The intellectual, well-read Bengali needs to wake up to the fact that all the revolutionary ideas that they have read while growing up, are not to be taken merely in a cerebral manner, but is also to be implemented in day-to-day life.
I came to Kolkata a year back. Been in Delhi for 15 years (2005-2015). Delhi was love. Delhi taught me how to stand up on my two feet, to stand up for myself and to stand up for others. And no matter what we do in Delhi, for better or for worse, it gets highlighted. Delhi gave me the opportunity to understand the corporate world and professionalism, it allowed me to mix with the political clout - the AAP, the Ministers and Bureaucracy of the ruling parties in State and Center. My career also allowed me to rub shoulders with the who's who of the industry - the C-suite of the top business houses, and the media.
On the streets of Delhi, I have seen pride walks, slut walks, campaigns against rape laws, I have seen the presence and absence of police and administration. I have seen rowdy neighbours, but I have also had the delight to be with neighbors who were like a network and did not hesitate to knock on my door and send me soup and medicine, even as a contagious pandemic raged outside. In corporate houses, I have seen talks on gender, diversity & inclusion. I have sat through hours of meetings choking on an ominous smog trying to understand how to build a sustainable environment.
But in Kolkata, I am having a very different experience. I see how a lot of things that people elsewhere are revolutionizing is still normalised here. It may not be for everyone and everytime. But more or less, I am observing a few things in disturbia -
- 1. In marriage, while on papers it is a shared responsibility, in practical life you are still expected to behave in a certain way, and naturally undertake certain responsibilities
- 2. Working/career in many cases is an option. You may be expected to be a homemaker before anything else.
- 3. Social circle and social interaction may have a divide. Men sit with men, women with women.
- 4. Much less women drive
- 5. A lot more people are homophobic - LGBTQ to them is a Western concept. Especially a lot of the men here think gays are abominable
- 6. The word "rape" or rape-jokes are sometimes loosely used in a humorous way, whereas in Delhi many people have risen to the fact that this is not alright, and rather offensive
- 7. Plastic usage is very heavy, waste segregation is poor
- 8. Beating their children is a thing. Cognizance of child abuse and child psychology is low
- 9. Divorce is a stigma. By having a divorce, the belief is you break the family. So you keep holding on to bad marriages for sake of society
- 10. Neighbourhood is interfering most of the time and want a piece of your personal life. But are not useful when you really need them in sickness etc.
While not all of the above may not be true for every household of every locality, but I have highlighted at best an approximation of my observation.
#jaagoBengalijaago
