Keya Sarkar: The making of a 'village'

When I decided to settle in Santiniketan it was because I was a trifle tired of the many things to ‘do’ in Mumbai. But since I have moved I have met many who lament the ‘nothing-to-do-ness” of the place. While I have decided to live here, those looking for activity are typically weekend visitors. If I had thought that the lack of contrived entertainment was the charm of Santiniketan, I was wrong. What you do not need money to buy is clearly not worth having, is the new credo.

About a decade ago, the Santiniketan Sriniketan Development Authority (SSDA) under the able leadership of Somenath Chatterjee in a venture with Peerless Housing promoted the concept of apartments hitherto unknown to Tagore land. While residents were aghast at the ugliness of indistinguishable rows of apartment blocks in white concrete, the new rich from Kolkata obviously loved this ‘look-at-me-ness’ of these modern monuments sans any foliage — they have their very own bullock cart fashioned in cement and stationed in their compound! The success of this venture is obvious from the fact that the promoter-builder lobby has since embarked on a building spree with the blessings of the SSDA, needless to say.

The benevolent SSDA in a great spirit of customer delight acquired a near-25 acre plot of land which included Lahabandh, a water body of around 17 acres, and decided to turn it into an aqua park. That residents had used it for irrigating their land and for all their household needs was irrelevant to those invested with the task of making Santiniketan a true tourist destination.

From what I have heard, from those in the know, the initial plan was truly amazing. It was to build a sandy island in the middle of the water body so that visitors and frolickers could paddle up to the island for some drinks and sea food! But Mr Chatterjee and his band of promoters are much misunderstood and the intellectuals of Bengal actually filed a PIL against such wonderful plans which would restrict public access to a water body in use for over 300 years.

The promoters and SSDA gave the court an undertaking that no work besides dredging would take place before the court verdict. But suddenly last month some of the residents got to know that the park was being inaugurated. So of course there was a hurriedly put together but high-profile protest campaign and the promoters chose to cancel the inauguration and stay away. But the fact remains that much has been done besides dredging and whatever be the court verdict, another bit of Tagore heritage (in fact, the water body and adjoining land falls within the territorial jurisdiction of the Visva Bharati University) is lost to the greed of the land sharks. For it will not be long before the aqua park will be found to be unviable, the water-body filled, apartments built and sold.

I had once met the promoter in Santiniketan. On being introduced, she spoke of her vision of the park and an adjoining village that she wishes to build for her grandchildren who reside in the US. In a land of villages why on earth would anybody need to build another to give your loved ones a village experience? I had taken it for a joke. It is only now that I know that it was in earnest. Friends of the promoters from Kolkata who have been allowed in for a preview, vouch for plastic insects and clay goats amidst the jogging track! The real ones can only peer through the gate.