A year ago one of my "to be" doctor friend complained that seniors from his "to be " college were motivating him to join SFI . The timeline: joint results were out the previous day. I was completely amazed to find the vigour of the union members.
I had been told that a membership in the SF could fetch the M.B.B.S ,a job in the government hospitals in kolkata. Was this a bait ???
Supposedly, everyone of us , infact our generation has grown up learning from our parents that politics with a BIG "P" is the most vile and futile profession any one can dream of. How many Bengali teenagers dream of being a Buddhadeb Bhattacharya or Rahul Gandhi ? I insist on using the word "BENGALI" cause there are friends of mine from Bihar and Jharkhand , passionate about politics aspiring to be a Lalu ( ver 2.0). I am not proud to include myself in that non-ending list of Bengali youth. I had always had a suspicion that something must have happened in the mid era of 70s and 80s , a storm had extinguished the fire inside, the urge to change ,the zeal of constructive energy from our soul. Before that Kolkata had been the powerhouse of youth politics. I have read in a school, supposedly among the best in our district, studied and appeared for a paper in Indian history in the I.C.S.E, but still why has the curriculum been designed in such a way that no one even gets a glimpse of the enormity of the naxalite movement that shook Bengal inside out??
A clever conspiracy of the ruling government? Something to ponder about….
Books are best means to swim through any time zone you want to. Sometimes they do change your outlook towards a specific genre . "All quiet in the western front" by E.M Remarque and "freedom at midnight" fall in that elusive list. And so does KALBELA…
Animesh Mitra , a name which has nothing to do with reality. A failure in life, in carrying out his social responsibilities ,in giving his love that speck of Red dust that every Hindu woman dreams of keeping safe in her forehead. Then what was so special about him that made him the unforgettable protagonist of a simple work of fiction???
Maybe a quality that our breed of GEN-X have stopped inheriting : Pure ,unaltered love for ones country .
What happens when an India Pakistan war rolls? We see our 20 billion praying for one army to win , sending abusive curses to our opponent, but what when the war is against someone who is inside the countries border`s? Someone who has got an Indian visa, an Indian bank account and money of endless Government employees working night and day for bread…Someone who has got a seat in Lok sabha to boast of and a Vip car to disturb the public with its endless alarm roaring in the traffic?
" Tum politics kyon join karma chahte ho ?"
"Arrey yaar, bahut paisa hain isme , tu kya sochta hain main khaak mein engineering ka naukri chod ye sab karoonga?"
God save the mouth which blurted out this inconvenient truth. Had he been born in the age of Mahadebda,and Subas da (active naxalite heads) ….. :D
Were the naxals right in choosing which side of the loaded gun they would face?
Were they right in killing the money sucking swines in the society ,taking the law in their own hands to bring equality in the society ?
Thinking about this I came to one simple conclusion : history wouldn't have been the same if the REVOLUTIONists had got an able national leader , a father figure who could steer the movement agaist the storm just like Mao-tse-Tuang and Fidel Castro .
One simple mistake, maybe calling them "The Naxals " just creates an invisible barrier between the simple middle class man and them, but why do we forget that Studs of Presidency, Scottish church and C.U were the backbone of this movement , the so called "BUDDHI JIBIS" of the society . What was it that had dragged them into this revolution .??
"Love for ones country " , the chromosome missing in our genes now :D.
Kalbela wouldn't be complete without possibly my best dream- woman Madhabilata Mukherjee. Animesh had raised his gun against the society, but Lata had plunged into the revolution ,remaining inside the society facing it, a more difficult task to me . A heck of a woman ! Take my bow Madhabilata , cause you deserve it. Revolution doesn't happen only with a loaded gun ,it happens when people like you comprise of the society….
Animesh was tortured until paralysis by the police, Madhabilata s womb was burnt with a cigar in front of him. But still, the story ends with animesh pondering" where are my fellow comrades? Can I still be of any use to them with my paralysed leg?"
Of what earth are these idols made of ? Idols who lose their world but not their faith. And when they are on move even the strongest bow to their will… Men whose name are avoided in the pages of a history book out of fear, cause their names themselves are enough to rekindle the fire, to start a new revolution….And their story?? Sends a chill down the spine of those sitting on the throne of power..
P.S : Dear reader, if you have read kalbela or have something to share about the naxal movement please do leave a comment… I have been greatly inspired by it and look forward to know more…
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