PRAGOTI

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Peace rally braving the rain

CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVE: Citizens of Kolkata, including prominent individuals, took out a rally in the metropolis on Thursday, calling for peace in Nandigram.

Kolkata: “It is no longer ‘we’ versus ‘them’, we want peace in the State,” rang out voices from the makeshift podium as thousands gathered on a rain-swept afternoon here on Thursday to participate in a rally demanding the preservation of peace and order in the State following the recent developments in Nandigram.

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Peace Rally for Nandigram

Individuals from all walks of life — professionals, students, and homemakers — converged at the Maidan at the base of the statue of Goshto Pal, the legendary footballer, bracing themselves to combat the inclement weather with umbrellas, raincoats or plastic toupees. The weather could barely dampen the spirits though, as people kept pouring in, patiently waiting to join the procession.

Artists, academics, writers and singers, celebrated in their individual fields, took stage and appealed to people for calm and peace in the State. “We must stop this infighting, this rivalry between the left hand and the right hand,” said magician P.C. Sorcar.

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Mrinal Sen, Chuni Goswami addressing the rally

“We must put an end to this atmosphere of bitterness and insanity,” he added. Folk singer Ajit Pandey also attended the rally.

The former footballer, P.K. Banerjee, appealed for peace and an end to the unrest. Fellow footballer Chuni Goswami also echoed his view. Theatre artist Usha Ganguly appealed to the government to restore peace in Nandigram. Other artists such as Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Mrinal Sen, Mithun Chakraborty, Tarun Majumdar, Biplab Chatterjee, Shobha Sen, Dilip Ray, Badsha Moitra and Anindita Sarbadhikari were present.

The faculty and students from Calcutta, Jadavpur and Rabindra Bharati universities and the Indian Statistical Institute took part in the rally.

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Leading intellectuals addressing the rally, Azizul Haque can also be seen

The participants maintained silence, with placards slung across chests proclaiming the right of the homeless in Nandigram to return home and resume normal life and livelihood.

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Soumitra Chattopadhyay addressing the rally

“We are not here to create trouble,” said Mr. Soumitra Chattopadhyay. While the Nandigram people, who were forced to live away from their homes for 11 months, had started returning, those unable to return or evicted recently must also be allowed to get back. The city witnessed a protest rally by some artists on Wednesday against the alleged oppression in Nandigram.

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Contrast marks the twin rallies

Kolkata witnessed two processions on two days--one from the self-styled civil society and the other from the peace-loving uncivil society. Pragoti was in both to spot the differences and one very curious commonality.

The weather

Wednesday: Bright and sunny. Many of the rallyists were found to shield their faces with placards (lest they got sunspots).

Thursday: cyclonic

Shape of the rally

Wednesday: Disciplined as well-dressed people marched in two proper flanks with placards festoons artistically drafted and full of ugly vituperative comments against the chief minister and the CPIM.

Thursday: A human wave braving the cyclonic gusts and steady drizzle. Spontaneous and vibrant. Not a single cartoon, no obnoxious poster naming somebody. The plain and simple urge of peace was the driving force behind the rally. The marchers held placards reading, "Let people return home", "No fighting", and "Allow development of Nandigram".

Traffic movement

Wednesday: The route of the rally, from College Square to Esplanade, deliberately chosen to paralyze the main thoroughfares of central Kolkata, incidentally the gateways to the busiest hospitals of the city.

Thursday: The route of the rally charted from the base of the statue of Goshto Pal, the legendary footballer to Gandhi's statue on Mayo Road, a short distance away so as to cause minimal disruption of traffic.

Sights and sounds

Wednesday: silent aristocratic procession with loud banners spreading venomous lies and some media idols leading the show. At the end of the rally the celebrities gave invaluable bytes to the media while the public had to be content with a glimpse of page 3 people.

Thursday: The stars and the people intermingled in the human torrent and they interacted freely in close proximity. “It is no longer ‘we’ versus ‘them’, we want peace in the State,” rang out voices from the makeshift podium as thousands cheered in unison. “We are not here to create trouble,” said Soumitra Chattopadhyay. While the Nandigram people, who were forced to live away from their homes for 11 months, had started returning, those unable to return or evicted recently must also be allowed to get back, he added.

Celebspotting

Wednesday: Mrinal Sen, Sankha Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Anjan Dutt, Goutam Ghose, Usha Uthup, Mahasveta Devi, Jogen Chowdhury, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Joy Goswami, Bibhas Chakraborty, Suvaprasanna, Mamata Shankar, Saoli Mitra, Koushik Sen, Parambrata Chatterjee, Debleena Dutt...

Thursday: Soumitra Chatterjee, Mrinal Sen, Biplab Chatterjee, P C Sorcar (Junior), Tarun Majumdar, P K Banerjee, Wasim Kapoor, Chuni Goswami, Shobha Sen, Mithun Chakraborty, Abul Bashar, Buddhadeb Guha, Jayantanuja Bandhopadhyay, Usha Ganguly, Amita Dutta, Rupankar, Ajit Pandey, Chinmoy Roy, Dilip Ray, Badsha Moitra Piyush Ganguly, Joydeb Bosu, Arun Mukherjee. Biplob Ketan Chakraborty, Urmimala Bose, Anindita Sarbadhikari.....

(Un)Common link:

I was led to join the rally yesterday, said veteran film maker Mrinal Sen, but the things I saw and heard there (were so loathsome) that I cannt even relate those things before you all. A female reporter from The Telegraph rang me up at night and asked me the reasons behind my disillusionment about Buddhadeb. I told her plainly that you might get a raise if I answer you, but never ask me questions like this.

Last word

The celebrated poet Sankho Ghosh has reportedly commented about the two rallies that only time will tell who are the real Leftists.
Yes, Sankhobabu we will wait and watch. In the mean time we hope that peace will be completely restored in Nandigram in the very near future.

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MAOISTS IN NANDIGRAM

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Arms left by the Maoists recovered from Nandigram

Nandigram (PTI): Eight CPI(M) supporters were arrested on Thursday for roaming around on motorbikes for "area dominance" in Nandigram, as the CRPF fished out a large amount of arms and ammunition from a pond at Sonachura.

East Midnapur Superintendent of Police Satyeshwar Panda said the CPI(M) supporters were arrested from Tekhali Bazar.

CRPF DIG Alok Raj said CRPF personnel recovered arms and ammunition, included 76 detonators, 25 kgs of explosives, some explosive devices, 15 rounds of ammunition and 50 unfinished country-made guns from a pond at Sonachura area.

Three bullets of .315 bore guns, 42 used cartridges for .12 bore guns and 11 bullets for 9 mm pistol were also seized.

Raj said that the most important part of the recovery was a bagful of Maoist literature mostly written in Bengali and a book written in Telugu on basic military training. "We will study them".

He said it was a strong indication of the presence of Maoists from Andhra Pradesh and there was a possibility that arms training had been given because of the book on arms training was in Telugu.

Raj said the CRPF had set up five camps at Nandigram College, Gokulnagar, Garchakraberia, Khejuri and Khodambari.

He said the local people also had taken the initiative for restoring peace. "We can't give security for an unlimited time, they have to understand this."

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Maoists posters recovered from Nandigram

Interview with Ganapathy, General Secretary, CPI(Maoist):

http://naxalrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/05/summer-cleaning.html

Shorn off the hate language, the Maoist leader says that, he has all right to foment trouble in Nandigram even if the SEZ was called off, for it is his solemn duty to make a battlefield, and even if it means having an alliance with the right bourgeois Trinamul Congress, so be it!