Notes from Singur

I am not a blogger, but I do intend to lend my voice to the vocal Voices of India and this piece has been penned by me solely as I have been fortunate enough to be part of a movement called Singur.

Having worked for a NGO for over 20 yrs and with a strong inclination towards Marxism values and Dialectical Materialism, it was a shot from the sky, when I was approached by this self help group who were conducting a self sponsored albeit subsidized trip to Singur, with the idea of conducting a 30 day study tour to observe and create a report which was to be presented to the PMO.

To me it was a great opportunity to be in the august company of few of the most erudite and scholastic minds of the country, each one having brought about radical grassroots level changes pertaining to socio economic development and human welfare. I was rather the odd man out, and stood out like a sore thumb among the best minds of the country.

Our journey was to reach straight to Singur, and our brief was very clear- do not read the media ramblings as they are all aligned - either negative or positive. We were to only be in the villages in and around Singur and be amongst the villagers and just get their feedback, as at the end of the day, it was the only thing that mattered.

And for 30 long days we did just that, day in day out and compared notes in the evenings. At the end of it all- I have come back with mixed feelings. Feelings of how Good is so easily turned around as bad, and how gullible till date our village folks are.

Though, I must add – Singur has opened the eyes of our country cousins finally. When, I had gone to Singur, my main thought was- as per media reports- “Had the CPI (M) govt. actually gone berserk?” What happened to – Greatest Good For Greatest Number?

That has been the cardinal rule of what Marx ever preached. Had 30 yrs of power and ruling erased and abolished Marxism thought process in Bengal? Have the current crop of Marxists donned the Capitalist cap and have started to oil the wheels of Industrialists? These and many such questions tormented my mind on my first day of reaching Singur.

But as I said I was disillusioned. My disillusionment was not with the Bengal Marxists as with Singur they just embarked on - the greatest good for the greatest number. Singur is the New Bengal. It's the face of a progressive Bengal, which has all the potential of a Chinese Tiger under communist rule. Singur is the beginning of a wealthy Marxist model, a case study that reiterates that communism is not about poverty or rationing, but is about progress in a controlled manner - which is by the people and for the people. Bengal has been an agrarian economy for far too long. The land fed and has kept on feeding till date, as thousands Bengalis have moved on. Bengalis have had a knack for education and provide amongst the maximum working professional class of this country. One can count on their fingertips as to the number of industrialists and businessmen in the whole community. Thus, the agricultural land sustained the population so far, but not anymore. Land fragmentation and growing population, even with multiple crops growing land, the yield is just not enough to keep body and soul together. Therefore it is with the best of intentions that the Govt of Bengal decides to bring in prosperity for the people. This also goes out to woo investment in the state, many industrial houses want to dig in their feet, but the Govt. only allows few to come in and all this for the people.

The Tata legacy and record is very clear. Its probably the only corporate which has a human face. Wherever Tata's have set foot, it has meant welfare and development for that region. A Tata industrial setup brings with itself the boon of good hospitals, the best of schools and the best of amenities like electricity, clean drinking water and hygiene essential for human lives. Now, if people don't want it and prefer to continue their lives in the dark ages then it is really unfortunate and the people of Singur too are human enough to want it. But a handful of politicians thought otherwise.

It is so easy to scare poor people. The political carrions put the fear of loss to the farmers last remaining hope - his land, along with the painted and the tainted picture of an uncertain future. That triggered the orchestrated movement of Singur and today in Singur you have the villagers speaking in two breaths.

While he laments his land is lost, and talks of the uncertain future, he also cannot hide his excitement as to how fast the car factory work is in progress. Surreptitiously each villager is full of glee that soon, his days of travelling 100 miles for medical treatment is going to get over- they already can see the Tata clinic facility almost complete.

A mixed mood reigns among the people. A black picture thrust down their throats by power gathering politicos and on the other side - daily progress. The people have now understood what they should choose, thus all peace talks are being brokered. As the lines go - there should be laughter after pain, there should be sunshine after rain. The laughter days are around. And yes, I was proved totally wrong - the Bengal Marxists are still only focused with a singular vision – Greatest Good, For The Greatest Number.

Razzak Ahmed

Workers Coalition of India

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are purely of the author.