22 MARCH 2021 / `50 www.openthemagazine.com CONTENTS 22 MARCH 2021 5 6 12 14 16 18 LOCOMOTIF bengAL DIARY INDIAN ACCENTS TOUCHSTONE WHISPERER OPEN ESSAY The new theology By Swapan Dasgupta The first translator The Eco chamber By Jayanta Ghosal Imperfect pitch of victimhood By Bibek Debroy By Keerthik Sasidharan By James Astill By S Prasannarajan 24 24 AN EAST BENGAL IN WEST BENGAL The 2021 struggle for power is shaped by history, geography, demography—and a miracle by the Mahatma By MJ Akbar 34 THE INDISCREET CHARM OF ABBAS SIDDIQUI Can the sinking Left expect a rainmaker in the brash cleric, its new ally? By Ullekh NP 38 A HERO’S WELCOME 40 46 Former Naxalite, king of B-grade films and hotel magnate Mithun Chakraborty has traversed the political spectrum to finally land a breakout role By Kaveree Bamzai 40 HARVESTING A PROTEST If there is trouble from a resurgent Khalistani politics in Punjab, it is unlikely to follow the 50 54 roadmap of the 1980s By Siddharth Singh 46 TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF The opportunities and pains of India’s tiny seaweed market By Lhendup G Bhutia 62 50 54 60 62 65 66 OWNING HER AGE THE VIOLENT INDIAN PAGE TURNER BRIDE, GROOM, ACTION HOLLYWOOD REPORTER STARGAZER Pooja Bhatt, feisty teen Thomas Blom Hansen The eternity of return The social realism of Viola Davis By Kaveree Bamzai idol and magazine cover on his new book By Mini Kapoor Indian wedding shows on her latest film magnet of the 1990s, is back The Law of Force: The Violent By Aditya Mani Jha Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom By Kaveree Bamzai Heart of Indian Politics By Noel de Souza By Ullekh NP Cover by Saurabh Singh 22 MARCH 2021 www.openthemagazine.com 3 OPEN MAIL [email protected] EDITOR S Prasannarajan LETTER OF THE WEEK MANAGING EDITOR PR Ramesh C EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ullekh NP The upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, EDITOR-AT-LARGE Siddharth Singh DEPUTY EDITORS Madhavankutty Pillai West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry are (Mumbai Bureau Chief), crucial in their own ways for BJP (‘The Scorched-Earth Rahul Pandita, Amita Shah, V Shoba (Bangalore), Nandini Nair Offensive’, March 15th, 2021). We are going to witness CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rohit Chawla a tough fight during the summer heat worsened by ART DIRECTOR Jyoti K Singh SENIOR EDITORS Sudeep Paul, the emerging second wave of Covid-19. Trinamool Lhendup Gyatso Bhutia (Mumbai), Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is playing a game Moinak Mitra, Nikita Doval SENIOR AssOCIATE EDITOR for survival in Nandigram, which first brought her to Antara Raghavan power. In Puducherry, BJP holds the trump card with AssOCIATE EDITOR Vijay K Soni (Web) All India NR Congress as the main partner. In Kerala, ASSISTANT EDITOR Vipul Vivek CHIEF OF GRAPHICS Saurabh Singh opinion polls so far show that the Left Democratic SENIOR DESIGNERS Anup Banerjee, Front is ahead. However, the Congress-led United Veer Pal Singh Democratic Front has covered some lost ground in the PHOTO EDITOR Raul Irani DEPUTY PHOTO EDITOR Ashish Sharma runup to the elections and the final tally might be a VK Sasikala have chosen close one. Tamil Nadu is witnessing a reconstruction wisely by deciding to stay out NATIONAL HEAD-EVENTS AND INITIATIVES Arpita Sachin Ahuja of its electoral space after the loss of its larger-than- of politics (‘An All-Inclusive AVP (ADVERTISING) Rashmi Lata Swarup life politicians, giving BJP a chance to deepen its Deal’, March 15th, 2021). GENERAL MANAGERS (ADVERTISING) significance. In Assam, the opposition may be able To work for the welfare of Uma Srinivasan (South) to chip away at BJP’s victory margins but the saffron people you need a sound NATIONAL HEAD-DISTRIBUTION AND SALES party is likely to return to power. It looks like the race mind and a kind heart, Ajay Gupta REGIONAL HEADS-CIRCULATION between the main rivals will be neck-and-neck not political power. D Charles (South), Melvin George (West), Basab Ghosh (East) in most of these states. Vasudeva Rao P HEAD-PRODUCTION Maneesh Tyagi CK Subramaniam SENIOR MANAGER (PRE-PRESS) PRIVATE LAG Sharad Tailang MANAGER-MARKETING Given the base effect owing Priya Singh to the fact that the economy CHIEF DESIGNER-MARKETING Champak Bhattacharjee ELECTION SEASON Bangla’ will remain elusive is just beginning to recover CFO & HEAD-IT Anil Bisht Though Marxist politics in till the state sees a change. from the pandemic-induced Bengal was about ‘equitable Bholey Bhardwaj lockdown, it is only natural CHIEF EXECUTIVE & PUBLISHER Neeraja Chawla distribution of wealth’, the that economic indicators All rights reserved throughout the state has ended up with While BJP has a well-oiled are showing a jump in the world. