20.1.10

Jyoti Basu : Final Farewell



It was grand. It was humbling. It gave a measure of the man. And that of the people whose destinies he had controlled for 23 years—and beyond. The send off that Kolkata gave Jyoti Babu revived memories of the lion in summer, the zenith of Marxist rule, and, most of all, the megahuman emotions that only this city can summon. From stations, bus depots and swanky garages, all roads led to the assembly hall from Tuesday’s dawn. Whether they made it inside is another matter. For, shortly after noon, the heritage square flanked by the Eden Gardens, high court, assembly and treasury building was a mass of vehicles and snaking lines converging on the various gates of the building where Jyoti Basu’s frail body lay. The VVIPs came and went in a whiz of motorcades. The advocate general of the state haltingly made his way along a broken pavement holding the hand of a policeman, and followed by an entourage of barristers. But it was clear that the day belonged to the masses. In death as in life, it could have been no other way. To native and visiting exile alike, it was clear that Kolkata could still feel, remember, smile, weep and think nothing of time once it had set its mind to register its emotions. Whether it was marching in a belligerent procession, or waiting patiently in a grieving one. Indeed, the melange of emotions is so seamless in this city, that as the tempo-loads of cadres roared past the Shahid Minar in a flutter of hammer-and-sickled flags, the cries of ‘Bhoolbo na!’ sounded uncannily like ‘Cholbey Na’. Maybe they were telling whichever deity the CPM deigns to address that they would not tolerate the taking away of their own Great Helmsman. As clearly, this was no rent-a-rally. Yes the Left parties may have brought in their workers from the mofussil, but the lines of people queuing up were clearly there of their own accord. Notably, they were in their 50s and 60s, the men and women whose youth and passion had coincided with that of the man and perhaps the party—they had come to mourn. They stood in dhotis and starched red-bordered saris, photographs of their beloved leader hung like a placard-pendant from their necks. Their mufflers shielded their heads from the sun, and yes in full force were displayed the ear muffs which seem to be the newest weapon in the Bengali’s winter arsenal. It had been cold and grey the past two days, but even the sun came out on Tuesday to bid goodbye to Jyotibabu. Once the cortege left the assembly hall, and was mounted on the gun carriage which had been parked unobtrusively near the back gate of Raj Bhavan, the ambience became electric. The dam burst. It was another kind of mingling, the solemn controlled march of the army and the unwalled emotions of the crowds. They seemed to segue into each other and it was difficult to realize that cordons separated one from the other. The final vehicle moved down the majestic avenue of Red Road, pulled it seemed by the sheer force of the feelings that charged the atmosphere. Looped with marigolds, piled with the wreaths, the gun carriage crept forward. As reluctantly, as inexorably, as death. And came to rest at the gates of the SSKM hospital. As the sun began to sink, the Last Post was bugled; as the rays slanted, arms were reversed. And in the ochre light of fading day, it was over. All passion spent, the hysterical crowds took over the road. The maidans were overhung with a pall of dust. Placards lay trampled underfoot. It was the last hurrah, the last salaam. It was Jyoti Babu’s last and greatest rally.It was a scene that the people of this country have rarely witnessed: the who’s who of Indian politics coming down to a state capital to pay homage to a communist leader. From UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to BJP veteran L K Advani, leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and H D Dewe Gowda—everybody turned up at the West Bengal assembly where the mortal remains of Jyoti Basu were kept for those who adored him. Even leaders from Bangaldesh, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former president H M Ershad had come down to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

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