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.

Traditions and invented traditions - barati and Rath Yatra

Kaleidoscope would like to relate the frenzy crowd of age old tradition to the invented traditions.

Age old frenzy crowd at the heart of the Hindu extravaganza

A few years back Kaleidoscope went to varanasi to explore and make sense of the city. The day he reached varanasi, it was Mahashivratri. He remembers walking more than a couple of kilometres to reach the hotel. The hotel was located very close to the famous Dasaswamedh ghat. Because of the Mahashivratri, the approaching road to hotel which passes through major arterial road connecting Kasi Viswanath temple was closed.  He has never seen such a frenzy night in his entire life. People dressed in many avatars of Lord Shiva, his wife Parvati and their followers came and go. The entire crowd called themselves as 'Barati' simply meaning bride's or groom's party. He didn't sleep for the entire night and watched the spectacle. He could see people from different parts of the city and also from the different corners of the world participating in the procession. No one asked their identity, religion, caste or creed. The procession was coming fron different Muhallas, police administration kept a strong surveillance and people - many highly intoxicated  enjoyed the space, the spectacle and the emotions.

Invented rath and BJP in Tripura

In February 13, 2018 a procession on the occasion of Mahashivaratri began from Ayodhya. It is scheduled to reach at Rameswaram on March 25 on the occasion of Ram Navami. It is supposedly carrying 'purely spiritual' matter with no political implications.

There are little details that Kaleidoscope wishes to focus on.

1. 41 day long yatra covering 6000km
2. It is expected to cover 224 loke sabha constituencies
3. Primary objective is to aware people about the importance of constructing a grand temple in Ayodhya
4. Make people understand the importance of initiation of Ram Rajya of best possible governance.
5. The symbolic rath is designed according to the proposed design of the ram mandir

It has already covered many constituencies. Last time there was a massive Rath Yatra we have witnessed the darkest hour of the post independent India -Demolition of Babri. Kaleidoscope doesn't know what holds for Rameswaram this year.
Meanwhile there is a win in Tripura, followed by destruction of a Lenin statue and vandalizing several CPIM and Left party offices across the state.

There is indeed a deep rooted difference in the psyche of the crowd which comes out of the age old tradition and the sudden eruption of inventing traditions. While kaleidoscope can remember the smell of marijuana, alcohol and totally intoxicated 'barati' completely immersed in the imagined marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva there was  no hatread, no question of identity issues of the participants asked. Varanasi never asked those essential details. Meanwhile, ram navami rallies carried slogans of a monolithic Hinduism and the symbolic Rath Yatra which had 'no political intention' links ram rajya, 'will construct temple there/  mandir wohi banayenge' and elections together. The crowd becomes ready to do anything. As kaleidoscope like one billion and more Indians remember Babri incident.

Memories with father 2 Sound of Silence

Baba often used to play Sitar according to the ambiance, time and weather. No compulsion, no hurry to become famous or to 'master' something fast! In rainy days often Malhar or Megh used to be his choice.

After hours of his practice sessions, he used to be silent for hours to follow. Sitting alone. We used to live in a kachha house. Baba loved that kachha house of ours. "See nature can go through us, those rich people cannot afford that!" he used to explain.

I often enjoyed the silence after he finished his practice. I could feel part of the performance which used to remain and roamed around us. Like the smell of a refreshing flower - sound of music used to engulf us for some moments.

Baba taught me the sound of silence - literally.

memories_with_father_1

While many of us are fond of Eagle's Hotel California, Gipsy Kings hold special memory for me. Baba introduced me with Gipsy Kings and their version of Hotel California. I nevertheless became fond of Eagle's version lateron, like many others. He once took up the tune of Gipsy Kings' guitar in his Sitar. He played the entire tune in the thickest of the strings to create that rough and 'rocky' sound. While it ended he smiled and said "don't think we cannot play what they can play and make you people dance all night long." He never played that again in his entire life.

There are sounds roaming around us, whispering somewhere around the corner of an empty room, somewhere down the memory lanes.

Everyday experience of smells and capitalisms.

When smell gives you an idea of the space that surrounds you, its cultural perception. Kaleidoscope on his way to the built in city usually experiences  a transition from his peri-urban neighbourhood through part of the old city ultimately to the late capital built in city. He travels along with people from the hinterland. People who work as construction labours or as informal economy entrepreneurs. Kaleidoscope smells the unadulterated human bodies - straight and unfiltered.

