Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy’s interpretation of Slat Lake was
home for Bengali middle class (Bhodrolok somaj).
Not fully yet, but I was also a part of the sentimental
middle class bengali group of Salt Lake in my growing up years. Though it was
not fully compromised the lower/middle income bengali group, but still the essence
of bengaliana was clearly visible at that time.
I remember the interaction of every family in the block with
others, the evening adda (gossip whatever!!) , the so called ‘Ki go kemon acho….chele meyera
bhalo to..’ & ‘accha …onker tution kar kache porche…’, all these irritating
but touching behavior of the families.
The exchange of dishes and mouthwatering recipes , the sweet
and memorizing infatuations with neighbor
‘Kaku’s’ daughter (& heartbreak in
due course of time…), trying to mug up Bengali ‘abriti’ (poetry),
rabindrasangeet,….nachiketa…anjan dutta to impress in ‘para’s durga puja utsav’….all
those things were there during my presence. The most important place was the
local market in every block where our group used to hang out after regular ’para’
cricket match and discuss various things
available under the sun.
I remember at that time, only one Marwari family used to reside
in our block, ‘Puja Didi’s’ family.
She was my first friend who was a girl and she used to come
to my house for playing and chit chatting because there were no one at our
block similar to her ager group & also her house is adjacent to me.
Anyways, I was but obviously mesmerized by her. It was also
a matter of pride in front of my ‘para’ friends. They used to have a big car, the biggest in
our block. Her father was a very big businessman and I was slowly getting in
awe of their lifestyle. The birthday party which she threw, I had never seen
anything like that. Slowly and gradually I understood that the way of life of
the middle class group which I had been
witnessed to , ‘Puja Didi’s’ life was a complete opposite .In short she was not a middle class.
I left Salt lake many years back, but my heart was always
there. As the proverb says ‘you can take a boy out of London …but you cannot
take London out of a boy’ …same goes with myself with Salt lake.
After many years when I returned to have a check with my
block, it was quite a setback. There are
thousands and thousands of family like ‘Puja Didi ’.The middle class group is
diminished to a negligible quotient. Many high class apartments (almost
same pattern of gates like a rajasthani mahal…), big cars occupied the streets.
People do not play ‘para cricket’ anymore.
In sort there is no concept of ‘para’ anymore. There is no
concept of bengaliana in Salt lake. The small numbers of bengali family who are
residing in there are trying hard to match with the lifestyles of ‘puja didi’s
kinda’…
I wonder did the so called ‘bodrolok’ bengali community deserted salt lake or salt
lake threw them out?
Now a days Slat lake’s interpretation does not goes with
home of middle class bengali people. It is the sign of the posh of the posh
people in Kolkata.
I wonder how the local market traders are coping with the change.
Who is now going to get the vegetables, fish with bargaining with them? Anybody
now days carrying the type of big ‘jholas’ our parents used to carry at the
time of market visit?
Where is the enthusiasm of the ‘para’s natok’ (Cultural
program in a block) now a days? The program happens but sans enthusiasm. The
goose bumps are missing.
The para is missing. The song of mohiner goraguli ’ghore
ferar gaan’…comes to my mind, but there is no ‘ghor’ (home) any more.
Salt lake is not in Salt lake anymore.
