Picture Perfect

The day before when i was crossing a street near Rabindra Sadan, something caught my eyes. The evening was coming slowly as it comes in summer times. After many days of yellow, the sky was a bit brown and a light breeze was flowing. A little boy from the streets, almost naked and covered in black dirt was joyfully pulling a big dried coconut leaf behind him aimlessly in the busy footpath. I am not a camera buff, but I am sure that even a casual click was enough to make it a beautiful photo.

What made the sight good. The colour combination? The matching colours of dirt, road and dried leaf? The poverty? Certainly I was not interested in poverty, when I let myself gloat over a good photo. After taking the picture on no circumstances I would have asked the child his name, let alone the possibility of asking him to write his name on the photo. It is like that boy just happened to be there and with my resources I understood the potential. No one applauded the tribes which found America before Columbus. Because they never understood the potential. Funny thing is, if I had taken that picture people would have understood my eagerness towards poverty. I content to be able to show people, some poor people, would have slept in a few hours of peace. Walking peace processions, dancing in others whistle and starting to collect funds to distribute to the poor in tin cans etc are probably like shortcuts to heaven. Its like not studying the whole year and getting the question papers before the exams.

Well we cannot blame the things which sales like hot cakes. Each and every day they find a case, sometimes years old and shout for sometimes over those. Once a friend of mine working in a bank said: "When my boss shouts at me to open a new account, I go through the old records. When I find an idle account, I contact its owner with new benefits. In 90% cases he closes the old account and opens a new one with money from that old account. Whose got time to check records? So my purpose of opening a new account is served!" Here also the cases are like that. Few cases make it to the stupid newspapers or TV, giving them fuel for someday s. These make people, too busy to think or even see, satisfied to find themselves living in democracy. Newspapers shout poverty for someday s and then sales it like cheap liquor. After some days they also show proof of their battle. Most of the time the proofs are a 1st prize in some advertisement competition to eradicate poverty or prizes to people who covered the news in utter luxury or a statement from crorepaties, film stars etc. stating their appreciation towards that newspaper etc.. With things which has nothing to do with the content matters.

People, drunk people dance in those successes. In the success of a new variety of poverty, which can be packaged and sold. People pour money in a bowl with hole in the bottom. If money was the solution, then why not encourage the slave trading? Keep a slave, give him money. If it crackles in your ear, call him a domestic help. Many govt services give extra money over your salary to help you keep a domestic help.

B(H)OT

BOT: Software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone - Wikipedia

BHOT / VOTE: An improvised version of collecting ballots, originally used in ancient Greece, to find who is the superior.


Its the season of "Vote" in India. India is quite alive with it now. Today it came to my city to prove its democracy. In my scheduled center the security was amazing, with guns which i have seen in movies. I don't remember seeing any violence ever in my surroundings, but we must follow protocols. These heavily armed, well built men standing outside were probably given the order to settle any occasional outbursts. As far as I understand, in vote festival party people are clever enough to attack these centers in proper cities. The only threat is in casting false votes. No one will come there to rob a bank! And if that is happening inside then what is the use of keeping these armed men standing? Because even if they realize something like that is happening inside, but peacefully, they don't have the right to intervene.


West Bengal has not seen any change in its central power for quit some time and the red color very well signifies the central power nowadays. The irony lies in the fact that, regardless of which button you press in the EVM, a red light will glow. Someone once told me that on the contrary to the belief that the EVMs have reduced false votes, it may have increased it. Now you only need to tamper with the circuit and all the votes will be registered under one section. How about fighting that with SLR or Ak47 or whatever guns? The short form of the voter ID card is EPIC (Electronic Picture Identity Card). If you don't have one or if you have lost it and want to have one, you will soon realize why it is called EPIC. During the proces of casting your vote, after identifying themselves, people prefer to give thumb prints insted of signing. How about comparing it as an mockery to our countries literacy rate?


Insted of those heavy securities, there could have been balloon stands or fast food stands. Because all the candidates are very matured and decent people in there own animated saying. False votes will always be there. If there was no or less security then may be the voting would have been peaceful. When someone would come and see that his vote is already cast, he may say "Oh, someone should have informed me earlier, then i would have not come all the way under the sun!" and go home. He would not have done the protocol shouting s and created chaos, as there would not have been much security to give him the false belief that he was living in democracy.

