Saturday, March 24, 2018

The last canal - newtown and the great transformation

A sudden appearance of a canal in the middle of a newly built planned city speaks so much of its past. This is one crisscrossing kaleidoscope's place to earn livelihood, goes beside the college building, passing through one of the petrol pumps, though the major arterial road possibly ends with one of the old canals that carries swege to the kidneys of the kolkata  - the east kolkata wetlands.

This canal, not so conspicuous has created an unusual assemblage of greenery, unkempt, forest like, natural outgrowth, perhaps more beautiful than the difficult to pronounce, alien boulevards and moduler gardens.

Kaleidoscope can see wetland birds including different types of kingfishers, herons and storks paying regular visits. Relatively large trees with insects and a few fruits also attract birds, like black headed oriole, oriental magpie, indian roller. All, are natives and displaced with the rapid transformation of the erstwhile farm land to SEZ and ghost town.

Kaleidoscope sees a 'development' initiative under progress with concretisation of one of the banks of the canal. It would not be very far from today that the canal will transform itself, irrevocably.


Meanwhile kaleidoscope gets invitation from the canal every day on his way back. Those provocative water receeded mud banks, a variety of plants floating on the water and the reflection of an old sun whisper the memories of the place. Perhaps, civilisation and the built in city do not want it to be heard by others. It can bring disasters to the planned future.

However, such calls are intoxicating, or at least that is what Kaleidoscope feels.





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