Kolkata Korner

Pleasant Surprise
Unlike the past many years, Kolkata seems to be experiencing a prolonged winterthis time. It just rained the other day, pulling the mercury down. And the metoffice says it'll continue to be pleasant for a few more days at least. Allthese years, February has reminded us that summers are just round the corner. Iremember switching on the ceiling fan from early February these past seven yearsI have been living in Kolkata. But this year, we're doing without the fan evenduring daytime. Given this pleasant run, maybe, just maybe, we'll experience abit of spring this year. It's too early to predict, say met officials; but theweather gods may just oblige us for once. Would there be this gentle wind withflowers in full bloom for us to experience and savour next month?

Ghastly Act
This doesn't pertain to Kolkata, but could well have happened here. At Durgapur,Bengal's premier industrial town, a mob set fire to a truck driver who had lostcontrol of his vehicle and run over a young boy on Wednesday. After theaccident, the driver tried to speed away, but was caught and thrashed. The mobreasoned that if he was handed over to the police, as is expected of law-abidingcitizens, the cops would take a bribe and let go of the errant driver, as isquite often the case. Hence, it would be better to teach him a lesson. A fewsuggested that the driver be set afire so as to serve as a brutal example torash drivers who care little for people's lives. And so he was tied to a post,kerosene oil was poured on him, a matchstick was lit and he was set ablaze. Copsfrom the nearest police station, less than half a kilometre away, arrived afterwell over an hour, by which time a local politician reached the scene, rescuedthe man and took him to a hospital. But it was too late. 

It's easy and convenient to condemn this incident as the handiwork of bruteswhich it was. But it raises some very pertinent questions. Why is it thatdrivers, especially of buses and trucks, are so rash and care so little aboutknocking down people and running them over? Why are our laws so lax that evenserial offenders never get to spend time behind bars? Why don't rash driverslose their driving licences? Why do we condone cops taking bribes and settingerrant drivers free? And, most important of all, hasn't the thought of teachinga harsh lesson to a rogue driver who hurtles down the road, scrapes and dentsour cars or nearly runs over a pedestrian, ever crossed our minds? Have webecome intolerant, revengeful and prone to inflicting (or at least condoners of)vigilante justice because the legal justice system isn't working at all to keeprogue driver off our roads? Time these questions were answered squarely andhonestly.

Law-Breakers
This city is anarchic and Kolkatans are, by nature, anarchists. Bengalis,especially, seem to derive some perverted pleasure by cocking a snook at thelaw. A large section of Bengalis feel there's something innately 'revolutionary'in every law-defying act of theirs. But the laws Kolkatans generally love toviolate are, and thankfully so, minor ones, especially ones relating toenvironment. Thus, filling up ponds and waterbodies is rampant; buildings areerected in violation of regulations and sanctioned plans; traffic rules areobserved in violation; most vehicles belch noxious fumes; loudspeakers blareaway till the wee hours and even in hospital compounds; and encroachments onpublic land are too common to merit mention anymore. 

Take the case of loudspeakers. There's a standing order from the statepollution control board—all loudspeakers should be fitted with sound limitersand the noise cannot be over 65 decibels, loudspeakers should be switched off by10 pm even during the Durga Pujas, loudspeakers cannot be played at 'silencezones' like areas around healthcare and educational institutions and noloudspeakers are allowed anywhere in the state during the Class 10 and 12 boardexams. But every single day we hear or read about blatant violations of theseorders by not only private individuals or local clubs, but also respectableorganizations and bodies. Even the Chief Minister, ministers and seniorpoliticians think nothing of attending programmes near hospitals withloudspeakers blaring away. On being told about such breaches, they don't evenappear apologetic. The examples Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his compatriots setare followed zealously by the citizenry. Is it then any wonder that Kolkata issuch a lawless city?

