Amazing Mohit

I reached Raiganj on 24th to train some village women in Right to Information Act and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). I spent the evening in the company of Dr. Prabir Chatterjee and his family, and when I was reaching the hotel it was about 9.30 pm. I saw Mr. Mohit Sengupta, the Raiganj Municipality Chairman getting into his car. I walked up to him and wished him, and shared a few moments with him and returned back to the hotel. 

This man has made several changes and improvements in Raiganj. He was on the road checking that a road repair work got started on time at 9.00 pm. Since he took over, most road repairs take place only at night to avoid inconvenience to people during the day. The roads are cleaner than most towns in West Bengal. On every day when he is in Raiganj, he reaches the Municipality office at 6.00 am, checks that all staff entrusted with sweeping the streets have gone on duty, and then he goes home around 7.45, gets ready and comes back to the office. Many roads have been widened and beautified. He has managed the several factionalism within the party and waded through several opposition. He was loved by Mr. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. This man can do well if given an opportunity in State or National politics. Someone must find the quality in him.

Marketing the Disabled

Since there is a large fair in Bolpur on the occasion of Christmas,known locally as "Poush Mela", I went to see the fair. It was pretty large and well managed. As I was walking in, due to the crowd that was jostling from every side, I was looking ahead and walked, trying to avoid as much of pushing as possible. Suddenly I tumbled on something, and I almost fell over. When I looked back, I was shocked. There was a woman, on a wooden bed of about 1.5 ft wide, 4 ft long and about 1 ft high. The lady had just two limbs. Soon, as I walked around the fair, I saw at least three more persons, with one or two limbs missing in similar "beds" just in the middle of people's way. Certainly they could not have come there by themselves. So who brought them in? I began to ponder! And who is gaining out of bringing them in and taking them out? Something is really messy there, in this land of Rabindranath Tagore, just within the university complex started by the national poet. It is shame that people are marketing disability instead of giving dignity to these people. Someone should take action against this sheer shameless marketing of people's disability. This is nothing less than generating a beggary market. Hope the Chairman of Bolpur Municipality, the law enforcement authorities and the University administration is listening. And before we end, being the eve of Christmas let me wish everyone  

Very Happy Christmas!