The World Through My Pen

During the 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal, very few elections had been carried out peacefully. Even the peaceful elections were results of booth captures, rigging, and physical and mental torture on voters. However, the new scenario looks the same. In the ongoing municipal elections in Kolkata, several incidents of sheer hooliganism is being reported every now and then. Voters are been physically attacked, booths are being vandalised, journalists are being man handled and many more such incidents. In Baghbazar polling booth after the booth had been vandalised by hooligans, a journalist went up to a Police official to ask about his reactions when the journalist was slapped by the official. It was attempted by him to break the camera but unfortunately he could not succeed in doing so. The Police in West Bengal is directly under the Chief Minister and even after this incident she is quiet. The ruling party Trinamool Congress is of the opinion that these are all created proble...

"I am from Kolkata", and the obvious response from the people are "Maachher jhol, Rasogolla, Park Street and Howrah Bridge". But dear people, Kolkata has more to it. Yes, when one enters the city through Howrah the first thing he/she gets to see is the famous Howrah Bridge but remembering only that humongous engineering marvel is like looking only at the cover of a novel and saying you have read it. Rasogolla is again a sweet delicacy of Kolkata but again not the only one. Park Street, thanks to Xmas celebrations and the footfall of several foreigners, is that one place which is there first on the list of any first time visitor to the city. But I wonder how many have actually tried to feel Kolkata or even if they have, how many have actually articulated them without talking highly about the cliched pointers like Howrah Bridge, Rasagolla, Park Street etc.? Every city has it's own feel. So does Kolkata and it does not need the help of the cliches to be felt. ...