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By:

Correspondent

21 August 2024 at 10:20:16 am

Grim Reckoning

The heckling of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee during the latter’s visit to Sonarpur is a stark reminder that fear has an expiry date. For years, West Bengal’s politics has been defined by intimidation. First the Communist, and later during Mamata Banerjee’s TMC regimes, the state’s political discourse has been overwhelmingly accompanied by violence, cadre dominance, partisan policing and a culture in which dissenters were expected to keep their heads down and their opinions to...

Grim Reckoning

The heckling of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee during the latter’s visit to Sonarpur is a stark reminder that fear has an expiry date. For years, West Bengal’s politics has been defined by intimidation. First the Communist, and later during Mamata Banerjee’s TMC regimes, the state’s political discourse has been overwhelmingly accompanied by violence, cadre dominance, partisan policing and a culture in which dissenters were expected to keep their heads down and their opinions to themselves. Whether in villages, municipalities or university campuses, countless Bengalis, especially the Hindu community, have complained that political power was exercised not only through the ballot box but through fear during the TMC rule. Against this backdrop, the scenes that unfolded during Abhishek Banerjee’s Sonarpur visit was a symbolic moment. The TMC political class that once inspired fear suddenly found itself confronting fearlessness and the ire of ordinary citizens. Trinamool leaders accustomed to hectoring and threatening the public were forced to face its ire as Abhishek was heckled and pelted with eggs. The Trinamool Congress would be mistaken if it dismisses the episode as an isolated incident. Across West Bengal after the polls, there is a palpable anger against TMC leaders and their henchmen. That simmering rage appears increasingly difficult to contain. For years, Abhishek Banerjee had projected himself as the heir apparent to Bengal’s ruling establishment, speaking haughtily with the confidence of a man convinced that power was permanently on his side. Now that the TMC is out of power, Sonarpur offered a starkly different picture. It showed what happens when politicians who are accustomed to commanding the public are suddenly confronted by it. From the horrors of Sandeshkhali to the public fury unleashed after the R.G. Kar outrage, West Bengal witnessed episode after episode that laid bare the TMC’s intimidation and moral corruption. The crowd that confronted Abhishek Banerjee at Sonarpur was venting years of accumulated resentment against a political culture many Bengalis had come to associate with arrogance, patronage and strong-arm tactics. They reflected what a significant section of the public has increasingly come to see as the moral bankruptcy of a political order that believed it could rule indefinitely through fear and organisational muscle. Abhishek Banerjee, more than any other TMC leader, had became the face of that system. The hostility he encountered in Sonarpur was political payback delivered by a public no longer willing to whisper its anger. While no civilised society should endorse mob violence, no politician can expect public sympathy after years of bullying and intimidating citizens. He or she must realize that political arrogance has consequences and that public anger, when it finally erupts, grinds even the most powerful dynasties to dust. Abhishek Banerjee’s reception in Sonarpur may therefore prove to be more than an embarrassing political episode. It may become the defining image of Trinamool’s final decline and fall.

When the Lights Fade, the Glow Remains

The end of the festive season brings us back to our everyday rhythm lighter in spirit, renewed in energy, and quietly strengthened by the joy we’ve just lived.

The festive season always brings with it a special kind of magic — the streets come alive with shimmering lights, laughter fills our homes, and our hearts feel lighter and happier. For a few precious days or weeks, life slows down in the most beautiful way. We pause from our regular routines, take time to decorate our homes with care, prepare festive meals filled with love, exchange sweets and gifts, meet our loved ones, and celebrate with warmth, zest, and enthusiasm. It becomes a season not only of reflection, joy, and togetherness but also of gratitude and a renewed sense of hope.


But as every celebration must eventually find its close, the festive season too passes — leaving behind not emptiness, but a quiet, lingering glow. The diyas may have been extinguished and the decorations carefully packed away, yet the warmth and light they created continue to linger in our hearts. Gradually, the rhythm of life begins to change once more, calling us back to our everyday routines, our work, and our personal pursuits — but with spirits a little lighter and hearts still touched by the season’s joy.


There is always a certain stillness in this transition — a tender pause when we sense the silence after the songs and the calm that follows the celebrations. Yet it is within this quiet moment that the true essence of festivals reveals itself. Festivals are not simply meant to interrupt our routines; they are meant to restore and recharge us, to remind us of what truly matters, and to fill our hearts with renewed energy and purpose for the days to come.


Now, as the festive season draws to a close, we return to our everyday lives feeling sharper, lighter, and more focused. We have celebrated abundance — and now it is time to channel that renewed energy into growth and purpose. The joy we shared with our families, the laughter that echoed among friends, and the gratitude we felt during our prayers — all of it settles within us as a quiet strength, a gentle undercurrent that continues to guide and sustain us through the days ahead.


Returning to routine need not mean monotony. It is simply about finding our rhythm once again — waking up early, working with a renewed sense of enthusiasm, cooking simple meals after the festive indulgence, and spending unhurried evenings in reflection, reading, or simply sitting quietly with a cup of tea. The pace of life may have slowed, yet the joy can remain unchanged, as long as we carry a little of that festive spirit within us.


Every season and every celebration teaches us balance — the gentle harmony between pause and progress, between celebration and discipline. Festivals remind us to live with love, warmth, and light, while our daily routines teach us to grow with purpose, patience, and quiet determination. Together, they form the melody of a life that is both joyful and meaningful — one that moves gracefully between festivity and everyday peace.


So, as we ease back into our regular days, let us not lose the gentle glow of the festive season. Let us keep that warmth alive within our hearts, allowing it to shine through our words and actions. Each day can still be greeted with gratitude, every task performed with dedication, and every moment shared with the same joy and generosity of spirit that we felt during the celebrations.


The festivals may have drawn to a close, but life carries on — vibrant, hopeful, and full of promise. Let us welcome this gentle change of pace, embrace the new rhythm, and move forward with the same zest, enthusiasm, and quiet joy that the season of celebration brought into our lives.


Festivals may come and go, yet life itself is an endless celebration. Every day, every passing moment, is a precious gift from God. Gratitude has the power to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, and when we choose to see the positive in each moment, every breath becomes a festival in itself. When we learn to live in this spirit, life forever feels radiant, joyful, and truly celebratory.


(The writer is a tutor based in Thane.)

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