Apologies, please

Apologies are maybe the best way to wash your hands off an affair- a sticky situation- if you are not so foolish as to bring in ego in between.

So it seems to be nowadays with every announcement in alternate metro stations asking for forgiveness in silken voice for yet another technical snag. And thus the Haryanvis and the Delhiites and the UP-ites recall your sister, say them a thing or two, but are placated. We don't complain, crib in front of the ones managing the train and even if we do, we won't get back the lost time.

On the other hand, a railway accident or an air disaster or a bomb explosion is immediately followed by apolo

gies in excess by the Mamata Banerjees and the Praful Patels and the Chidambarams. I am sorry that you lost your husband or your child in the blast. The family of the ones killed will be awarded Rs 1,00,000; the family of the ones seriously injured Rs 50,000 and the families of the ones with cuts and bruises, but in mental agony (sic) Rs 25,000. And that's the end of the chapter? No, of course not! We even have a Bravery award for the 'martyr', who laid down his life, trying to save a fellow passenger, and a promise that this kind of an event won't be repeated again (not in the next one month, at least) And we are left bereaving for our loved ones for the rest of our lives with the Rs 70,000 (The 1 lakh does not reach the family, I am sure, as it gets channelized in the way) tucked away in a corner. Because the candle-light vigils and the dharnas won't guarantee a stop to the disasters.

Gone are those days when you used to pour your heart out in an apology. A sorry, nowadays, is barfed only to save yourself of an affair, gone awry. An apology, sadly, does not mean that I will look into the matter and bring out a solution and try my best so that it does not happen further. The dwindling relevance of a heartfelt apology in today's social and moral construct is omnipresent.

And if you think I am sermonizing or being very cynical, well...what can I say...I apologize!

Bengalimbo?

For all the predictions and prophecy of the debacle of the Left rule in the state you may know, Bengal could be staring at a bleak future. Primarily because the proponent party which is apparently blowing the bugle of "revolution" and "change" might be equally disastrous or even worse, possibly the latter of the two.

The Trinamool opposition in West Bengal might be unparalleled in recent years and the rabble-happy chief might have found admirers in the Bangla heartland, with her fiery slogans and nev

er-say-die attitude and open resistance to the CPI(M) rule besides her apparent simplicity of living and straightforward approach to questions, but the TMC clout in the state would never have been possible if not for the blunders creat

ed by the overconfident, rash, hasty, unaccommodative, backward, cynical and torturous approach of the now-ruling-CPI(M) in the state.

Experts say Ex-CM Jyoti Basu made fewer mistakes than the current minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who is a tad more overactive than the bound parameters which a Leftist dwells in and is expected to be constrained in by the chief party agenda and whip. If it was not the forcible acquisition of land of the farmers in Singur and Nandigram, if it was not for the indiscriminate firing on the local protesters by the Police which led to deaths, if it was not for crossing of "Laxman Rekha" of the party principle of anti-capitalism by attracting investments in the state in lieu of poor compensation- the resistance put up by TMC would not have found a popular backing. Bhattacharjee, maybe, had his own obligations of ushering in development in the state but the way it was done didn't let his intentions gain much sympathy and thus, startingly, a bunch of Leftists in West Bengal left the fabric to join hands with Mamata's party, fresh and resistant in its approach.

Apart from these factors, of course, the notorious history of the tyrannical rule of the Left in Bengal petted a caustic response in the hearts of the sufferers in the state and it gushed out when they found an outlet of anti-incumbency in the TMC .

Having said that, the TMC, when it comes to power after the 2011 Assembly elections in Bengal, where people believe the Left would be routed, it would be facing an uphill task to deliver the promises made to the people in the state. Firstly, the party has very few prominent faces (barring the intelligensia which would never plunge head over heels in politics and even if they do, they have little chances of survival) apart from, of course, our lady herself. A Partho Chatterjee and a Mukul Roy is nowhere in comparison with Mamata, at least yet. It needs backup leaders to begin with. Secondly, TMC's alliance with Congress is crucial to sustain the victory in the state. If the Congress, somehow, pulls the plug out of the ruling government if Mamata disagrees to a coalition in the state or flouts the coalition agenda, then the TMC will find it tough to battle it on its own. Mamata's next term as the Union Railway minister is very dicey. A friction with the Congress in the National level would, no doubt, make the job of Mamata harder to sustain in the National arena too. A position which would contribute to a loss of image of the leader and the loss of stance of the party, which now, still in its nascent stage, would need the crutch of backing by the ruling power to emerge wholly and successfully. Thirdly, Mamata will have a tough time appeasing the Maoists, for whose cause she is fighting so ardently now. If the affection towards them are not continued, it won't take a second for the guerrillas to train their guns at teh leader. Fourthly, the Left won't be an easy task to trounce if they oppose vehemently in support with their muscle power and longer years of "understanding", once the TMC comes to power . For example, CPI(M) would take recourse to the same set of arguments and resistance if tomorrow, Mamata attracts a Salim in the state, as the TMC did when CPI(M) were the caller. A looming threat is the activism of the student unions and workers of both the party.

What is baffling is- if the TMC messes its rule in the state, will the people again vote the CPI(M) back to power? So, is it a vicious circle of fruitless dependence and less choice that we are in today, or will be facing in the future? Is it the double existence of dwelling in a limbo and breaking into violence and calling strikes, that we, the people of Bengal, are staring at?