Kolkata has prospered over the last decade

The other day I was listening to the famous video song of Usha Uthup on Kolkata. It showed different scenes of the City of Joy and I longed to go back to the old days of the 1960s. I had left the city in the 1960s (it was known then as Calcutta) and subsequently visited it on special occasions. The last time was in 2019 to attend a marriage. I noticed that the city I grew up in had changed. There were flyovers, and skyscrapers alongside new attractions to woo tourists. Once there used to be the zoo garden, botanical garden, museum, Victoria Memorial, Birla planetarium etcetera. Now there are additions like the Eco Park, Nicco Park, Science City, floating restaurant on the Hoogly River and innumerable hotels and restaurant.

Most of these have come up during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee as chief minister. She is not only the supremo of Trinamool Congress TMC but also gifted with artistic talents. How Mamata Banerjee unwinds herself with artistic pursuits. She can wield the brush as well as the pen and was instrumental in promoting the annual Durga Puja festival on a global scale. However, her efforts to bring industries to her state have not met with much success. On the whole, Kolkata has prospered over the last decade. It is evident in every walk of life. Bengalis love the ilish fish and, even though the price might go up to Rs 2000 per Kg, there are buyers. Uemployment is a major issue in Bengal but there is no dearth of buyers of ilish.

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Didi announces holiday for Maha Shivratri (satire)

It is well known that our beloved Didi is a generous woman – her heart bleeds for the millions of kids who do not have shoes, for the millions of girls who do not have bicycles, for the millions of youth who are educated but do not have any job. She wants her people to be happy.
Suddenly her phone rang – it was Moo Cool.
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘I have drafted the notification for the holiday,’ Moo Cool said. ‘Shall I bring it to you for signature?’
‘Give it to Patro Chatto,’ Didi instructed. ‘He knows what to do. With a holiday on Maha Shivratri our people will be happy. That is what I want. I want my people to be happy. They will get a long weekend and will enjoy it in the zoo garden or Nico Park.’

‘And – the rumors of tie up is increasing,’ Moo Cool added.
‘I am not worried. I have come up the hard way,’ she went on. ‘I have my own strategies. I know how to cozy up to whom and when. I will never be distracted by anybody.’
‘Some of our boys are misbehaving again and again,’ Moo Cool said. ‘They are becoming greedy.’
‘I have scolded them. You are there to take care of Arra Bull, Money Rule and Anu Mandel. People like you yourself, Dee Wreck, Abhi Shake are my pillars. You know how to deal with them.’
And, Didi cut off the phone.
It is a vicious circle in which she was caught – but, she was not worried. She had at her disposal several Gouri Sens who would willingly bend over backwards to fulfil her wishes, no matter how outlandish they may be.
Sitting in her chamber in Nabanna, our Didi knew that she has the world eating out of her hand. She knew that she had a whole lot of enemies but she was not afraid – she had created a team of Franksteins and it was a formidable force.
She called them her team of naughty boys (and, girls). Yes, she had empowered the girls also because it was a war to her and, as the saying goes, all is fair in love and war.
With a sigh, she removed the covering from the canvas on the easel and picked up the paint brush. The time had come to paint another rosy picture. (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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