The snowfall, which never happened

When i was a bit more young, whenever i used to see pictures of USA, it was easy for me to spot the differences. The beggars where different. They were richer and fewer than ours. The roads were clean. Stray dogs, cats were few than ours. It made me think. I was never good in those financial/social theories and never understood them well. Much later, one day i realized that one thing which happens there and does not happen here! It snows over there!


What will happen if it suddenly snows in Kolkata? Or India at large? The beggars will die. They will freeze to death. The positive thing is that they will die white! White as dead fishes. The poverty line will no more ashame us. Population in turn will reduce. Alcohol consumption will increase and give people a pinkish tone. The sun wont burn as brown anymore. We may even turn white!


Now come to the political canvas. We will have young politicians in the lead. Like that we see abroad. The cold will slowly but surely reduce the number of aged politicians. They also wont have to take all the trouble to wear national dresses in parliaments. As that surely wont kill the cold. They can wear western clothes, develop India like the western countries. They wont need to give stupid excuses as they give now, to bring foreign aristocracies. Young politicians, with relatively less days in politics, will naturally have a better resume, with less crime records.


That snowfall may cover the India we knew. It may be there preserved under the ice like dead fishes. At least it wont decompose. What we are seeing know, is it not worse than that? They are making the progress slow. Taking the steps in a way so that there wont be any return. Not even in children s' story books. Because they, along with the progress are also changing the people to accept it. Forcing them to think that "this" is natural. But how can we blame them? Its not there fault that "nature" is very much there in the word natural.

Piracy: A Whole New World of Cinema

Once I had a brief encounter with a film producer. Later when I read interviews given by him, I found out that he said, next time he produces a film, he may himself upload it in the internet, so that everyone can share. The reason was simple. The previous film which he produced was a small budget film and they were short of cash. Thus, they barely managed with the campaigning for the film. The film was not much of a success in the beginning. Suddenly there film was climbing up the ranks and was doing the rounds all of its own! As the reason they found out later that some one has uploaded the film in the internet and helped others to know about it.

Now a very glamorous and trendy slogan is "Kill piracy, save (my whatever product)". Talking of films they shut down normal cinema halls one by one and force you to go for the multiplexes. It’s true that most of the people can pay to see films in these places. Who cares if for that I am forced to watch only one cinema in my budget where I used to watch many? But the question is what if I don't want to see the films which they are showing? Are we puppets of the system? To see what they show? Talking about world cinema literally nothing get screened in the cinema halls in here. People are not ashamed of that. Maybe they are afraid of that. Because if that happens there profits from selling cheap celluloid s will fall drastically. They may argue that all the people are not ready for that much exposure. Then how come a world movie gets popular when some one knows that there home production is a copy from that? Stupid quiz shows where knowing a set of answers make you famous help people to get a global exposure. But if knowing the name was enough then why the printing presses or the sets? If we could bypass these in between processes like letting other know something only after a number of people has made there profits from it, maybe people would be benefited.

It is more or less true that people can buy some of the global cinema DVD s which comes lately in stores. If that is true, then how come millionaires cry telling that they are broke because some students have downloaded there films from internet? They can also do with a little less profit! Someone who spends crores on publicity, is surely interested in profit rather than making people know about there product. That publicity or "kill piracy" slogan in itself are generating other avenues for making profits. Now people determines a film's success in all sort of ways other than those related to cinema. Like how much was spent to make that movie or whose son directed it or how many stars acted there etc.. In the past an actor used to get famous after acting in a film. Nowadays a film gets famous depending upon who is acting in the film.

Piracy or the Internet gave access to the vast collection of films, knowledge. It’s hard to believe that these geniuses are failing to understand that if world cinemas along with home productions are screened here in a reasonable quantity and price, then why will someone take all the trouble to do piracy? Piracy also helps a lot of people to earn there bread. When they cry because they may be forced to eat bread in place of there pastries, its justified. But those who ate bread from the beginning should be forced to believe that they can spend more and they are there only to supply the God pastries. It’s a common image that a millionaire should not cough! They cannot get angry just because some more number of people has seen or got the access to something. They can only feel insecure. They are no more Gods sitting in a sofa and pretending to casually drop some names of films to which only they have the access. There time of offering no choices to people than watch there movies may very well end. If cinema is made for the sake of cinema, then its supreme goal is to be watched, not money. In past money was not a constraint in making masterpieces.

Concerto

"Bangla" is legal. It is called "Country Liquor". So what? Does that change in name make it purer or change the ratio of mixing its contents ? Short in cash is the sole reason for one to drink that. A little more he earns, a little higher he moves in the business of alcohol. The change of the name only helped it to pass in society or printed media. Its like the hierarchy of our financial/social system. The lower you go the more astonishingly stupid excuses you get to make something legitimate. Its like superstitions. Only superstitions are not originated from the old dead files and folders.


