The battle now is at fever pitch. The effects are getting to us - am currently down with fever - the daily onslaught of a 1000 blaring mikes, posters, banners, hoardings, flyers, processions, meetings is as bothersome as the hot humid weather.
It had began sedately enough but gained momentum, the battle being mainly between TMC & CPM (but ofcourse). A few lotuses here and there and I think I saw one hoarding (smallish) of Pranab Mukherjee. Local para Party offices opened up - CPM and TMC have theirs in ground floors of vacant buildings at right angles to each other, near my office.
BJP is content to a few flags tied to posts at the bus stand, accross the Diamond Harbour Road - which are there one day and gone the next.
With about 2 weeks remaining, the final onslaught is on. Work keeps me to this side of Kolkata and so I don't know what the scenarios are in traditional CPM strongholds - but unless they come up with something drastic, TMC seems to be winning the battle (of visibility) hands down!
It had began sedately enough but gained momentum, the battle being mainly between TMC & CPM (but ofcourse). A few lotuses here and there and I think I saw one hoarding (smallish) of Pranab Mukherjee. Local para Party offices opened up - CPM and TMC have theirs in ground floors of vacant buildings at right angles to each other, near my office.
BJP is content to a few flags tied to posts at the bus stand, accross the Diamond Harbour Road - which are there one day and gone the next.With about 2 weeks remaining, the final onslaught is on. Work keeps me to this side of Kolkata and so I don't know what the scenarios are in traditional CPM strongholds - but unless they come up with something drastic, TMC seems to be winning the battle (of visibility) hands down!
Didi's is everywhere...Slightly larger than life size cut outs are dotting the landscape. There is one just down the Kalighat bridge - on your right. In her white saree, peering in through over hanging branches...standing a top a small cement stoop...like she is about to hail a bus and step in!
And yesterday - the Coup de Grace: I got the schock of my life when I looked out of the bus window and saw didi, hands folded, serenely suicidal in the middle of the tram tracks. On a closer look ... it was a cutout in the space between the tracks ...but pretty effective one!
How do others or even TMC itself top this? Atleast the others have the option of saying that they don't indulge in such gimmicks! But hey...if nothing else, it does provide much needed comic relief.
3 comments:
Dunkeys ekdom!!
'serenely suicidal' is such a marvellous wordplay. Did they re-orient the cutouts of the 'didi' ? The last time I travelled down P A Shah Road or, even James Long Sarani, all her cut-outs had the image inverted (the wristwatch was on the opposite hand to begin with). The route you take should traditionally have garish graffiti from the ruling party, I guess the recent strictures have made the artists eke out a different mode of earning money. I heard that the heat, dust and humidity have compelled the parties to campaign during the soothing hours of morning and evening to rattle the eardrums. Is that what is happening ?
Actually they are not garish (as much is possible for larger than life didi to be not garish)! And gosh Sherlock...what a vision to have noticed the inverted image!
Heat and humidity and dust is NOT a deterrant to them and we are developing mental block to all michils and morchas...and hence the shock tactics like cutouts on tram tracks :-)
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