Kolkata confidential

Security overdrive?
Even if you are not sure if the police are alert,even if you’re not sure if that the government is doing enough to secure you from terrorists,reassurance is at hand — in the form of cyber café owners. At a café on the Sudder Street,the hub of foreign budget tourists,two Israeli travellers were heard thinking aloud about the safety of Kolkata as a city. Not because they had not been swindled by shopkeepers,or has found police nabbing pickpockets,but because they were photographed by cyber café owners for ‘security reasons’. Upon questioning,they were told that post the Mumbai blasts,the café owner was keeping photographs of people who might turn out to be terrorists!

Buladi gets aides
The masses may fight shy of discussing the much- hyped AIDS Mascot Buladi,but mercifully,ministers are being sensible about it. Lately Buladi found a champion in the minister for minority development and madrasa education,Abdus Sattar. In fact,he refers to BulaDi in most of his public addresses. His argument is that the inquisitiveness of children has no bounds. So when a child asks questions after seeing a Buladi billboard,teachers should not scold them for asking unnecessary questions but explain the matter within permissible limits.

Upside down
For the first time,tables have been turned on the mighty CPM — albeit in the small pocket of Nandigram. The usual phrases like “rigging” and “terror” — used liberally by the Opposition during and after elections — seems to be the watchword for the ruling party now. After Trinamool Congress’ landslide victory,everyone in CPM — from state secretary Biman Bose to the grassroot cadre — is pointing fingers at “Trinamool terror” in the villages. “They have rigged the polls,” is the standard excuse. For Mamata Banerjee too,it is a role reversal of sorts. She praised the administration for doing a good job,saying “the elections were peaceful,people could vote”.