One is tempted to agree to disagree with the title of the puja number of “Janaswartha Barta” as perceptions of what issues and factors are in the interest of the people and which are the ones which ought not to be included in this category differ. In fact, the gap between the two appears to be almost too wide to be bridged. For the tendency of imposing the choice of one’s politics and policies evolving from it on a larger group of individuals is often too tempting to be resisted.
The trend of several of the write-ups are definitely veering left of centre with more than a smattering of middle of the road pieces which seeks to strike a balance. It needs to be mentioned that key political figures of the day and their game plan at the recently held hustings come under the scanner and conclusions drawn from such views up close are anything but complimentary.
Teeing off with a slew of write-ups on Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the articles on Marx in this festival number are quite varied though one is intrigued to ask as to why there so much discussion of his theories at a time after they have been binned in lands where they had much currency.
Both Russia and China have embarked on paths which make it a point to steer away from Marxism. But the write-ups on Gandhiji’s influence on Satinath Bhaduri, Tagore abroad, Prafulla Chandra Roy, A K Roy, surbahar exponent Annapurna Devi, what Kolkata looked from an environmental angle, challenges before parliamentary democracy and saffron fascism correct a bias which threatened to mar a thinking man’s journal into an ideological mouth piece.