DHAR DHAR

Kolkata is known throughout the World as the ‘City of Joy’, but politics in its cruelest avatar has sucked that joy out of Kolkata and has fractured the Bengali society into pieces. The recent Lalgarh incident has highlighted how deep the problem of mismanagement and bad governance is in West Bengal.

Bengalis have always been proud of their intellectual heritage and liberal culture. Bengal has over the years produced stalwarts like Rabindra Nath Tagore, Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Satyajit Ray and Subhash Chandra Bose. History has enough proof of the might of the people living in this part of the Gangetic plains. The great Greek Historian Megasthenes in his book Indica describes the Gangaridai kingdom whose power was such that even Alexander the Great decided not to cross its boundaries. The contribution of the Bengali people to the Arts and Sciences in India needs no proof. The first Industrial revolution in India beginning in Bengal is not a mere accident but the result of superior political and educational conditions existing here.      

However, sometimes over indulgence in intellectual pursuits can make one dumber than the actual dumb. Pseudo-intellectualism by a few enlightened ones is mainly responsible for the current crisis Bengal is facing. Hanging on to an idea based on an ideal world view, even if the entire dark side of the catch has been exposed is hyper stupidity. Communism, when presented in its raw form really sounds very appealing. Everyone working for the common goal, earning equally, equality everywhere, everyone happy, indeed sounds exciting, but practical considerations plague the idea. 

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of USSR, the real pitfalls of communism were exposed to the world. The problem with this romantic notion is that it considers everyone a saint. If everybody turns into one tomorrow, the idea of communism will indeed flourish. But, credit to God, not everyone is as holy. For the system to succeed, you need people who are self-motivated to the core. You have to give your 100% even if there is no pressure, which is something nobody is willing to do. Another problem with the notion is that it ignores the fact, ‘With great power comes greater greed’. The official machinery, which is supposed to control the entire setup, begins to show sign of rigidity and hyper-reactionary politics owing to this avarice.

Bengalis have always been the kind of people who question. They are the type who takes the problem head on to see its worth. The opposition to the traditional Hindu customs of Sati and Dowry by Raja Ram Mohan Roy is a great example of the questioning spirit of the Bengalis. But, I wonder where this tradition of confronting authority has vanished over the years. The fall of USSR and other communist states failed to open the eyes of the people here. They refused to look at the practical problems facing the ideology and repeatedly voted the CPM and its allies to power. Look what their rule has done to the once prosperous state. In 1960, it was one of the two richest states in India with an economy 105% that of Maharastra, but now that figure has gone down to around 69%. The per capita GDP figures paints an even sorry picture of the situation. Besides, the three decade rule of the communists hasn’t vastly improved the plight of the people here. Talk of equality!

Left leaders cite China as an example of the success of Communism. Even if China is a communist country it runs its economy in a totally capitalistic manner.  The Bengal government tried to replicate China’s success by inviting industries to set up base here. As we all know, they failed miserably at that. After the Tata’s vacated Nandigram, the situation has worsened and now many major projects in the pipeline are in grave danger of being shelved. When the Left front government cites China, they fail to highlight the unique conditions existing there. Chinese political system is authoritarian and as such they can take controversial decisions and implement them with an Iron Fist. In India, you do that and you are out in the next election. If you follow the Left front’s policies closely, you will find it to be soaked in greed. To maintain their hold on the ‘Writer’s Building’ (WB State secretariat) they have for long instigated hate against capitalism or anything they deemed can challenge their rule. Thus, they were directly responsible for the militant trade-unionism and the flight of the industries from West Bengal. When at the turn of the twenty first century they realized that their economic policies are pushing WB to the stone ages, they hurriedly tried to implement the IT Policy and other such Industrialization plans and thus committed some grave mistakes (land acquisition issues), which ultimately led to their defeat in this year’s elections. In India, you can’t decide like they do in China.

Today, Bengal is once again at crossroads. If the recent elections are any sign, then it can surely be concluded that the Left’s bastion has been breached. The people of Bengal have had enough of these dhoti-clad babus dictating their every move. They have handed the baton to the sari clad Didimoni (teacher). How Mamata Banerjee handles this pressure cooker situation remains to be seen. This transitory turbulent phase in Bengal’s present is surely going to define the future of this great place. Come 2011 State Elections, we will see where we head from here.