Anna Hazare demo at Park Street

A shout away from Flurys on Park Street,a man,in his suit-tie boardroom glory,steps impatiently out of his car stranded in an unusually slow afternoon traffic and walks briskly to the traffic constables posted at the crossing.

A shout away from Flurys on Park Street,a man,in his suit-tie boardroom glory,steps impatiently out of his car stranded in an unusually slow afternoon traffic and walks briskly to the traffic constables posted at the crossing. Oi,Anna Hazare, constable Ghosh points wearily at the Camac Street-Park Street crossing to the fuming gentleman,who is now wriggling out of his grey blazer as he walks back to his immobile car. Park Street at 4 in the afternoon isnt really a traffic nightmare. Only if a handful of Anna Hazare sympathizers didnt descend on the important city crossing to shout slogans in support.

A brief walk down the street takes you to the mentioned crossing in trouble. With TV vans stationed hawk-like,its easy to fear a Ramlila replay right at the heart of the city. However,as you walk closer you are greeted with a rather muffled slogan chanting. A small group in the centre,looks around furtively and solemnly into TV cameras alternately. A camera guy prompts,You there,put on your topi. Girl had just taken it off to smoothen her bangs across her forehead. She puts its back hurriedly and TV camera guy circles the small group intently.

At the back,lounging against road dividers used to cordon them off,another group of teens smile back at each others phone cameras for that perfect Facebook Mi Anna Hazare profile snap.

Its nearly five. Cars crawl reluctantly towards the Mullickbazar crossing. Kono mane hoi (Does this make any sense at all)? snaps busy-looking guy as he gets off his cab to walk towards Camac Street. Empathiser waiting on the same flank of the road to cross it smirks,Now that Mamata has stopped all this drama,some one had to take it up right? How can there be a dharna in the country and the ripples not travel to Kolkata,the dharna centre of India.

Almost three hours later,as the hunger-strike empathizers have religiously retired at KFC,Barista and Flurys,the TV in a coffee shop beams the days breaking news from the city. Anna Hazare brings Kolkata to a standstill, announces the anchor in Bengali. Strangely enough the thirty odd people look like a strong big crowd in the clever frame of the TV camera. What a bother, someone clicks her tongue at the shop,sipping on her iced tea as she shakes her head in disapproval. Public outrage,at least in Kolkata,seems happy remaining within the confines of Facebook status messages.

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