Is this the day bandh died? Some think so

Monday morning traffic in Ultadanga. Picture by Sanant Kumar Sinha

TT, Calcutta, Nov. 28: If the Bengal Bandh had had enough of its bedridden life, Monday was a good day to die.

The CPM had called a 12-hour bandh today to protest the implementation of demonetisation but life more or less went on as usual in Bengal.

CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, who had last evening taken an insurance policy by declaring that "success" was not the aim of the bandh, could not marshal more than 200 people for a "large rally" in central Calcutta.

On the same day, over one lakh people marched with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had rejected the bandh call and made it a point to ensure that vehicles moved on the other side of the road as her procession wound its way through the heart of Calcutta.

Some did not hesitate to write an obituary for the bandh. "I think it was probably the last day of bandh in Bengal.... In future, people may say that bandh died this day," said Trinamul leader and Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose conceded: "The question of calling today's strike a total success does not arise. But yes, it was a partial success."

Bose added: "We have learnt from today's response to our call for a strike or hartal."

Vignettes from across the state suggest why November 28, 2016, may make it to the tombstone of the disruptive device that held Bengal to ransom for decades.

Give us exam

Teachers of Kailashchandra Radharani Vidyapith at Raiganj in North Dianjpur had to face an uprising this morning when locked school gates and cancelled exams confronted students.

"We had a maths exam today but the teachers said the school was shut. No one had stopped us from coming to school and we didn't want a bandh.... We entered the school as we wanted to take the exam. It began at 10am instead of 9am," said Subhankar Das, a Class IX student.

The headmaster said the decision to shut the school had been taken in the students' interest but the students forced the teachers to change the decision.

Fish flies

Arati Das, a fish-seller at Mechhobazar in Tamluk, normally stocks 20-25kg of fish but she reduced it to 10kg today, expecting fewer customers than usual.

But the buyers turned up as usual. Demand outstripped supply, which meant the prices climbed. "I normally sell uncut katla for Rs 160 to Rs 170 a kg. But today, I sold it for Rs 250 a kg. I sold bhetki for Rs 350, about Rs 100 more than usual," Arati said.

Gora Karmakar of Heria, about 40km from Tamluk town, had called it wrong too: "I thought there would not be many buyers on a bandh day. But the flow of customers was normal and those who sold, made a profit. I should have gone to the market with my fish."

'Capital' cold

Life was normal also in Siliguri, known as the "bandh capital" of the state because holidaymakers converge there from tourism hotspots at the hint of trouble.

"It is unusual to see a strike fail to have any impact on Siliguri," said Subrata Dutta, who works in a pharmaceutical company.

Auto policy

A notice was seen on a board at the Ruby hospital auto stand, "requesting" owners and drivers to ensure that normal services were not disrupted on Monday. The notice was issued by Trinamul's trade wing, which runs the union. Around 1pm, at least 15 autos could be seen at the stand.

In south Calcutta, across 135 auto routes, INTTUC leaders had instructed the drivers and operators to turn up. "Even if some of them joined the rally, the instruction was to come back and resume services," said Suvasish Chakrabarty, INTTUC south Calcutta president.

The state administration promised bus and taxi owners compensation in case of any damage. Several private bus and minibus operators said the shield encouraged them to take out their vehicles in greater numbers. "We had gone to great lengths to work this out with insurance companies," said transport minister Subhendu Adhikary.

The prepaid booth at Howrah station was packed with yellow taxis.