In every social level the problems are the same. But the way of handling them are different. So is it money or education that is more important? You need money to get educated and vice versa. Its like the water cycle taught in the school.


Education holds good in the long run, on an average . To get its fruit you need to invest a minimum of 15 years. Else it would be useless. It is normal that you need to have a good patience as well a good roof over your head. What the hell will someone do by having at least primary education? To count or to know which side is east etc can be taught without a school. The job you will get with that primary education, wont be more than what you can earn without going to a primary school. But "school" is more of a tag name nowadays. Their is also a deadline to start. Like you cannot just admit your child in any class you like and give the necessary pre education in home. You are redundant. You are for those clubs and social gatherings and friends and alcohol. Schools encourage you to be so. Well its not entirely true that you will be redundant. You can teach him, but for the degree you are bound with the school rules.


Money is a plenty out there. You have some to spare, i have some to spare. On top of that there are charities, rich people, live shows etc. The flow of money for the poor is constant. But the question is were are all these money going to? Do we here also have a water cycle? Not a single slum has vanished. But a lot of people got job and earned more money in the process of collecting money! Is there any logic to pour water in a bucket when you know that it has a hole? Throwing away money will help you pass time. It will also get you a good night's sleep and some hours peace thinking that you have done a good job. But the net result will be zero. There is no meaning in keeping crores in your vaults and then securely shout in favor of the poor. That shout will last as long as you have your savings secured.


In the end alcohol joins money and education to make a concerto. After the music probably they would sit together and see the sun set. They don't ride horses. Where ever they want to go, one or the other has already been there.

Plastic

In school, attendance was the only time when my name or roll number was called without my surprise. Other than that if i heard my name i used to get surprised thinking how did some one managed to know me? To my relief most of the times the boys sharing the same name were called, not me. When i came to college, i had a bit of a promotion. Attendance was taken in each period. I did not complain as that helped to take a bit of boredom off the long periods. I was not a nerd or something like that. Its true that i am shy but i was also odd and tried my best to help people forget me quickly.


Although i made sure that people manage to walk through me and not notice me, i also did some events. Like beating up boys, breaking tube lights, quarreling, getting occasional good marks, participating in sports, falling in love etc.. These should very well had taken the invisible cloak off me. But i am still wearing it. I was always afraid of success, but happy to pursue it. Its like i may get 40 when the highest is 60, but when the highest score fell to (say) 30, i would make sure that my marks fall to 20, irrespective of the paper. That way i was at least not left behind.


I have different sets of friends to pass my time. One set do not get well with the other. They are different. I behave accordingly with each set. Which one i like or which behavior is mine--i have forgotten or maybe i never knew. Its not like i follow their views blindly, many a times i put my views. I am not to be mistaken with the decoys. Who have nothing of their own and just goes with the trend of the group. I enjoy or distaste each group in more or less the same way. But i do admit that i am a very confused mind.


I try my best not to be a hypocrite like "Democracy" (in this case the word meaning is taken and explained as seen on Earth and not in the dictionary). Where you are given the right to express your thoughts and at the same time given the assurance that you are a nobody. If your view does not match with that of the guard of the guards, then thanks for coming and be thankful that we helped you to spend some times of yours with us and don't expect any thing more.


The odd thing is what ever i do, i manage to be dispensable and survive. Like books maybe. You read it like it, but when you are (say) shifting to some other place and your bags are full or too heavy, the books are the first to be parted with. You have read it, you know the story so why keep it? Or sometimes you keep them in shining bookshelves and forget them. It gets rented, the pages get old, people talk about the author or the story, but the book is dispensable. Its just a container of knowledge. Like the safe place were the caterpillar falls asleep dreaming of becoming a butterfly. Like the plastic bottles. Twisting, shouting, crying in vain to be destroyed. All of them in the end finding something to survive on, through Naphthalene or through clothes or through recycling.

Tinted glass,height,traffic jams,cheap foods,boxes of light etc etc and a sleepy neighbourhood

Naked aristocracy: I discovered the most wonderful characteristics of city poor...the aristocratic spirit that had vanished from the houses of the rich and had moved to the homes of the impoverished.The wonderful morality within the family where rules are respected and sacrifices made.Since then, I have always found it easy to recognize that aristocratic spirit,knowing that in the west, poverty was an embarrassment,but here and in Balcans it's an expression of suffering.

