Saturday, February 23, 2008

Real Estate Shone ki Kokhono Meghamallar

Sedin udbodhon holo south city mall-er, mahanagari-r nobotomo alonkar. charidike utshaho, uddipona, milche aro kichuta seet taap niyontrito enclosure, rongeen poshra ar swapno becha kenar porishor, aro kichuta “unnoyon” (development”. Protidin jonmo nichhe notun kolkata jholmol-e shopping mall, aakash chumbi bohutol (highrises), multiplexes, palte jawa raasta ghat, elaka-r modhye diye. Jonmo niche, kintu jeno dana bedhe uthche na koishor, joubon druto bere othar tagid-e.

Shohor-er ei bhanga gorar tagid biswer bohu jaigatei ekhon. Kolkata sei dol-ei sameel hoyeche. Shudhu onekdin itihaas-er nostalgia-i nimojjito hoye thaka shohor-tai poriborton-er tagid ektu beshi-i chokhe lage. Prithibi jure ekhon nagarayan-er (urbanization) jowar. Biswayan-er jug-e ortho (economies) o projuktir somprosaron o muloto shohorgulite (bishehoto megacities) tader kendribhuto hoya, unnoyon-er khetre ek notun tanaporen-er srishti koreche ja shobcheye beshi lokkyo kora jai tritiyo biswer shohorguli-r modhye. Biswa orthonitite bajar dokhol-er protijogitai egiye thaka o tar sathe sathe biswa-nogori (global city) roop-e protishthito hoyar tagid nirdharon kore choleche ei shob shohor-er (ebong sathe sathe rajyer o desher) rajnoitik, samajik, orthonotik o poribesh mulok niti o porikolpona.

Poshimbonger tothakothito communist sarkar-o ei niyom-er byatikrom non. 1994 saal-e pochimbongo sarkar naya orthonoitik niti grohon koren, jar mool lokhho holo besarkari o bideshi biniyog-er drishti akorshon kora o tar khetro toiri kora, jate kolkata totha rajyo shilpo o projuktite unnoto hote pare. Er jonyo unnoyon-er je model beche newa hoi ta mooloto nabya udarnitir, jar kendriyo lokhho je kono mulye munafa.

Unnoti ba unnoyon ke na chai. kintu sei unnoti kisher jonyo, kibhabe hochhe, ar kojon-e ba tate shamil setai proshno.."Whose development"!!!. Unnoti jodi somoshti-r bodole mushtimayor jiyon kathi hoye darai, tahole sei unnoti oboshyoi shomalochonar jogyo. Bortomaan-e amra unnoyon-er je tothakothito udahoron dekhchi shohor-e ta nishondehe serokom proshner jonmo dei.

Nobyo orthoniti (Neoliberalization), o protijotimuk orthonoitik oboshthar sathe tal miliye chola ebong egiye thakar jonyo rajye je shomoshto unnoyon mulok porikolpona kora hochhe tate nichist kora proyojon hoye poreche segulor jeno jothopojukto “recovery cost” ebong udbritto shongstan-er (surplus generation). Unnoyon-er bhabdhara o tar rupayan tai muloto shohor-kendric, ebong unnoyon-er naam-e sei shob prokolpo o porikolponai swikriti pachhe ja kina biniyog-er bajare jotheshto porimaan-e arthik munafar protishruti dichhe jar protifolon amra dekhchi multiplexes-e, shopping mall-e, daam-e restaurant, bohujatik “chain store”, otyadhunik bohutol, shohor-er raastai kromobordhomaan motor garir modhye. Ar tar pashe pashe ek-i jaigai thomke dariye ache sadharon-er sarbik unnoyon-er porikathamoguli, jemon porishkar jol, sanitation, public transport, modhyo, nimno modhyobitto o gorib manush-er shikkha ba chikitsha-r affordability. unnoyon-er ashwad tai bhog or bhag kore nichhe ekti nirdishto sreni, bere choleche arthik o samajik oshamonjoshyo (social stratification), nishchoyotar sathe palla diye barche onishchoyota.

Ei oshamyo (inequity and polarization) er cheharata aro sposhto hoye othe shohor theke matro kichuta baire, kolkatar gondi periye shohor toil-r dike mukh pheralei. Shohor-er roshnai-er pashe tader bornoheenota, shohure unnoyon-er romromar pashe tader obohela chokhe lage. Tara jeno korun bhabe proshno kore chole ei unnoyon kader jonyo, kisher!!! Eta shudhui bhababeg ba ethical proshno noi, khotiye bhable ei proshno nara dei nogor kendric unnoyon bhabdharar sthayitto (sustainability) ke. Karon jug jug dhore shohor toli ebong tar-o bairer grameen utpadon o poribohon, dharon o bohon kore esheche nagorik jibon. Amra jotoi shilpo o projuktite unnoto hoye uthi na kyano, ei itahaash-ke upekhha korle, amra bortomaan unnoyon-er sthayittoke-r ekti prashongik ongshokei upekhha korbo, durbol kore phelbo.

