THE JOURNEY OF BENGAL'S PAST & PRESENT
THE JOURNEY OF BENGAL'S PAST & PRESENT
1.There is no hiding the fact that Bengal, was a very prosperous, literally conscious, naturally endowed State, with very intellectual-minded people not only present than in every sphere of life, but trail blazed from different areas and from important domains of the country.
2.From pioneer scientists, administrators, artists, managers, down to the innovative factory workers, the State's people were cleverer and skillful than others in many regions, but such manpower, such worthy talent was helplessly wasted by political interventions, misdirected or misguided due to lack of timely recognition and lack of opportunities, which ultimately destroyed these properties of the State, which ultimately fell from being India's 'jewel in the crown' to a lamentable state of a graveyard for the industry. All this for a recall now, as the State is besieged with ambitious political interventions from other parts of the country.
3.As the central hub of Information & Technology (IT) shifted parlance to the Southern States including Andhra Pradesh, the density of IT skills are still a majority from this State. Yet past & present Govts could not find out a solution to the proposals given by the six IT pioneers in the country for establishing their assembly points. What is present, is only a skeleton structure in the name of a regional presence, but once you compare their net worth through the scope of domestic & international business, you will probably get the correct answer.
4. Not only Kolkata, but West Bengal could also have been the Education Hub for the region covering the stretch of the country from U.P to Assam in the N.E including Bihar, Jharkhand, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Bengalis still value learning and those at their best are excellent teachers & international Consultants
5.What is paradoxical for the NEP is that a few more Schools, Colleges would have given a surmountable scope to the increasing number of students passing out every year. Here the present Govt may have been caught on the wrong foot due to their ill-conceived policies. With the available recognized Management Institutes in the city, the State could have toned up all hospitals through an A, B, C analysis study with say two major objectives in mind, one updating the services using modern technology & developing the existing & available health services, hospitals, and two, help to attract medical tourism. Even if Bengal is cash-starved, there were schemes with the World Bank with the aim to help any lagging State in any country and that too in a developing country like India.
6. However to restructure heavier Industries, would have long gestation periods while having to compete with the rest of the world apart from requiring huge upfront investments in up-gradation. But then unless our infrastructure is upgraded, can we compete with our products & services abroad.
7.The Himalayas was a God's gift to the people of North Bengal, with greater potential for the tourism & tea industry. But what it lacks in basic infrastructure for seasonally attracting tourists. Bagdogra Airport could have been upgraded by inviting a couple of international airlines with hotel chains & the administration could have provided PPP support or help at their initial stages. Tourists can perhaps be made to explore the view from Sandakphu at 12000 feet, not far from Darjeeling, or one can view Mount Everest all day under a clear sky. Then the Kanchenjunga range is visible from Darjeeling too, but from a shabby hill station which today needs immediate up-gradation to ethical standards, devoid of Kamtapura rebel mood or signs. Actually, the employment potential of such inclusive development could have been considerable. It really does not matter which party or which ideology brings these changes as long as there is complete delivery of the basic needs and employment.
8. After Independence, West Bengal was ruled by Nehruvian socialism. Thereafter the United Front, a hotch-potch of opportunistic political parties took over, which failed miserably, bringing down the curtain of Industrialization and development for the State, but most ironic is the next emergence of the Left Front led by the CPI (M) through an inter-party hijack, which meant that Marxist came to power in Bengal while it was crumbling all over the World.
9.These political parties believed in foreign ideologies, which did not understand or help the socio-economic development of the State it started the decline of Bengal.
10.We then had 10 years of rule to misrule with Trinamool Congress with a daughter of Bengal as its leader, but though she started on an honest note, her handling of critical issues with the psychopath band of ministers, right from Nano land dispute, to Singur farmer's land issues, to student's agitation, J.U, Narada/ Sarada fund collections without RBI accord, wooing Industrial investments with CII, then overall health facilities and upgrading, or skill development with infrastructure, clean drinking water for the villages, refugee issue with 'Chita Land' and unsuccessful deal with pavement vendors all over Kolkata have brought her downfall imminently. It appears the band of ministers does not know how to get their work done, but they have to be guided or chided and with her inspiration, they might make way like maggot progress.
11.The C.M calls her BJP rivals as "outsiders". She may boast about being decorated with a bought-out 'Dr' Degree in literature (let us not repeat the Merryland College or Oxford) episode, but the following will only prove this point.
Today's BJP's old 'avatar' the Jana Sangh then a National political party, was conceived at Calcutta's Cornwallis Street with then Guru Gowalkar, then Head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee of the then Hindu Mahasabha, who in a resolute way had prevented Bengal to be given to Pakistan, just like East Pakistan, as vouched by Md Jinnah to Lord Mountbatten when the unified J&K was not divided.
12. So at this Cornwallis Street meeting, it was then decided to form a strong Hindu political ideology (as both Swami Vivekananda & Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose), did not differentiate or disseminate any religion and so the concept of Hindutva was born. They selected and posted experienced political leaders in every Province of the country then. Now, this deviated from any -ism as capitalism, socialism, communism, or fascism, which were born & bred in Europe.
13. For some time, however, the maternal grandfather of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh Sri Rajnarayan Bose, did follow the cult in 1863 till the partition of Bengal in 1905. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore vehemently opposed this partition which reached Emperor King George V, but by that time the transfers had already begun in bullock carts.
14.The whole country took a different stance and sympathized with the Muslims after the division with East Pakistan, but during the freedom movement, Bengal sent out courageous leaders as Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das not to mention the singular fighter in Netaji. Bengal also contributed in no small way to the growth of Hindi in Bengal. Raja Rammohun Roy encouraged Journalism in Bengali and Hindi as in Samvad Chandrika. The first official Hindi paper published from Bengal was Udant Martand published from Calcutta in 1826.
15.Besides the fruition of primary education in Bengal through the efforts of the then-popular novelist Sri Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sri Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's Ananda Math, gave lyrics like Vande Mataram, which became inspirational for all freedom fighters. This patriotism within the country gradually gave a war cry for Hindu Nationalism with the launch of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the 1980s. But to break up India based on its 'own sacred thread' i.e on Religion alone can be a great mistake, which the future may display.
The electoral tussle of 2021, apart from its headline-grabbing daily heat & thunder is disturbing the normal city lives of innumerable senior citizens & patients, nursing in hospitals.
China's late leader, Deng Xiao Ping had once remarked, "the color of the cat should not matter so long as it catches mice."
No comments