Is Didi going to be a modern day David?

Does anyone remember what did David do after killing Goliath?  Or does anyone care? That is the problem with the giant-killers; once they have killed the giant, pretty much everything else they do is not as exciting as the kill and remains in the background as something of an anti-climax. Whether this becomes the fate of the recently crowned queen of West Bengal, remains to be seen.

Ms. Banerjee has been touted as the change that would push the stalled growth of the state in past few decades towards better days. Having been hailed as the much-awaited ‘green’ light after a lifetime of ‘red’ light, she is almost the last hope people of the state have. Naturally, the expectations are huge and people will be satisfied with nothing short of a complete turnaround of the state of affairs. 

Bengal badly needs progress. It reportedly has a crushing debt of some R 1.92 lakh crore. The state is hardly in a position to pay its employees, leave alone undertaking any life-reforming projects for the people of the state. How is Bengal to be revived? That is a million dollar question, one to which there is no direct answer. Ms. Banerjee and her government not only face a huge challenge in terms of how to revive the state but also how to begin the revival. The people have been so disillusioned with the outgoing government that it was more of an anti-Left stir that caused the government to topple rather than a ‘pro-Mamata’ wave. 

Having said that, I take nothing away from her mass appeal and the poetic promise behind her slogan “Maa, maati, maanush!” She is an iron woman and has reached where she has through sheer grit, without any political support to boast of. However, while this may make up a perfect story for a newspaper item or even a novel, it hardly lessens her responsibility towards the state she is now in command of. So now that the hoopla and celebrations around her path-breaking, landslide victory have come down to a normal level, she has a job to do. And she has to be hell clinical about that. The higher the hopes have been raised, the deeper can be the disappointment when these hopes are not swiftly realised.

She has surely started in the right direction, sometimes being clinical; at other times bordering on the lines of what some may call absolute eccentricity. But she has five years with her, to script her own success story and to be fair to her, her methods or the consequences should not be questioned at least at such an early state. May she indeed turn out to be the ‘green’ light of growth Bengal so needs and justify the colour she has chosen to represent her ideologies.

M.F.Husain, a man of many shades!

95 year old painting stalwart M.F. Husain passed away yesterday in a London hospital.  According to reports, Husain was being treated for fluids in his lungs. However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be known.

Husain was in a self-imposed exile since 2006 after some of his paintings of Hindu deities led to life threats and attacks. Husain eventually adopted the citizenship of Qatar. More than his paintings, he was a man of many shades, which unfortunately very few could see.

Husain was called the ‘Picasso of India’, for valid reasons. He started working in the late 1940s and throughout the years, his paintings were known for standing out, depicting the objectivity towards the subject matter. But more than that, Husain was also an enthusiastic film-maker with a penchant for poetry. His poetry, often lucid in its nature found many a fan following ever since Gajagamini days. He did not write much, a loss to all the poetry enthusiasts but his expression through his movies was always out of ordinary and made a mark.

Husain often found himself amidst controversies and it is sad that an Indian had to spend his last few days in a state like his. However, his contribution towards putting India on the global map through his paintings, towards the poetic cinema shall always be remembered by the purists and fans alike.

Rest in Peace, Husain saab!