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| -Obits- |
| Marxist of the masses |
| 2010-01-18 |
| The gentle silence of a last goodbye began to seep through the Calcutta dusk on January 6 as Jyoti Basu's city began to absorb the final drift of an icon from the shadow of age to the darkness of eternity. It had heard the code words ‘critical' and ventilator'. There was nothing left to say. Jyoti Basu bid a formal farewell many years ago, without fuss. If he felt a human tinge of regret as he stepped out of the office that had become synonymous with his name, he did not show it. Perhaps he was born amid the sophisticated pre-Partition gentry of East Bengal with a stiff upper lip. Maybe he acquired it in England. More at the link |
| Posted by:Glimp Chinert2976 |
| #1 Basu and Bengal were made for each other His government adopted measures such as the abolition of English teaching till class 5 and the politicisation of institutions which set West Bengal behind by decades. Trade union militancy and crippling power cuts led to the decimation of small and medium industry. To the investing classes, Bengal became a big no-no. Its efficiency was limited to the organisation of bandhs. Jyoti Basu was IndiaÂ’s longest-serving Chief Minister, being in office for 23 years. Politically, his achievement is colossal. However, measured against where West Bengal stood in 1977 against where it reached in 2000, Basu will be regarded as one of the most spectacular non-achievers in recent times. He inherited a crumbling edifice and bequeathed a similar structure to his predecessor. He merely prevented the roof from caving in. Maybe BasuÂ’s exalted status is a reflection of the Bengali distaste for both achievement and change. Basu and Bengal were made for each other. |
| Posted by: john frum 2010-01-18 17:06 |