That’s Claudia Ciesla, the lady in the news recently. No that’s not why I posted the picture.
It’s seldom that in a picture with 2 ladies and that too when one of them is as fantabulous as Claudia that my eyes wonder over to the gentleman in the center, playing the role of a don.
But in this case, what else can one do?
March, Year of the Lord 2009. [Link]
“If Trinamool Congress comes to power, we’ll show what is called development. Tell me why East Midnapore’s vast coastline, Digha, cannot be turned into Goa? Or northern Bengal cannot be developed like Asia’s Switzerland, when we’ve all resources available in these regions?” Mamata told a press conference in Kolkata.
“Kolkata is an international place and it will be transformed into London, if Trinamool Congress comes to power,” added Mamata.
March, Year of the Lord 2013.
Sudarshana, tumi aaj mrito. [Oh beautiful lady, today you are dead]
–Jibanananda Das
Are beautiful women, like industries and jobs, migrating away from Calcutta ? Is female beauty, in its most pristine Bong form, dead and dying in the city of Joy? This article in the Telegraph argues it does.
[This is a work of fiction. It is somewhat long. A few of the references in the later half of the story are Bengal-specific. Any resemblance to people living or dead…you know the rest. The story is inspired by the horrible year my home state of Bengal has had in terms of the cancellation of the Nano project and the continuing nightmare in 2009 where the decisions of the courts cannot be enforced as a result of “popular” ire.]
Chapter 1:
Kasai sits on the steamer as it moves down the muddy waters of Ganga towards Calcutta. He looks suspiciously at his fellow passengers all of whom are playing bridge and talking to themselves loudly.
He however is silent. He is nervous. The sweat rolls down his brow.
Somewhere up above a crow defecates on his shoulder.
He barely notices.
[Inspired by this article in the Telegraph about sponsorship strategies of Durga Pujas including a Puja committee that has sold all branding rights to an US company and another that has a promotional music video and about Zee Bangla coming up with the ultimate business plan, telecasting live the beautiful people at Maddox Square, my field of Pujo dreams.]
Setting: A Puja committee meeting, somewhere in Kolkata. Circa 2010.
Sujit-da (Mamata-fan and president of Puja committee) : Nontu, so have the people from Sheyal TV Bangla (Fox TV’s Bangla venture) sent in the 30 lac check for the Pujo sponsorship?
Nontu, secretary: Sujit-da this year we decided to do things a little bit differently. Do you remember Habla?
Sujit-da: Of course how can I not remember Habla? A Jadavpur engineer but still so committed to the cause. During the Singur andolon, he was a front-line warrior with us, beating up the people who tried to enter the plant. I still remember Habla standing in the afternoon sun, throwing stones at the Nano plant and shouting Tata-Bye Bye. So what about him?
Co
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