The Kalighat Temple in Kolkata has seen few devotees this season; the sweltering heat and the raging pandemic have kept them and their prayers indoors. So, when a white Swift Dzire pulled up about 200m away from the temple, and a sophisticated white-haired man stepped out, the few onlookers there were surprised. Subrata Saha, a retired Army lieutenant general and a PhD holder in defence studies, waited on the pavement, mask on. Soon, a truck sporting a BJP banner and filled with party workers stopped in front of him. It was only then that the people realised that the man was the BJP candidate in their constituency—Rasbehari.
A roadside vendor went up to him with tea in a paper cup. Saha took off his mask, smiled, and took a few sips. The campaign had begun. Rasbehari, which will go to the polls on April 26, is an urban constituency with both upper-class intellectuals and the slum-dwelling poor.
After finishing his tea, Saha met one of his first prospective voters—a nonagenarian seated on a bench in the tea shop. Being told that Saha was a former Army man, the man said: “I do not care which party you belong to, but as a freedom fighter I must salute you.”
But when asked for his vote, the man became guarded. “Sorry general,” he said. “I cannot tell you whether I will vote for you or not. But you are an able man to join politics. I am proud to meet you.” Saha smiled and returned the compliment.
This story is from the May 02, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 02, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Divides And Dividends
Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Playing it cool
Everybody knows what 420 means in the Indian context. But in American parlance it is something very different: four-twenty or 4/20 or April 20 denotes cannabis celebration; its cultural references are rooted in the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
The heroine's new clothes
Who else but Sanjay Leela Bhansali could bring on a wardrobe reset like the one in his just-dropped period piece—an eight-part Netflix series called Heeramandi?
AI & I
Through her book Code Dependent—shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction—Madhumita Murgia gives voice to the voiceless multitudes impacted by artificial intelligence
Untold tales from war
Camouflaged is a collection of 10 deeply researched stories, ranging from the world wars to the 26/11 terror attacks
Hair force
Sheetal Mallar, in her photobook Braided, uses hair as a metaphor to tell a story that is personal yet universal
THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES
The first time Adarsh Gourav made an impression was in Ramin Bahrani's 2021 film The White Tiger, a gripping adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker-winning novel.
The art of political protest
The past doesn’t always remain in the past. Sometimes, it emerges in the present, reminding us about the universality and repetitiveness of the human experience. Berlin’s George Grosz Museum, a tiny gem, is a startling reminder that modern political and social ills are not modern. Grosz lived through World Wars I and II, shining a torch into the heart of darkness in high-ranking men and women—who were complicit in the collapse of the world as they knew it.
REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES
A Chennai company is making waves in the world of space tech startups
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE US HAS SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, THERE ARE WIDELY DIFFERING OPINIONS AND FEELINGS