For all those who braved the heat to go to Eden Gardens to cheer the Knights, Mondays bandh would have sounded like music! It did to me. Sunday afternoon, I sweated and sat through a quite boring match in an extraordinary stadium with 75 thousand people. Monday I slept off the utter tiredness!
So did most of the city, it seems.
Yesterdays Bandh, like all Bandhs was mostly a success. One can give any number of reasons to stay indoors. I work in Salt Lake and travel 25 kms one way to get there. No, not the IT sector. I pass through Park Circus, the hot bed of most agitations in the city. So thats my excuse... well, officially. Oh I luurve to spend the monday lolling around, watching the odd movie, catching up on my reading as the nanny looks after my little girl. Monday holidays are more special. Delicious.
Mamata Didi, god bless her, knows that!
Not to say I dont curse the Bandh. Kolkata's image and all that s***t, you know. Just when the world is waking up to the infinite possibilities the state can offer... (eg- umm, uhh, Nandigram, Singur)... I spend hours trying to talk my colleagues and clients out of Kolkata-bashing... their favorite past time nowadays, especially the non resident Bangalis, I convince them finally that work culture has changed, (meaning Kolkatans are now working)... and WHAM, another bandh gets called next Monday. YUMM!
Think about it. The world is over populated and over polluted. The streets around all cities in the globe are difficult to drive through and impossible to breathe in. But go out on a bandh day in this city of joy for a sanguine walk on yon meado...um...patch of grass around the street corner. Breathe in fresh smoke-free air for a change.
Wait... you can even hear some birds chirruping. How? The autos have a holiday, so no ear splitting ratatata-s.
And what about some mutton curry for lunch, guilt free that you are not wasting a Sunday, rotting in the kitchen when you can watch reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S on Zee Cafe!
And the luxury of a stroll to get an ice cream just when the parlor is opening up at 6 pm.
Oh man! How Kolkata hates Bandh callers... and how Kolkata loves a Bandh!
Orange zest, the very thought brings back memories of childhood! Of life when it was more simple and innocent. Reminiscence. Love. Colours and joy!
how accurate...well do i qaulify for a non resident bong as of yet? cos now a days i also feel really fed up with these bandhs and keep bashing them...hmmmm...time for some thought check....
ReplyDeleteWhoa!....interesting, i say. Written by u Ms Scarlett?.....Jyorden and all that Jazz!
ReplyDeleteSuchishmita... oh yes you are very much a non resident Bong. I used to be... and I felt the same way, believe me. I dont blame you once you are a Bong trying to make it good in the big bad world out there.
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteQuite a different perspective of an otherwise much abused Kolkata bandh.
It's the same with Kerala! Somebody *ahem* passes wind in Delhi and the silly things are protesting in some remote part of Kerala.
ReplyDeletewell,payal i don't fall in the intelligentsia where i can comment on anybody's writing,but i would definitely like to say something about the bandh culture.i sucks big time.i had worked in sector v for almost 3 years myself,and as you might be knowing already that we in ites have to attend work come rain or hailstorm.so bandhs were a nightmare for us.but this issue was not there when i used to work in delhi,we dint even knew and the bandh was over.i think mamta didi wants calcutta to dance to her tunes and not solve issues.i mean nothing new in that,is it :)
ReplyDelete"Oh man! How Kolkata hates Bandh callers... and how Kolkata loves a Bandh!"
ReplyDelete-- loved the ending !
vanilla sky said exactly what i had in mind...so, this is just a repetition of what u heard before- loved the ending.. :)
ReplyDeleteohh have suffered a lot because of the kolkatta bandhs ...but this is a completely different perspective :)
ReplyDeletegood post!!