-Emir Kusturica



Now when i return home from the bus stop,the street is covered with lights from the South City shopping mall.The mall is separated from the street only by a wall.The wall was there ever since i can remember,but now it is reinforced and for that the old trees kneeling on the wall were no more and there (probably) promised substitute trees are growing somewhere in that side of the wall.The nights have become small and more illuminated in this once upon a time colony.It starts late with people at last retiring to there houses but all night long people can be heard walking by the streets or riding their automobiles.Once my friends used to get amazed to find a place like this with pond,trees and silence so near to the main road.


The work in the residence portion of South City is yet to be completed and people are yet to fill in.More people!To accommodate more people they are crammed inside vertical spaces,but it is not thought that they operate in horizontal spaces,which is more or less constant.The building is approximately 36 stories high.At night small rectangular illuminated windows are visible arbitrarily over a dark background.Some windows covered with tinted glass or plastics and radiate lights of different colors.Paying attention one can make out that interior work is in progress inside the flats.Occasionally sparks from welding work flow from them or small human shapes can be made out.The huge dark background can be made out only because of the natural nocturnal lights marking its boundary.The dark shape eats upon the stars,moonlight,sunshine or anything within its range.The storm gets too tired to cross it and even if it does,it becomes too tired or weak.Sometimes when i look there,it looks like our horizon was no more a curved one anymore,but has become a vertical one.


Its common that with something big in size other things will follow.Hundreds of make shift stalls mushroomed within no time.Probably their compound sale is more than that of South City in quantity.Any drainage system was the first desired position for making these stalls.These stalls improved peoples' digestive power.They unwillingly learned to digest anything.The road choked to make place for the pedestrians,taxi stands,auto-rickshaw stands,rickshaw stands,private cars,buses etc..It was not long that people started to explore shortcuts to avoid traffic jams and found them thorough the skinny banished inside routes.


Recently i have noticed two "pagols"(lunatics).They were not here before.Now they roam the streets on their own accord and curse whoever they dislike.You may miss a brightly attired person among the crowd,but you are sure to take notice of them.


Power cuts were there in our neighborhood.Probably the sudden huge consumption of electricity by South City,made power cut more regular.But who is complaining?South City relied on back ups.When ever there was a power cut may it be in the middle of a hot summer afternoon or in the middle of a sport,you can go to the South City.South City was ready with Air-Conditioning and a huge TV.When i was younger i remember those excitements of going to a movie hall or shopping mall etc..Just a walk on the strip of road between Park Street and Esplanade was so exciting with all its masses.Maybe the distance also increased the enjoyment.Now South City have diluted them for me,taken away the rush.People at first start going their just to explore the huge thing which has come to stay in their neighbourhood and slowly get lost there.


Once i saw in an article from a print media talking about the introduction of South City and other malls into a "sleepy neighbourhood".All these years i was unaware of the fact that our neighbourhood was a sleepy one.But it was spacious and silent,with pond,trees,small buildings.Something that large both horizontally and vertically was like something from the sci-fi stories or films.It is sure to change many things.One thing which has already changed is the bus stop,both by its name and position.It got a sophisticated,modern name in place of its previous embarrassing one and it moved a bit closer to South City shopping mall from its previous place.



[picture taken from the gate of my house]

and no one was standing...

It was Wednesday evening and i was returning home from Shantiniketan.After reaching Howrah station I boarded a brand new bus,E-1 from its stand.The seats were still covered in bits of plastic.There were overhead speakers and electronic boards to display the bus number.It was the first time i saw a bus in such a good and with modern conditions.But there were other things than these which amazed me.A lot of interest was spent on the windows.They were huge and the in between of the window and the roof was made of transparent glass.The last sun lights of dusk had no trouble entering inside.Every inch of the bus was illuminated.The feeling was that of traveling in a roofless vehicle.When the bus reached Esplanade,the lamp posts were on and one by one the high rise office buildings started to switch on their lights.It was a site to see,the lights coming altogether blinking,pushing each other in the high rise buildings.The constant flow of light was replaced by haphazard patterns of light,by lights through tinted glasses,by lights of all color.It was like sitting in a cinema hall.After a small while i noticed another thing.No one was standing!A bus coming from Howrah Railway Station at office hours and no one was standing!I was to get down at Jadavpur,which also happened to be the last stop of the bus.I traveled the entire route from Howrah to Jadavpur.First time in my life i saw a bus,any bus,in Kolkata to travel without anyone standing.