Kintu ei shomoshto proshno, chinta akuti phike hoye jai unnoyon-er ninad-er samne. Keu keu proshno tulle se tatkhonik deshodhori, unnoyon birodhi, progotisheel noi bole chinhito hoye jai. Shohor-e ekhon notun progotir jowar. Sei joyar-e ga bhashate na parle muche jawai bhobitobyo. Tar jonyo kono kotripokhho dayee noi, dayi thakbe shudhu bhababeg-er nirbudhhita. Majhe majhe singur, nandigram er moto ghotona ekhono kolkatar buk-ke ardro kore, kintu unnoyon-er taap sei ardrotake plabon hote dei na. Real-estate-er orchestra-r kolkatai meghomollar tai kromosho itihaas hoye jai…


The post is in Bengali (unlike the others) because it was originally written for community outreach. I failed to become enough proactive to translate it until now.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Love in the time of Market...

It's mid January... the welcoming of a new year is barely over and stores all around are being dressed up for another celebration.. Feb 14th is approaching. Marks of reds, pinks, chocolates and alike are spreading the warmth, which melt our hearts like the melting chocolate in the small pot where our strawberry emotions are ready to get dipped and drenched. And Hallmarks and roses, produced and hauled over long distnces, are being delivered to our doorsteps to rhyme, sing and express the blooming heart.

A celebration indeed. It seems that all around the world people are waking up to the call of love. Waking up to produce, manufacture, market, sell and purchase the love which has been waiting all year long for Valentines Day. I only wish we could manufacture such love, such warmth in every avenue of "life"....But alas, we still lack the technology, the power and above all the mind to develop such factories. Anyway, I decided to set the sighs aside, and concentrate on the celebrations around. But what a nagging mind I have. It now demands some "gourmet love". Love as in peoms that I read on a sunny afternoon or rainy day, in songs with diffused lights that walks me through romantic dreams, love that flows down the pen like unbound emotions, love that is planted and nurtured carefully in the backyard or the flower pot in the balcony, love that is laid down on the plate by the warm fingers. Yes my mind demands such things, my naive mind...and I can't ignore that anymore. Thus I step outside the marketplace with empty hands seeking my unfabricated love, one which the market failed to deliver....



I would love to dedicate this piece to those minds that sustain the dream of unfabricated love...
A dedication also to the piece
http://www.anandabazar.com/14edit3.htm

and
Jatiswar ( Sumon Chattopadhyay)

Thursday, February 7, 2008

It's the Economy stupid

The forthcoming US presidential election has stirred up a big debate among Indians both in US and India based on one prominent issue, the future of outsourced jobs.

A big majority of Indians in both places have a strong support for the republican party in this matter, because they are daunted by the thought that if Democrats win the White House, the much championed (bubble) boom in India which is largely based on the outsourced jobs (IT mainly) will suffer a serious blow.


Although there are enough reasons to remain fearless about losing jobs just because of a Democratic president, such concern does reflect on the worldview and aspirations of a large section of "urban, educated" Indians, the focal point (and by far dominant) of which remains "economic and material prosperity". There is nothing wrong in being concerned about one's economic well being, but what becomes problematic is when this thought becomes so pervasive that it blurs one's vision like a venomous smoke.

When Indian's aspire for an US president (which according to them should be from the Republican party) who will not raise a finger against outsourcing, unfortunately they leave out a few, yet very important points...

1. The matter of job outsourcing is not solely a decision of the republican or democratic party, rather it is a by-product of the economic model of US, which has and is being followed blindly by many world economies. The capitalist model in place , oriented around profit as it's chief goal will look for resources, labors and markets where it can envision maximum profit. Today India appears to be that attractive platter, but the sustenance of such appetite for India can barely be (if ever) guaranteed. Even the most optimists about this system should realize how uncertain and volatile the scenario is just from the fact that if it was so relianble then why US elections are leaving them so restless!!!!!
The democratic party can do very little to alter / reverse this, unless they themselves risk to look outside the system, which in my opinion is impossible at this time, even with their best intentions.

