Kolkata's Intellectuals in Willful Slumber

Courtesy: Facebook

Nidhu Bhusan Das

Intelligentsia in West Bengal,proud of being ahead of that of the rest of the world,are in rest for now.Rest they need have after relentless exercise of the brains for rejuvenation to react to larger issues to evolve.Let the space now be taken by commonest of the commoners to protest against the trivial issues or non-issues like that of the death sentence of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadav in Pakistan.The intervention of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case  is not at all significant and worth noticing,probably because a legal luminary like the one who along with other intellectuals of global impact takes to the street of Kolkata to eat beef for the people to see to reassert their progressive credentials in the climate of 'Intolerance’ has not been assigned the task of representing India in the UN judicial forum.

Instead a handful hijab clad Muslim women came out.in the open, placards in hand and slogans on lips against the insolence of Pakistan and Islamabad’s proxy war against India by way of promoting cross border terrorism.Such things are not important because Kolkata's intellectuals do not think so.After all we tend to bask in the glory showered on us when it was said “What Bengal thinks today,the rest of India thinks tomorrow…”

The women staged protest at Ramlila Maidan,Kolkata chanting slogans like “Down with Pakistan”.

International Karate Coach M.A. Ali who organized the demonstration said : “Pakistan promotes terrorism.We cannot and will not keep mum.” Let the intellectuals be in strategic and studied slumber when the commoners take the space.After all,the intelligentsia cannot and should not mingle with,below their dignity, the brainless flock who are thought to be there only to be shepherded,not be shepherded.

Aoa,a street urchin who participated in the slogan chanting, unnoticed might have thought: “The glittering gentle folks may have developed obesity and need karate lessons to repeat their street antics and walkathons in a jolly mood to be photographed and videographed for media coverage.”

All hail our merry-go-round cerebral celebrities and glitterati.