Excellent points. Couldn’t agree with you more. Well the fight seems to have begun which is great; hope we can be back soon to join. For now, let’s do what we do best- have a good adda about this in London.

I think all of the things that you say, are correct – Bengal is now a state overrun by base bollywood aspirations, by political parties which have taken power and patronage to some dark place where the same people fight for the CPM and then at the next election turn around and fight for Trinamool. It is a state marked by its absences – by people who have moved away, rather than the people who have remained.

That said, I just had 6 weeks off, and spent it almost rediscovering the feeling of living in Calcutta. For someone like me (and perhaps this applies equally to you?), who has been away for almost 10 years with occasional periods spent in the city, it was interesting to spend time walking around College Street getting hold of books that have gone out of print in 1984, eating mutton kabiraji, looking at buildings that are so beautiful, that even in their decrepit state they took my breath away.

Some people are trying their best, even within the limitations of present day Kolkata to move forward. Bengali cinema has had something of a renaissance in the last few years (as you know) – producing primarily social dramas, but tackling subjects that the rest of India doesn’t. I met some people who are doing brilliant work with children who grow up on platforms – working with dance and movement therapy. Their methods are now being picked up as part of the curriculum at TISS. Random examples, but just to illustrate that there is another side.

Sadly, where I agree with you most is about our cowardice and our desertion – we who have grown up in Calcutta, have abandoned it at the first sign of discomfort. I don’t think all is lost. I just think that we gave up the fight before it started.

Sarkar