2. From an ethical point, it is ridiculous and extremely selfish for Indians to think that an US president expected to serve the interests of other countries and international community will have prime focus on India. Even for the sake of argument if I think that a democratic president will hurt outsourced jobs as opposed to a republican one, but at the same time shouldn't we also remain concerned about what promises such a president will bring to other economies of the world, our social and environmental health, and the future on a whole!!!
I won't start here delving on issues or giving examples, that's another debate, but it is very much evident that outsourced brains lack that thinking.

3. Another very close to home point this class tends to overlook is that, a primary task of the president of any nation should be looking into it's domestic policies. On this point, I suppose any "rational" person, for whom a nation is more than just a constellation of the corporate gurus, will admit that Democrats offer better options than republicans. The argument that the democrat's policies of increasing taxes of big businesses and the rich for domestic goods will hurt those corporations, and inturn will present obstacles for their businesses abroad does sound very odd.

There are several other points that can be discussed on these lines, scrutinizing policies and propositions but I suppose I have discussed atleast some important ones which are relevant for the discussion. From my observations what I conclude is, we do remain "progressive fundamentalists". It does sound like an oxymoron and it is. I purposefully use the phrase because I think that our contadictory existence and ideologies rightly fits well with it. We like to call ourselves modern progressive, but the signs of our modernity only lies in expensive lattes, latest outfits, yuppi jargongs, floors of discos, chic parties and many such materials, but our souls do remain confined within a few fundamental views. Within such existence grassroots ideologies, ethics remains as slogans, what prevails as the logical fact is the economy stupid...

Monday, February 4, 2008

Ek cup cha-e ami tomake chai.....

There are many things in our everyday life which really makes me wonder what really convenience offers as opposed to little so-called inconveniences. I take the case of a home-brewed cup of tea (coffee for some) versus the coffee (sometimes tea) in plastic or Styrofoam cups sipped during one’s rush to “work”. As simple as it may sound, the leisurely appreciation of a cup of tea sitting in your favorite chair or your personal corner of the couch in the morning, while glancing through the day’s news, or sharing some little talks (I can assure this does not take too much time) actually seems like a holiday activity or vacation luxury to most people. When I talk to people about this habit, which I continue through majority of the days, I am astonished by the stare on many of their faces. Some think that I have been blessed, some think that I’m a stupid or lazy person who can barely calculate the value of hours, minutes and seconds and for a third category I appear to be that super human. But considering it nothing but a small everyday thing, well maybe a pleasant one if you like, is almost absent (with very few exceptions)….

It is really sad that such things are fading away. Some people still regret it, but soon we will stop doing that too. The tea example might be just one incident (maybe not too significant either except for people like me), but as we become “modernized” day by day we slowly tend to give up all those things which does not fit within the modern clock. Such images might nicely fill your nostalgic memories, but in real time, very quick sips while you get dressed or put on your makeup, or more commonly starbucks counters (and alike) best suits one’s morning needs. And the accompaniments just fall in place, physical conversations replaced by cell phone’s or blackberry’s, a short makeshift news in the radio (if you are in a car, but if one can manage to switch from the daily boost of traffic and weather conditions) or the paper you picked up on your way (unfortunately that count is low, newspapers can’t beat your last nights unfinished best seller). Ahh, and see amidst this rush, the stupid coffee, our smart substitute in the disposable container gets cold, “unnoticed”, and finally finds it’s way in the trash, another one in the pile.

Meanwhile, my cup happily smiles in the kitchen or table…waiting for ‘our time” the next morning…

Sunday, February 3, 2008

The "No" Factor

Though I do not feel the need to justify the name of my blog (my often enslaved social existence enjoys it's liberty in this territory), I would just like to add a few lines in connection to the "no" factor just for the records.

Putting "no" both in front of logic and logo does not reflect any absolute denial. Frankly I do not believe in "absolutes" too much...I have used the "no" word as a denial of our mainstream/ popular perceptions of certain ways of life and logic.

As for example both material (brand names) and symbolic (often ending in "ists" , "isms" etc) logos typically place us within a class or social strata, the codes of which has been preformulated and we are left with the task of harmonizing ourselves best within that coded system. It is actually often a very convenient escape for us , confused and eternally challenged humans, to find a quick niche that will save us the complicated task of figuring our ways out through nuances. I myself do not claim to be free of logos (I talk here mostly of the symbolic ones), but I do want to continue my struggle to defy them as much as possible.

The part of logic I think is far far complicated. Our whole human superiority is based on the claim that we are rational, we are logical..So it's totally illogical and absurdly stupid for me to deny that, and I dare not make any attempt to do so...
What my logical mind instead guides me to propose at best is to appreciate the logic, which often sounds illogical to our structured existence and set aside the known perception of the word atleast for sometime. I also use it in my defense, so that my ameture thoughts and scribbles are pardoned from a serious trial....