There is a strange sense of happiness in the air. A sense of joy, of breaking open a claustrophobic cell. A sense of freedom
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There is a strange sense of happiness in the air. A sense of joy, of breaking open a claustrophobic cell. A sense of freedom. And this happiness is something that has spread fast, across the globe, among all those who have left West Bengal or have been forced to leave the state over the last few decades to become economic migrants.
The reason is simple. It is to celebrate the overthrowing of the shackles that bound us for the past 34 years. More than three decades of oppression by a single party that ruled us for three decades. It was almost like living in a monarchy ufffd only instead of one king, there were several kings, big and small, who were ruling the state and every aspect of a citizen's life, from who to rent a house to whether you need to divorce your husband. From education to health and jobs, it was dictatorship of the party, Communist manifesto spelt out perfectly.
And that is what makes Mamata Banerjee's win such a magical thing. We tend to agree when she says that the results of the election brought in Bengal's Independence Day, all over again. Truth to be admitted, not many of us in the young generation were supporters of the Trinamool Congress leader. We have often criticised her, called her whimsical, regretted her lack of political acumen, hated her often disruptive politics.
But all said and done, we could not overlook the fact that she always had a one track agenda. Like the mythical Arjuna, she has always, ever since she began her political career (as early as in the 1980s when she was still in student politics, she had vowed to remain a politician throughout her life), she has only targeted the ouster of the CPI (M) with mandate from West Bengal's citizens. And over the years, she has changed herself and her politics, showing more calm and composure even in the face of adversity and opposition.
This column is not to suggest how great Mamata Banerjee the politician is. Rather, it is to give voice to the sense of joy that has pervaded in young Bengalis across the world. Friends who stay in distant London have stayed up till the wee hours to catch the updates of the elections on the web, yet others have started debating whether it is time to go back and help build everything from scratch.
It is yet to be seen how much Mamata will be able to implement her ideas in her bid to restore Bengal's long lost glory, but the optimism and enthusiasm that she has brought to its people is sure to give her a headstart. We are waiting with bated breath.
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