down by the Mamata Banerjee government. These were the employees of Haldia Bulk Trading, a company which deals in shipping equipment off the port of West Bengal’s industrial town of Haldia. They found themselves unemployed when HBT decided to close shop and pull out its business from Bengal after several of its employees were threatened allegedly by TMC goons. One night, late last week three employees of HBT were reportedly kidnapped from their residence at gun point and told to leave Haldia. After the incident HBT chief executive officer called it the “last nail on the coffin.” He claimed that employees of HBT had been “working under threat anyway.” He said, “How can I ask my people to go to Haldia if I cannot go myself?”  The threats to HBT workers are being attributed to another cargo handling company floated allegedly by TMC supporters, which has for sometime now been trying to divert HBT’s business to itself. HBT is a joint venture between the national port and shipping materials dealers, the ABG group and French company LDA. HBT had a 10-year contract with the Calcutta Port Trust but under the circumstances it has claimed that it can no longer continue working in Haldia. The CPT has challenged the decision in court but the matter was further complicated when the chief minister reacted to reports of the kidnapping with a characteristic “nothing happened.” But a member of the foreign partner of HBT Louis Dreyfus Armateurs has stated, “In Bengal , especially in Haldia, the private and personal interests of some people always come before the general interests of the port and country.” The HBT pullout is being likened to the Singur pullout, a disaster for Bengal’s already virtually non-existent industry.

Can't Have Enough

Three dance dramas by the Scottish Dance Theatre at Calcutta’s Kala Mandir held the city in thrall and left it wishing for more. “Drift,” choreographed by James Wilton, “Dog,” choreographed by Hofesh Shechter and Luxuria choreographed by Liv Lorrent, moved audiences with their stylized depiction of emotions ranging from insecurity to inhibition. Drift carried us into the heart of a lover who longs for permanence, giving us an empathetic glimpse into the fears of loss that we have all perhaps experienced at one time or another. Just as Dog brought us back to the dog eat dog world of selfishness. Luxuria was a medly of emotions that reflected the human heart and its profound comfort and confusion.

Trade Winds

When the monkey cap starts appearing in the roadside shops of Calcutta’s busy market areas like Gariahat and New Market, you know that winter is around the corner. Friends from Calcutta who have moved and settled in other parts of the country and world all seem to remember this one Bengali winter accessory with great fondness. Like the ubiquitous homemade sweaters these too come in a medley of colours but this time I noticed, for the first time, a “Ma Mati Manush” monkey cap, complete with the tricolours — saffron, white and green — and the emblem of leaves and flowers.  “Ki bolchhen?” (What are you saying?) the hawker asked me incredulous. “Apni aagey dekhen ni? Kothay chhilen?” (You haven’t seen this before? Where were you?) He informed me that the Ma Mati Manush monkey cap was a rage in the winter just before the Assembly elections. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Kintu ekhon khub ekta bikri hochhena.”(“But sales have dwindled somewhat since then.”) 

The Buzz

Local rhyme circulating via SMS:
Raag Desh hok ba Dadra
Theatre hok ba Jadra
Lojjar matha khelo
Priyanka’r bor Vadra
(Whether it is Raag Desh or Dadra…or theatre or jatra,  embarrassed we are by Priyanka’s hubby Vadra).