Kolkata Korner

Welcoming Winters
At long last, and it was high time too, winters have set in here. The weathermentell us that from now on, it's only a downward journey for the mercury. And nohindrances in the way of the cold winds blowing in from the plains of NorthIndia are expected. Given this welcome development, Kolkatans have brought outtheir heavy woollens and are making for ludicrous sights--most are bundled in atleast two layers of warm clothing with hand gloves and thick scarves or mufflersas well as the ubiquitous 'monkey caps' completing the picture. The Bengalis'love for 'monkey caps' is legendary; hardly any Bengali worth his macher jholwill ever step out of his house during the winters without this accessory, nevermind the fact that a smart cap would do the job equally well and that a 'monkeycap' can't ever be accused of being elegant or aesthetic. The saving grace isthat a growing number of young men are discarding the 'monkey cap' for more chichead covers. That apart, the onset of winters has also filled florists' shelveswith beautiful blooms. And an air of festivity has set in with Christmas and theNew Year beckoning ahead. And so, save for the monkey cap and heavy woollens-cladfolks--they look suitably attired for Alaska and not Kolkata--this city is anice place to be in now.

Ugly Scenes
Talking about Christmas and New Year, the festivities in Kolkata are largelycentred around Park Street that's all lit up for the celebrations. Allrestaurants have done up their interiors and added new items to their menus. Theshop windows have been dressed up and the grand project to rejuvenate ParkStreet has got going. But it's the crowds that flock to Park Street on December24-25 and December 31 that spoil and mar the festive spirit. For some years now,thousands have been jamming the sidewalks and even spilling out on to thecarriageway on these occasions. And, sad to say, most are young men and boyslooking for cheap thrills. Women get teased and molested and their malecompanions are beaten up for protesting. Drunken brawls are common and thepolice react in a very high-handed manner, booking many innocents. As a result,good folks have been keeping away from Park Street, preferring to keep away fromthe voyeurs and lumpen elements. The reason this is alarming and bad for ParkStreet is that restaurants have been reporting fewer footfalls when all theirtables ought to have been overbooked. In fact, some eateries post losses onChristmas and New Year's. And thus, the establishments that line Park Streetwill soon have no reason to deck up the boulevard. That'll be unfortunate. Theonly way this can be averted is if the Kolkata Police pull up their socks andincrease vigil on Park Street. Heavy policing will definitely do the job and actas a serious deterrent to mischief-makers.

Unfair
This is also the time for fairs and fetes. Nothing wrong with that, except thatthey're held at the few parks that we have in the city. And for the duration ofthese fairs--some go on for even a month--the parks remain out of bounds toordinary folks and children who usually stroll, jog, exercise and play in theseparks. That's what our parks are meant for, anyway. But these precious patchesof greens are let out by their custodian, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC),every year to earn revenue. The civic body even rents out these parks forweddings and private events. And not only do the parks remain inaccessibleduring these events, they're left scarred and battered, with many holes scarringthem, the grass cover gone and even the trees and bushes hacked or cut down.Yes, the KMC needs to earn revenue and money is required for maintaining theparks. But that doesn't mean that parks should remain inaccessible to the peoplefor whom they're meant for in the first place. A judicious balance is requiredbetween earning revenue and keeping the parks open to people.

Nostalgia
Bengalis' love for nostalgia is well known. We love romanticising about the pastand some of us even love living in the past. We never miss an opportunity torecall those 'golden days' of yesteryears when Bengalis straddled many anddiverse fields. But this trait assumed quite ridiculous proportions when manyrecalled, with no little fondness, the turbulent days of the Naxal movement. Themovement was misguided and flawed right from the very beginning and its ideologywas too utopian. And this movement was largely responsible for Bengal'sdownfall. Instead of romanticising Naxalism and Naxalbari and its founders likeCharu Mazumdar or feting his son (as happened at a recent rally in Kolkata), weought to condemn the movement, its founders, its activists and root out allattempts to revive this dangerous movement. There was nothing good about theNaxalite movement--it was bloody, ugly and caused the downfall of Bengal. Weneed to keep in mind what harm it did to Bengal and its people.

Anarchists
There is an anarchist streak in Bengalis. We have no respect for the law andlove flouting it. Many of us even believe that flouting a law is a form ofrevolting against the "unjust, exploitative" order that prevails now.We strongly resist attempts to enforce the law and rules. We display a strangehostility to all symbols of state power and authority. Two recent examples wouldamply illustrate this point. A pool car ferrying school kids met with anaccident recently as its intoxicated driver was speaking on his mobile phonewhile driving. Next day, in a typical knee-jerk reaction, the motor vehiclesdepartment cracked down on pool cars, impounded some and booked them forviolating norms governing pool cars. The drivers and owners of pool cars went ona wildcat strike against this crackdown, claiming that they cannot be regulated!In a few schools, students who failed to secure adequate marks were barred fromtaking the qualifying exams for Class X finals. Instead of resolving to dobetter next time, these students and their parents gheraoed the schools'authorities and teachers, abused them and demanded that all students,irrespective of their academic performances, be allowed to take the Class Xexams. And then we, Bengalis, strut around as a highly evolved species excellingin education, the arts and various other fields.