Artless & Ludibrious

Bleached The fairy lights glow dim, The air around them blushes yellow, Bleached. Nazim didn’t come to college today, He’s probably too tired from the fast. His face must look pale. Bleached. The floor of my house on Alipore Road Doesn’t seem to be expecting his footsteps any longer. The tiles lie, white and unblemished. Bleached. Our plates are no more stained with the yellow of the meat sent during this time from Nazim’s house. Mother says “Beef isn’t for us!” So, our plates lie laden with “our” food. So, our plates lie white and Bleached. I miss the taste of that biryani. The unrestricted laughter of Nazim’s unbridled voice haunts me still. He’s not welcome here anymore. I still meet him outside, not as often. But our footsteps do not echo together past my threshold. The times have left my humanity bleached. -            Surjo Siddhanta Ray

The definition of "political" seems to be rather elusive. The idea of being political in today’s tense climate projects a difficult position, as the varying opinions and their sensitivity, are increasingly creating a dangerous atmosphere. But if we think objectively, almost all acts, positions and thoughts are inherently political. There is an unspoken, yet vibrant, power play in every situation in life. I use the word vibrant deliberately, as powerplay tends to be often misconstrued in a negative fashion, whereas it is one of the most interesting and palpably exciting features of everyday life. For example, in a class of 10, if one student decides to sit on the table instead of the chair, he is making a very political move, wherein the power structure is inherently disturbed. There is visible tension. The student is consciously choosing to break the balance of power which has been previously established. Therefore, when something that trivial can be political, an emotion...