The scammer and the platter plies through our ears- a university with national accolades baying into the dooms of fiefdom of a particular political party. The Calcutta University was a prodigy with immense fame, great name and huge stellar. The coveted pasta of being the VC of such an institution is a hot baked cake for any individual to enjoy. The contours of controversies regarding the University is not unknown though. And the first week of July itself has proved how Mamata Banerjee is just an even extreme form of political goonies. She talks about Nazrul,she controls the goons and occasionally feels a lust towards the Kolkata Mayor’s hip as she pushes the man into the blue elitist, swimming pool. The CM’s misogynist tenors towards a rape victim ridicules humanity although she does come out strongly for Tapas Pal-a coffee bred black bug on the same grounds.The sensuality with which a bunch of actors and actresses (btw many perhaps are not acquainted with the word acting) cheerlead the CM, loath the art of sycophancy to the extreme. Many modern superstars today have become Member of Parliaments. But the great comedy of Bengali fate does not end here, rather it only awaits a new commencement. The SFI has for long ruled the corridors of power management with little empathy towards academics. Ritabrata Bhattacharya’s wise wisdom on Chitmahals, will prove to be a bit futile if he considered his political alma mater’s gusto towards adversaries. However the doom that seems to have settled in Bengal and its education may put Laloo-vian stereo-typism to shame. The candour with which Sugata Bose reprimanded the incident in Calcutta University seems to paint the dominance of good wisdom-but let’s come to him separately later on.
The Trinamool Chaatra Parishaad born out of the Congress like its mother organisation has now brought 90% of the colleges in Kolkata under its control. Its dominance is self-pervading as the main opposition of the TMCP in most colleges is not the ABVP or the SFI, but groupism and factionalism within the party of the Prince who yells at the enemies and threatens to gobble up their eyes. A wannabe cannibal? Hopefully Abhishek Banerjee is not an enthusiastic Robinson Street teetotaller. The matter of the fact remains that as the entire country has least expectations from their erstwhile Railways Minister to develop Bengal, the idea of rapid violence and over that the limited resources of accountability of the opposition ideologues has exposed the TMC to massive mandates.
Suranjan Das is a man not to be shot at. Rather,he and his tentative position is something with which even Majid Master should empathise with. He has been the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious Calcutta University,from the days of the Left. An alumni of the prestigious South Point High School, Kolkata he has written about the “Great Calcutta Killing” of 1946. He is known to be a non-controversial personality-someone who is not tied by the strings of Communist hangover nor by the charms of the big bucks of the present establishment. The way he and his fellow colleagues were “roughed” up by the TMCP outsiders with inside knowledge reminds all of us about the incident of Presidency University a few years back when the gatekeeper of the erstwhile Hindu College was held guilty.
The works,activities as well as the extra constitutional authority of Mamata-ian kids were overlooked by the Education Minister who was referred to as a bear by Congress leader Arunava Ghosh. Even then the Education Minister proposed a number of theories including a thesis on the College’s bow. This time too, Partha Chatterjee has dismissed the entire incident calling it a presstitutional makeover. A P.H.D degree later in his life seems to have not helped the Minister’s little accountability. Shankudeb Panda, TMCP boss has made provocative statements against the professors whom he still believes feed on Moscow-vian broccoli.
Sugata Bose,a member of Netaji’s family is now a TMC MP like his mother Krishna Bose. But his gentle demeanour betrays his Harvard professionalism. He is one of those plywoods who deserve a bit more fire in his belly to fight the cynics within his party. He is known to have contacted Suranjan Das, perhaps to convey his condolences to his tribesman. Ronald Ross, an alumni and Nobel Laureate of CU must be turning in his grave as Jadavpur and Calcutta portray one thing in common-that of radical posturing and violent Pandora-so common towards a decaying and eroding Bengal….
