Red Bengal Turning Around
Posted : September 21, 2006 at 5:27 pm [IST]
One reads about the turning around of West Bengal with Buddha in chair very often in media. And with all these stories of ‘historic deal’ with Indonesian Salim Group or Ratan Tata for setting up his ‘Rs 1 lakh car dream plant’, we all forget what Bengal was after independence and almost till 1966. Bengal was the leading manufacturing state of the country producing every engineering product from Sen Raleigh cycle to car. It was the capital of heavy engineering industry as also of appliances branded Usha. Dr. BC Roy, a non-political chief minister gave to Bengal in just few years what Jyoti Basu couldn’t give in thirty years of his rule. It is good to hear the stories of turnaround but simultaneously the same people must also take the responsibility of Taliban like massacre of Bengal’s industrial riches too. And who will ensure that the unions that may be dormant but not dead would not do that again. Has Bengal transformed them to be supportive of productivity, quality and growth of the state by some decree?
And I have reason to be worried. Was there a reason to damage the serene environment of educational institutes by bringing in political interferences? Where do some of the best institutes of the state- Calcutta University, Calcutta Medical college, Presidency College, Bengal Engineering College, and out of all Rabindranath’s Santiniketan stand today in rankings and reputation? Why couldn’t Jyoti Basu and his party leave them to flourish? I think no real Bengali could and should excuse the leftists for doing this damage to their cultural institutions. All these years I had high opinion about the people of Bengal, as I found a Bengali giving up every thing to educate his children even in the worst period. I had always a hope and that is proving right that Bengal would come up again as the knowledge leader. Though the government has made some changes to open education for the private sector, but nothing like Andhra, Tamil Nadu, or Karnataka is happening even today.
I had to write these viewpoints after reading two articles last week. One ‘From Red to Riches’ appeared in ‘India Today’ September 24 issue; and the second ‘Tagore’s Ruined Garden’ came in ‘Outlook’ September 25 issue. I have been to Santiniketan in 60s. And any one like could have an ambition to be in a place like Santiniketan. The presidents and prime Ministers of India should have saved it as a Heritage Glory or National Property. Very rightly, the columnist Jaideep Mazumdar writes about Santiniketan- ‘It was a living museum of the best of Indian art, tradition, culture and philosophy and aspired to attract the best the world had to offer.’ No sane person can expect leftists to save it when they don’t have any pride of their heritage otherwise how could they link worship of mother Durga with politics.
For that matter we as Indian can’t protect our great heritage, be it Tagore’s Santiniketan or Gandhi’s Sabarmati Asharma till politics remain the main subject of discussions of all the people who matter. Perhaps, it will be some Munnabhai that will keep Shantiniketan alive.
Some News from Bengal
IBM hiring 3,000 more for Kolkata
Why Buddha still smiles by Bidyut Roy
Indians getting richer, more demanding
Indian millionaire club to be 1.1mn in 2009: Amex
Rs 500 crore art gallery in Kolkata soon
Jindals revive Bengal project, sweeten deal
CM call to train techies
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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