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. ‘equitable distribution of electioneering machine, past few quarters (‘The Editor: S Prasannarajan. Printed and published by Neeraja Chawla on behalf poverty’ (‘Demography Is ChiefMinister Mamata Restart’, March 15th, 2021). of the owner, Open Media Network Pvt Destiny’, March 15th, 2021). It Banerjee is also a strong But expecting annual Ltd. Printed at Thomson Press India Ltd, 18-35 Milestone, Delhi Mathura Road, has chased out industrialists campaigner (‘Demography economic growth to go Faridabad-121007, (Haryana). Published at 4, DDA Commercial and traders. And now the Is Destiny’, March 15th, back to 6.5-7 per cent soon is Complex, Panchsheel Park, new mantra is ‘demographic 2021). However, Assembly premature. Especially when New Delhi-110017. Ph: (011) 48500500; Fax: (011) 48500599 divide’. In order to stay election campaigning in we know that it is still the To subscribe, WhatsApp ‘openmag’ to in power, ChiefMinister West Bengal has turned Government which is doing 9999800012 or log on to www.openthemagazine.com Mamata Banerjee has herself into a Centre-state spat. And most of the heavylifting or call our Toll Free Number 1800 102 7510 become the kind of politician Trinamool is playing into and the private sector is or email at: she vowed to finish. the hands of BJP in a crucial yet to regain its animal [email protected] For alliances, email Intimidation has become election. The latter proved instincts, as is evident [email protected] For advertising, email the norm of the day, further it is a formidable political from the latter’s capital [email protected] denting the image of Bengal. force in the state in the 2019 expenditure figures. Till that For any other queries/observations, email [email protected] The quality of politics Lok Sabha polls. While BJP happens, it is very difficult has fallen abysmally. The is only looking to become to sustain a 5 per cent-plus Disclaimer ‘Open Avenues’ are advertiser-driven marketing party’s is a continual battle relevant in the state by growth rate. Besides, the initiatives and Open assumes no responsibility for content and the consequences of using for power, not for people’s acquiring a better seat share, fear of a ballooning fiscal products or services advertised in the magazine empowerment. There is no TMC is battling to survive. deficit is also going to limit blueprint for growth, but MR Jayanthi government efforts to boost Volume 13 Issue 11 For the week 16-22 March 2021 only for the expansion of economic activity. Total No. of pages 68 its own footprint. A ‘Sonar Rajinikanth and Bal Govind 4 22 MARCH 2021 LOCOMOTIF By S PRASANNARAJAN THE NEW THEOLOGY OF VICTIMHOOD ISTORY IS WRITTEN by the victim, certainly the relentlessness of complaints. When society is nothing but if we choose to read history as a humanising a collection of victim groups of race, gender, community or any reminder of the past. His fall, his martyrdom, other inherited or acquired identity, justice is a struggle against his involuntary submission, make yesterday’s history itself. Obvious example: in America today, racial memory liberation struggles a power play between is what defines political as well as social sensitivity, and it took Hthe winner and those who reject the dogma of winning. the death of a Black man under the knee of a white policeman to Revolutions are not remembered merely as dreams built on turn the behavioural shift in politics into a moral movement. It is the charisma and cruelties of the revolutionary alone. They the bad behaviour borrowed from history that keeps the victim are stories of those who gave up, those who were silenced and alive—and freezes the conscience of the living. Erasing injustice those who differed in a world of enforced uniformity. We still amounts to erasing history itself. And a few statues must fall. read their stories as narrative rejoinders to the oppressive When victimhood leads to the most definitive behavioural fallacies of freedom. We take a pilgrimage to their memorials shift in politics and culture, the Directorate of Sensitivity to remain modest about our journey of progress, to realise takes over. It may resemble the old models of ideological states that the rewards of memory are inadequate to pay back the where truth was what those who controlled it wanted it to be. remembered, that our indebtedness is eternal. The victim is Deviation is a punishable act—a loss of job; a denial of platform; kept alive by our quest for justice. or a mark of stigma imprinted on your CV. In the uniform Victimhood is an individual hurt and systemic injustice, code of social conduct, you are required to see the other—the and, always, power is the villain—the power of the state or the victim—through the prism of a dehumanising yesterday. You power of the privileged few. Every day, the individual story are required to respect the special status accorded to the victim of victimhood brings to us the familiar motifs of a heartless by the DS.