THEY JUST WILL NOT LET EVEN THE OLD PEOPLE SLEEP OR YOUNG PEOPLE WORK THROUGH THEIR RITUAL LOUDSPEAKER DISTURBANCE

THEY JUST WILL NOT LET EVEN THE OLD PEOPLE SLEEP OR YOUNG PEOPLE WORK THROUGH THEIR RITUAL LOUDSPEAKER DISTURBANCE

It is Christmas Day. The church bells cannot be heard from my house but the early morning azaan over the loudspeaker is breaking the sleep of people. It is very loud and defies all sense of civic sanity. Yet, other than me, I see none else even bothering to raise any voice of protest.

Why should we be disturbed like this? Is religious practice to come in the way of citizens' rest? How can the Government of West Bengal allow this? And they do so with full knowledge of the fact and not unknowingly.

It may be argued that such disturbance is created during Deepavali through the bursting of crackers and during Durga Puja though the blaring of loudspeakers till 10 at night. But does any of these last the whole year, 365 days, 5 times a day at all odd hours, not even sparing dewy dawn? And the loudspeakers carry on their calls for a short while serially from different houses of worship, for they are not well coordinated in terms of punctuality. The entire locality pulsates to the sound making me wonder in which century and in which country we are.

The more this sort of civic disturbance is created, the more will resentment against governmental appeasement of the minority community for votes grow. And, if the solidarity thereby grows among those opposing the ruling dispensation in West Bengal, who is responsible for it?

Just imagine the contrasting picture -- the plight of old people who every dawn are woken up from their nightly rest prematurely, and the Chief Minister quoting Tagore, Vivekananda and Netaji to justify her enlightened secular leadership of the state? Is it alright to destroy people's rest and peace night and day to try and secure votes? Is this what our seminal greats, who she quotes copiously, stood for? Would they have sanctioned this sort of civic disturbance on a daily, ritualistic, routine basis?

I reiterate what I earlier said. I often wonder where I live after all -- India or some theocratic Islamic state?

Written by Sugata Bose

P.S. As if the prayer calls were not enough, now even louder music has started from a club ostensibly to celebrate Christmas. Poor citizens, they will never be spared the revelry of religion and allowed to have their nightly rest !

It is peace at last as dawn breaks and the birds chirp in their delightful way, disturbing none and soothing the senses. God has taken over from the human clerics it seems and sent his true messengers of peace to harmonise the discordant air !