Dada's Misdeeds
Four years ago, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) gifted ten cottahs(about 680 square metres) of land in south Kolkata to cricketer Sourav Ganguly,"for promotion of sports activities". But far from using the valuablepiece of land for the stated purpose, Bengal's living icon went on tosurreptitiously construct a multi-storied commercial complex on it. With thehelp of some KMC high-ups, he secured permission for constructing thecomplex—the permission was void because no multi-storied structures areallowed on the road named after Raja Ram Mohun Roy, on which the gifted land islocated. A news item on this appeared prominently in the Kolkata edition of anational newspaper some time ago. But 'Dada' (as Sourav is known) was unfazed;construction went on in full swing. Perhaps he thought he was above the law andnobody could or would touch him. 

The famed southpaw has earned a huge pile of money, tens of crores of rupeesby conservative estimates, but saw no harm in adding to his huge pile byviolating norms and rules. That people look up to him and he's supposed to setexamples didn't really bother him. After all, Bengal's most powerful man--ChiefMinister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee--is a self-confessed Sourav fan. But now, itseems the law is set to catch up with Sourav. Those in the KMC who winked at theshameless violations of the deed/lease conditions by Sourav have been asked sometough questions. A probe has been ordered. It's only a matter of time beforesomeone files a suit against Sourav. High time this happened anyway. In a lamedefence, Sourav's apologists say that one floor of the complex will house agymnasium, another will have shops that sell only sports goods and another one acafeteria. That's Sourav's idea of a facility for promotion of sports! And we'reall dumb fools.

Sartorial Disaster
While on Sourav, he would surely get the prize for being one of theworst-dressed 'celebrities' in the country. He sports a terrible hair-style,doesn't come across as an intelligent or warm person (thanks to his stiffposture and visage), and has the knack for donning ugly clothes that don't matchor are unattractive. Sourav desperately needs a grooming consultant for a imagemakeover and needs to inculcate some dress sense. He was last seen in publicwearing a horizontally striped black shirt with a pair of pin-striped trousers!

Exemplary Feat
Ashutosh College in Kolkata has notched a first—it is a pioneer amongeducational institutions in India, and perhaps in South Asia at least, forsourcing a part of its energy requirements from renewable sources. The collegehas erected a 73-watt solar panel and solar energy now powers instruments,lights and fans at its physics, electronics and computer laboratories. Use ofsolar power will not only increase the life of the instruments, but would alsocut the college's power bill by 30 percent. Ashutosh College is planning toinstall more panels and, perhaps, switch over completely to solar power. Othercolleges who're planning to follow suit have been promised heavy discounts onpurchase of solar panels by the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agencythat has done a lot of pioneering work in the field of non-conventional energyand won many plaudits from around the world. Kolkata ought to be proud ofAshutosh College. 

By the way, this news kicked off a discussion at a gathering of eminentpersonas the other day. Some wondered if solar energy was a commercially viableproposition, given the fact that solar panels are very expensive and have to besubsidized by the state. But then, if the cost of burning fossil fuels togenerate electricity—not just the cost of coal, but the damage to theenvironment and public health—is taken into consideration and factored intothe cost of conventional power, solar power would apparently a much cheaperproposition. Given this, the state ought to increase the subsidy on solar panelsto encourage more people to switch over to solar power for at least asubstantial part of their energy requirements.

Worthless Nostalgia
February 21 is celebrated as Bhasha Divas (Mother Tongue Day) every year andprovides yet another opportunity for Bengalis to yearn for their 'brethren' onthe other side of the international border. Speeches are delivered by sundrylitterateurs who get wistful and recall the 'glory days' of undivided Bengal,how the British and then other conspired against Bengalis to divide them, what agreat, glorious and powerful force an undivided Bengal would have been intoday's world and they all conclude with the fond hope that some day, perhaps,Bengal will be one again. This whining and crying and reminiscing has assumedridiculous proportions. Such displays of worthless emotions don't serve anypurpose at all, are a waste of time and energy and only show Bengalis in a verypoor light—as a community stuck in the past and unable to move on. Punjab,too, was divided; so why is it that Punjabis (save for a fast diminishing,miniscule number) don't indulge in such nostalgia at regular intervals like theBengalis? Tell you why—Punjabis couldn't be bothered, busy as they are withwealth generation.