However, as he gets down to board the AC volvo bus the crowd disappears. He leaves his  human 'smelly' world of the masses and enters into the builtin airconditioned bus often carrying the smell of a 'refreshing' roomfreshner. Then comes a series of people wearing different 'sexy' smells. Kaleidoscope's cultured nose can now differentiate between the a feminine and masculine smells. The smell instigates grains of charms! Kaleidoscope unknowingly recognises the urban elite smell which occupies the less crowded bus destined to the information technology hub. He readily forgets the human 'smelly' overcrowded buses which often overtakes his bus and vice-versa. Suddenly the world becomes contained with a feeling of cool breeze containing built in and constructed smell of success!

Kaleidoscope knows smell changes and he is taught that it changes for 'better' - no need to have communism in so far as you can avail the 'charming' smells surrounding you! If you disagree ask kaleidoscope, how happy he becomes when he rides the volvo leaving the overcrowded buses coming from hinterland!

A still from the movie "Perfume"

Outskirts of New Town- Juxtaposed lives and unknown stories

When a satellite town is planned suitable land is sought. Those who are occupying the suitable land are usually asked to abandon agreeing on the compensation offered. Often the compensation remains inadequate and people protest eventually disposseing the land and their everydaylife.

Eventually, they leave and settle down in crowded outskirts of the township. The state takes initiatives to build construct as many things as possible to restrict entries. New Town, Kolkata, surrounded by numerous villages is no exception. There are existing villages and shanty like neighbourhoods for uprooted people. Many of the settled people had to abandon land at a price which is more than 100 times to 1500 times less than what they were paid about 20 years ago.

Hence, people here, the 'indigenous' ones can barely overcome the trauma and the loss. Meanwhile, Kaleidoscope belongs to a college which is established at the heart of the new town with  a postmodern glassy building not much different from the shopping malls which are concentrated in the region. Students here comes from those villages and shanties. On the one hand they experience their uprooted everydaylife and on the other hand they witness all the gated communities, mall going youngsters. There seems to be an identity crisis as they are squizzed between the extravagance of IT industry based  satellite town and its outskirts. There are juxtaposed realities and the fleeting positions which continue to seek for an anchor which is long lost.

Meanwhile, when Kaleidoscope attempts to explore some of the villages he could readily identify the boundaries. In a village near Shapoorjee complex there are farmers still unwilling to give up their land and cultivating while a fast food chain Katleen has entered. Meanwhile, cash is coming through the occupation of house keeping by the men and maids by the women. There are opportunists forming syndicate of labour and material supply to the massive constructions working with an alliance to the local politics. Hence, there are all sorts of juxtapositions. While there are still basket makers, farmers and fishermen; starving bodies in the shanties, people living in extreme poverty,  people trying to marry off their daughters in tender age and seeking superstitious practices for remedies; there are others enjoying the seepage from the capital intensive exchanges in the areas where the city is growing fast.

Kaleidoscope along with few of his willing friends went crossing the sweage that carries most the waste water of the town to explore the villages of the uprooted. However, there are only bamboo bridges which allows the villagers to walk through only or at most carry a motorcycle slowly without riding. This perhaps represents how the canal is 'protecting' the .'outisiders'  to intrude the planned everydaylife of town. On their way back, Kaleidoscope and his friends discovered the tea stall near the college being evicted! Perhaps the 'outsiders' were intruding as a mechanism to earn a livelihood!

A couple of photos and supporting story may be found in the following links.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BemM9xTFhEs/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BemV7UaFj07/

Disciplining college street - The case of Presidency wall and Bhawani Dutta Lane

Two kinds of politics linked with colour Kaleidoscope knows, the 'politics of colour' and 'politics with colour.' The very idea that makes him feel fortunate that his species is not as colourful as birds and other animals. Has it been the case, history of homo sapiens would have seen more bloodshed in the name of colour. Meanwhile, he is witnessing what can be termed as politics with colour.

The blue white combination which now represents his cityscape and the 'statescape' - the paints of all public properties he believes adds to a great visibility to the state led development initiatives.

However, there are other forms as well. Most notably, at college street, as part of beautification the historical presidency university has transformed all the shanty like different looking old book stalls into similar looking smaller shops. They are painted in creme yellow colour and have thus lost their distinctiveness. One can rarely differentiate between them any more.

While, disciplining happens to be one of the primary aims of the late capital civilisation, Presidency, one of the important hotbeds of the promotion of distinctive, radical and often antiestablishment thoughts and actions is sadly following the similar trend. Not much ago nearby college square experiences a ban on display of protest politics!

The disciplined shops in Presindency wall

However, there are still those colourful shanty like shops providing a rainbow just inside Bhawani Dutta lane. For now at leasr 'corporates' are busy with the conspicuous spaces. This is why there are alleyways with wonders that embraces the old us... the happy us.

The old, colourful Bhawani Dutta lane