A tale of Ma, Mamata & Mahendra!!

‘Mere paas MA hain’ thundered Shashi Kapoor in retaliation to Amitabh Bachchan’s taunt that while he had property, cars and bank balance; Sashi had no such worldly possessions. That was in 1975, when these epic dialogues were mouthed in Yash Chopra’s blockbuster Deewar. Little did one realize that 36 years later, people with ‘MA’ in their names would be responsible for making history of epic proportions. Just 5 months into 2011; MA-hendra (apna Dhoni yaar :)), Oba-MA and MA-MA-ta have all achieved the unthinkable in their respective fields. The jury is still out on which of the three acts is most remarkable; bringing home the most coveted trophy (after 28 years!!) back to a nation insanely passionate about the game; nailing the most dreaded terrorist in the world through a Hollywood style encounter OR a diminutive but feisty woman’s single handed efforts to bring down the longest serving democratically elected communist regime in the world.

For me, growing up in Bengal in the nineties, politics and cricket dominated the ‘adda’ (quintessentially Bengali chit-chat) sessions with friends. With the hopeless condition the Indian team was during that time, not even the eternal optimist in our group had any hopes that we would ever see our team winning the World Cup in our lifetime. Add to that, Australia’s dominance over the other teams was not only restricted to the field, but extended far beyond. Undoubtedly, they possessed players with skill level far greater than their competitors, but it was the mental disintegration of opponents which they practiced with such panache that made them such invincibles.  They sledged, intimidated and even cheated if it suited their cause. Most teams were like lambs to the slaughter while playing them, resigned to their fate, as a herd of lambs would be in the midst of a pack of hungry wolves.

The scenario in West Bengal politics was similar. True, in the early years of their rule the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led Left Front government had enacted some land reforms which endeared them to the peasants; but as the years went by, power began to corrupt their leaders big time. The Communist principle of fighting for the common man went for a toss, as the leaders started regarding Bengal as their personal fiefdom. The party unleashed their cadres, comprising of local goons, thugs and gangsters on the middle class and the poor, creating an atmosphere of terror and havoc. Whether you wanted to buy bread or ‘bigha’ (piece of land) you couldn’t do so without the permission of CPM cadres.  Education was ‘unionized’, industrial development freezed and democratic rights conveniently snatched to ensure victory election after election. Elections became synonymous with rigging, murder and mayhem; and the economy came to a screeching halt. The CPM’s opponents were in a worse state than those of the Aussie cricket team, with as much hope of defeating them as a Mohun Bagan defender will have of stopping a rampaging Lionel Messi ;)

However, the winds of change started blowing in the early and mid-2000’s in cricket as in Bengal politics. The legendary Aussie players started to retire, and their much hyped (by Aussie media) bench strength proved through their performances that they deserved to sit on the ‘bench’ rather than be a part of action on the field. On the other hand, the Wright-Ganguly era in Indian cricket ushered a new dawn, and Team India acquired a hitherto unknown killer instinct. We first believed and then toppled the Aussies of their lofty pedestal in both Test and One day cricket; culminating in MS and his boys lifting the World Cup this year to break the Oz stranglehold in three successive tournaments.

'MAMA' ta with 'MA'hendra

In Bengal, the farmers and the Muslim community were the backbone of the CPI (M) three decade rule. However, Singur, Nandigram and the Rizwanur Rehman case (a Muslim boy in love with a Hindu girl was found dead- allegedly orchestred by CPM goons) shook the confidence of the above classes on the Communists. Suddenly, nothing began to go right for the Left.  One poll debacle followed the other; 2008-Panchayat, 2009-Lok Sabha, 2010-Municipality and finally the prized 2011-State Assembly.

The unthinkable had been achieved!! Though MA-MA-ta’s feat definitely more miraculous than MA-hendra’s.

However, the road ahead is vastly different for the victors. Dhoni has already established himself as a master at leadership and man-management; his team is settled with a heady mix of experience and young talent; BCCI is the powerhouse of the cricketing fraternity, life seems rosy for the Jharrkhand man.

Mamata in contrast, is destined to tread a path of thorns. While everybody agrees that she is a rare honest politician with the right intentions, her administrative skills arouse skepticism. In spite of certain good moves as Union railway minister, the general perception about her track record isn't that inspiring. One tends to doubt whether she will be successful considering the numerous Everests that she has to climb. Tackling the Maosists in JungleMahal and Gorkhas in the hills; improving the pathetic state of affairs in healthcare and education; attracting the corporate houses to invest; solving the land acquisition problems; replenishing the state’s empty coffers and more importantly to overhaul the pitiable ‘chalta-hai’ work culture that has been ingrained within most Bongs in Bengal. Her initial efforts have been in the right direction, getting together a team of A-listers such as Dr.Amit Mitra- former general secretary of the FICCI, Manish Gupta-Former chief secretary WB government, a slew of IPS & IAS officers, and prominent intellectuals from Kolkata. She has pledged to stop secretarial violence and offered to heed the general public’s opinion in decision making through an open communication channel.

If we go by the saying ‘Morning shows the day’, we have much to look forward to during Didi’s regime as the first woman chef-minister of West Bengal. Jai MA-MATI-MANUSH!! (Mother, Land and people).