Spirits high but footfall low in reclaim-Mahalaya rallies in Kol
Times of India | 3 October 2024
Kolkata: Slogans, art, street plays and high spirits drove Kolkata’s night-long protest up to Mahalaya dawn, though footfall was relatively low in comparison to earlier occasions when streets had been completely swarmed by protesters. Citizens who came out to participate in the night-long vigil protested at various points — from Garia to Ruby, Jadavpur to Gariahat, Academy to Shyambazar and Baguiati — demanding justice for the RG Kar victim, as well as to celebrate womanhood and female power as Mahalaya marks the beginning of Debi paksha.
The cultural protest at Jadavpur 8B bus stand, organized by Jadavpur Puratani and Sanghati, saw a constant participation of at least 200 people till dawn. “There were street plays, songs and some speeches throughout the night. When we ended the programme at 4 am, there were at least 100 people. In comparison to previous programmes, the crowd has become smaller. It may be that protests were scattered in other neighbourhoods and there were other rallies on Tuesday. Moreover, on previous occasions, we saw such large participation because the incident had happened just then and people vented their anger and frustrations,” said Arundhuti Bhattacharjee, an ex-student of JU.
At Shyambazar More, around 80-100 people had initially assembled at Tuesday midnight. But as the night progressed, the crowd started dispersing. Tuhin Das of The People’s Forum said, “At 4 am, we were around 30 people near the Netaji statue at Shyambazar. We lit torches and shouted slogans at dawn just at the time when ‘Mahishasur Madini’ started playing on the radio. The turnout has dropped this time, probably due to fatigue or because many had other plans for Mahalaya instead of participating in a protest,” he said.
Srijani Basu, member of ‘Banglar Abhyay’ that organised the night-long cultural protest at Ruby More, said there was a considerable crowd of more than 200 people from 12 am to 2 am, who painted the streets, performed plays and shouted slogans. But after that, the crowd became thin, though spirits were still high. “At dawn, there were around 100 people when ‘Mahishasur Mardini’ was being played. Since more than a month has passed since the RG Kar incident, it may not always be possible for the common people to participate in night-long protests as they have their jobs and other household responsibilities,” Basu said.
At Gariahat, alumni of various south Kolkata schools participated in the protest, painting the streets, staging plays, singing and sloganeering through the night. “The participation has been a bit low because many told us they have morning rituals and traditions to perform on Mahalaya and could not make it,” said Romit Basu, an alumni of Nava Nalanda.
The cultural protest on Fern Road from 9 pm on Tuesday to 12 am on Wednesday, organised by the alumni of Jagadbandhu Institution, saw an initial crowd of nearly 400. “But as the night progressed, the number came down to 200. At midnight, there were nearly 100 people,” said Sandip Chatterjee, secretary of Jagadbandhu Institution Alumni Association.
Baguiati Pratibadi Mancha staged a cultural protest — ‘No more silence’ — on Mahalaya morning from 4 am as protesters danced and put up street plays. “More than 150 people spontaneously participated in the cultural protest, braving the rain on Wednesday morning,” said Paushali Bhattacharjee, one of the organisers. A cultural protest rally also took place from Garia More to Jadavpur 8B bus stand on Wednesday morning.
A mass convention was arranged by a section of teachers under the banner ‘Teachers for R G Kar’ at JU’s TEQIP seminar hall on Wednesday, which saw former MP Jawhar Sircar, headmistress Monalisa Maity, actor Debalina Dutta and doctor Kunal Sarkar as speakers.