Kolkata confidential

Left Front MLAs who recently met Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi at Raj Bhavan to protest against the attacks on CPM supporters across the state were in for a pleasant surprise when he began talking with them in Bangla...

Honorary Bong?
Left Front MLAs who recently met Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi at Raj Bhavan to protest against the attacks on CPM supporters across the state were in for a pleasant surprise when he began talking with them in Bangla,a language he has been learning since he took over as the Governor four years ago. Well it was not impeccable,but the MLAs,who also spoke in Bengali,did not have any problem in understanding him. Besides,the LF leaders who in any case were not quite friendly with the Governor were moved by his gesture.

Remembered,in nick of time
The already green stretch of Southern Avenue got four new plants when Trinamool leader Mamata Bannerjee planted the saplings. She spoke about a green city,Aila effect and preserving the world for the future generation. After she was done with her speech and was about to leave,suddenly she realised she had something more to add. By then the media had left but she refused to budge. She started speaking again and journalists had little choice but to hear her out. And then she spoke about global warming. After she left,her party members slurped tea in plastic cups and threw them on the ground next to the newly planted saplings.

Last hope
Even the CPM government in West Bengal is hoping that Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal will give succour to the higher education sector of the state.
During the last UPA government,though the communists were with the UPA,they could not reap much benefit as earlier minister Arjun Singh was busy with ideological rather than development issues. The state neither got a new IIT or IIM or even a Central varsity. Even the IIEST status to the Bengal Engineering and Science University was denied on the basis of newspaper reports of campus violence. Expressing disappointment over the tenure of Arjun Singh,even the state Higher Education Minister Sudarshan Roychowdhury said in last five years the Central Advisory Board of Education met only once before the elections,and he has high hopes from the new minister.

Mind your manners
Seems the CPM has become shaky after the poll fiasco. At the recent budget session of the KMC,for instance,as Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya was presenting the budget he was interrupted quite a few times by the Trinamool Congress. Angry at being repeatedly interrupted and sarcastic comments of the Opposition,the mayor suddenly blurted out: Why do you people not keep quiet and listen to what is being said? And even when the Opposition did not stop,the mayor said: Why do you not listen to things carefully and be courteous when others are talking. At least have some manners.

Identity crisis
The citys glitterati and intellectuals recently turned up at the launch of a book on iconic filmmaker Mrinal Sen at a city bookstore. The event was attended by the likes of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and author Sunil Gangyopadhyay. The book launch was followed by the screening of an AV,made when the filmmaker was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. With Sen around,one expects a degree of caution while talking about films,at least. Post screening,however,the host of the evening graciously applauded the short film on Sen that was screened. It was nice to see the great short film on Mrinal da, a socialite said. Meanwhile,the venue,crowded to the brim,also had some curious onlookers. A man was overheard asking a scribe,pointing towards the filmmaker,Is that Mrinal Sen? As soon as the appalled scribe snapped in affirmation,he started clicking pictures of Sen on his mobile phone.

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