The Fight - Page 4

This is OUR home, and the responsibility for its upkeep lies principally with US. Leave a Vaccuum, others will move in. Eternal Vigil for eternal Freedom!

Parking before no-parking sign. Callous violation of rules.
As members approach with camera, the driver hurriedly sits up. Identity of car and driver has been deliberately blurred to save the owner some embarrassment.

The real story is about heroes working silently, and relentlessly behind the scene. About people who have ignored personal safety so that others may feel safe and civilized.

The almost zero tolerance attitude of our members to illegal parking, unauthorized dumping(on parts of the road indicated by the authority), or creating nuisance(that is, shamelessly giving in to nature's call!).

This is slowly, but surely having an effect. The rules, or non-rules of the area are changing. Nowadays even strangers to the region tend to look over their shoulders before thinking of unzipping by the fence. One or two unfortunately harsh but necessary encounters with members had had an effect, it seems. Obviously it is not possible to catch everyone, but that continuous "stream" of people urinating by the pond has been checked.

We had had frequent encounters with truckers in hours past midnight. Some relented easily, some had to persuaded, and some even used personal threats. On one such occasion, a mobile police vehicle was despatched immediately. Even though the trucker had escaped by the time the police arrived, Mr. Swapan Bagchi, present(this web page written in August 2003) Inspector in Charge of Jadavpur Police Station personally looked into the matter and allayed our apprehensions.

It hasn't been easy for members to maintain this 'paranoiac-critical' state of mind. What with all the other worries of life. But a sense of pride and of survival have driven them. That, as well as fears of recurrence of our HORRIBLE past.

Things have settled down a bit. We are still waiting on the Councillor's(ward 93) promise to renovate the pond. There has been some movement in that direction which we will let you know the moment it becomes official. To be fair to him, he has been meeting us regularly and assuring us on the progress of the project. We are quite hopeful. even if things do not come out as expected, we always have ourselves to fall back upon. Like we did on 24th Feb 2002.

But seriously, pond or no pond, nothing will succeed if this unity is allowed to peter out. By nature, we are self-centered until a crisis looms up. The crisis in our locality is presently insidious in nature. The goons haven't disappeared, they are simply lurking. So are the trucks. The seige of Kolkata will continue in the current socio-economic situation - people will continue to migrate to the city in search of livelihood. They have every right to do so. And civic rules will be flouted. But we do not need to simply stand by and watch as beautiful neighbourhoods are reduced to slums. Nor should we stop trying to change filthy slums into habitable greeneries. Or timidly accept rules laid down by opportunistic goons. Construction activity must not proceed at the cost of our security, or generate extortionists and miscreants.

All that is possible only at the cost of a wonderfully isolated existence. But that was in the past. The most incorrigible introverts amongst us have come out. People with talents are emerging at every cultural programme we have organized. Even though "familiarity breeds contempt" it is a risk we had to take. For our own sake. For everyones' sake. Through various yearly events we are gradually begining to develop an understanding amongst ourselves. Soon, a culture of unity will develop, rich enough to resist "outside" interference. Till then,

The Vigil continues...

See How Central Road looks in August 2003. (new window)
Read about ongoing crisis (September 2003) (new window)

Read on > Yearly Events
Read back < The Fence