Of parks and music
It was probably the year 2009. We suddenly heard from friends that a huge water body in Santiniketan measuring almost 17 acres, which was public property, was going to be leased to some private party. Because it was public property, everybody, especially the tribals of that area used it for all their water needs, washing, cleaning and bathing.
The alarm bells actually rang when friends passing that way saw this public water body being fenced off. A few enquiries later we realised that the local development authority (SSDA) was handing over this huge water body along with some land around it on lease to a couple from Kolkata who were going to turn it into a private park.
Many of us got together led by an activist resident of Santiniketan and protested against this obvious atrocity. The late Mahashweta Devi, author and human rights activist, came down from Kolkata to join us in the protest rally. For me that was a first: To sit in front of the park gate and shout slogans against the government!
We even heard that a public interest litigation (PIL) had been filed against such discriminatory practices. But a few enquiries later we realised that the PIL was filed by a friend of the couple in order to ward off any other genuine PIL.
Needless to say, we were unable to stop the inevitable and watched helplessly as the entire pond was fenced off and restaurants and club houses sprang up inside. There were also paddle boats for the entertainment of tourists. Very soon car loads and bus loads of picnickers arrived to pay and enjoy the scenic beauty of the park.
Most of us, especially old Santiniketan hands stayed away, disgusted by the obvious private profiteering from an erstwhile public utility. But public memory is short. Recently we got email and Facebook and Whatsapp messages informing us of a musical event that was going to be held in honour of a celebrated sculptor from Santiniketan who had passed away a few years ago.
The music conference had many celebrated names and the event was being sponsored by an art gallery based in Kolkata. A few of us refused to be a part of this but many of our friends who had protested against the park did fall for the free invite. Those who attended talked about how well the show was mounted. Seems it was a treat for the aural senses and the sheer professionalism of the mounting got much appreciation. Particularly, as a lot of events in recent times in Santiniketan have been pretty tacky and reeking of unprofessionalism. Many of those who attended were rather taken in by the fact that even free transport was arranged for those who attended the event to return home at night.
To our cynical minds this spending on the stage, the backdrop, free transport was a small price to pay for the leaseholders of the property to gain social sanctity from old Santiniketan residents. It is one thing for picnickers from surrounding villages to come and frolic in the park and quite another for a whole music conference held there to be attended by the “elite” of Santiniketan.
Many of our friends thought we were being cussed. After all, the lease holders, they argued, had kept the park clean and this could hardly be said about most open spaces in Santiniketan. But most spaces in Santiniketan are full of garbage because we do not have a municipality. Handing over large chunks of public lands to private profiteering can hardly be the solution for a clean environment.