Durga Puja and CPM
In 2007 and 2008, I was the founding distributor of Airtel, among the few distributors in Assam. We started GPRS (General Pocket Radio System) on a 1G network instead of 3G or 4G under our supervision. That time, Airtel constructed the largest Goddess Durga idol in Kolkata for their advertisement. We got a special pass for being a distributor of Assam. A lot of media attention was drawn to the occasion. The administration closed down many roads due to excessive crowds. Our son, Uddipta, was then only two years old. Therefore, we couldn’t proceed.
At that time, we saw a politician, surrounded by security, who had come to visit Goddess Durga. Later, we came to know that the person was a minister in the Left Front government of Bengal, and he had angered his party for openly worshipping the Goddess. The communists of the world, on principle, never worship or believe in spirituality. However, the Left government was the unofficial sponsor of many Puja committees in Bengal. Many of the Durga idol-makers, including those in Assam, are from the Muslim community. This is really an example of the great Bharatiya Sanatani culture.
Arup Saikia
(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)
Illusory plan
In 1992, the United Nations announced the celebration of October 17 every year as Poverty Alleviation Day at the global level to eliminate poverty spread across the world. Poverty was a curse earlier too, but the deepening of this crisis at a time when the world is reaching immeasurable heights of development is a matter of concern. Poverty is a big problem, not only for India but for the whole world. Governments make extensive efforts to get rid of poverty.
The paths on which we follow and the plans by which we hope to build an egalitarian and balanced society in the country seem to be an act, an illusion, because those are odd plans. PM Narendra Modi has made purposeful efforts to eradicate the stigma of poverty in a short time by giving shape to the golden dream of Lok Rajya, Swarajya. However, poverty still exists, as all political parties and democracy seekers are busy building their own empires.
Nawaz Ashraf,
Guwahati
National Unity Day
National Unity Day (or ‘Rashtriya Ekta Divas’, as it is known in Hindi), is observed in India on October 31 every year in memory of the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He was also known as the ‘Patron Saint of India’s Civil Services’ and the ‘Iron Man of India’.
This year marks the 148th birth anniversary of the great leader who played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence and later during the integration of the country.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Dombivili, Mumbai