Surajit Dasgupta
@surajitdasgupta • 21,121 subscribers
Founder of Swadharma, formerly with MyNation, Hindusthan Samachar, Swarajya, The Pioneer & The Statesman. Explainers: https://t.co/CIHy3PqBW1
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That Gen Z is the first generation that is dumber than its predecessors is no longer an opinion. It is scientifically established, as is the cause. Listen to neuroscientist, educator and bestselling author who specialises in human learning and brain development, Dr Jared Cooney Horvath:
Surajit Dasgupta289,246 görüntüleme • 12 gün önce
No professor of economics teaches inflation with such a perspective:
Surajit Dasgupta54,365 görüntüleme • 13 gün önce
A Nightmare on Central Avenue Despite the massive influx of 550 million visitors over the course of a month—a mega-gathering of epic proportions—it is a miracle that no stampedes or similar tragedies occurred until yesterday. For months leading up to the festival, there was aggressive marketing of themes and marquees on social media, the sale and distribution of VIP tickets, a fierce competition to attract the largest crowds, the display of numerous commercial prizes, and the spectacle of politicians and Tollywood stars taking the stage for photo ops. In the process of heightening the public's excitement for the Puja, the essential ladder of safety was effectively kicked away. In the tradition of ‘theme-based’ Durga Puja art festivals in West Bengal—characterised by intense competition to draw crowds into these pandals—there has always been, and continues to be, gross negligence regarding basic public safety standards. In the small grounds, narrow lanes, and streets of the suburbs, bizarre and confusing structures—resembling fortresses or castles—are erected in the name of art, drawing in hundreds of thousands of people. Thousands are funnelled into massive queues, forced to navigate through woefully inadequate entry and exit points. Meanwhile, the critical responsibility for safety is often left in the hands of the least qualified individuals—those at the very bottom of the organising committee's hierarchy. All pandal artisans and Puja organisers must abandon the mindset that seeks a sense of triumphant ecstasy by drawing massive crowds—using these throngs merely to brand their own success. Public safety must be prioritised above all else, surpassing any desire for competition or personal achievement. Pray for the peace of the souls of those who lost their lives in such accidents and extend my deepest condolences to their families. 🙏🏼 Also wishing a speedy recovery to those who were injured. PS: Numerous safety lapses—involving the art, artisans, and organisers behind the Chorbagan Sarbojonin Puja—are now coming to light, one by one. An investigation would reveal similar instances of negligence at the major pujas held in every self-styled fortress. I trust that, henceforth, the safety standards for public pujas—with a primary focus on human well-being—will be maintained at the highest possible level. #DurgaPuja2026 #DurgaPuja #Chorbagan
Surajit Dasgupta24,437 görüntüleme • 12 gün önce
This paved area in Esplanade, Kolkata, made by the LF government, was meant for pedestrians to hang around without hassles. Under the TMC, it became home to illegal settlers and hawkers. Some of the encroachers vanished while others were chased away after the BJP government began its innings on 9 May.
Surajit Dasgupta169,847 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
During an inspection of the Salt Lake AE Market this morning, Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee — the BJP MLA for Constituency 116, Bidhannagar — ran into a vendor operating a business, encroaching upon the roadside pavement. The man, who claims to hold a franchise for Sufal Bangla (a state government initiative), has been conducting business in this manner for the past several years. Furthermore, he hails from Basanti and possesses no valid photo identification whatsoever. The instance serves as a stark illustration of how, throughout Bidhannagar, small-time traders continue to illegally occupy pavements and conduct business day after day, simply by paying a monthly kickback to local political strongmen. The story is on the lines of that from the Canning railway station ( where an automobile mechanic claimed he had been paying somebody ₹50,000 per annum for years, and yet the police threw him out of the premises the day before yesterday.
Surajit Dasgupta161,273 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
This mother tells the CEO of West Bengal that her daughter, then a minor, was abducted during the post-poll violence of 2021, and the little girl hasn’t yet returned. The kidnappers, the mother says, told her before leaving with her daughter that this was a punishment for supporting the BJP.
Surajit Dasgupta171,201 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce
This clarification cum justification 🤬is unacceptable. She was clearly standing calmly with the disgusting and objectionable poster in hand, showing no sign of a lathi-charge or rush around her. Victim card rejected. The law must show no lenience to her.
Surajit Dasgupta87,297 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
Introspection and confessions continue 3-time TMC MLA from Chunchura, Asit Mazumdar: “Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee must take the blame. I am pained, thinking of Mamata Banerjee. She never felt for us, though. I feel sorry for her because she lost Bhavanipur at such an old age, which is very sad. People were no longer able to bear with the Trinamool Congress. The results speak for themselves; I have nothing to add. People have blessed the BJP, raising both hands. We have been reduced to 80-82 (seats). People’s trust in us certainly took a beating. We couldn’t persuade them. Our arrogance and vanity are at the core of our fall.”
Surajit Dasgupta140,932 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
This school teacher in Krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal, is accused of siphoning off relief material in collusion with the TMC minister and local leaders. Whatever the charges against her, we’ve had enough of “jônorosh” (public anger). Bengal Police must now seize back control of the state’s law and order situation. Vigilantism and mob justice cannot go on unchecked indefinitely.
Surajit Dasgupta106,685 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce
What a turn of fate! It has been just about a month since Mamata Banerjee lost power, and in Kalighat, her neighbourhood since childhood, nobody seems to recognise her or acknowledge her presence, let alone pay heed to requests to give her passage to the deity!
Surajit Dasgupta109,207 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce
Voting hasn’t been 100% free and fair this time either, Election Commission of India & CEO West Bengal! This voter from Malda says no Hindu from his village was allowed to vote. He alleges that Trinamool Congress’s thugs stopped them and asked whether they would vote for Mamata Banerjee’s party. He refused and returned home without voting. I guess a few Hindus might have lied to get in, but that is no consolation. It does not matter that 400 Hindu votes wouldn’t alter the outcome when Muslim votes in the booth number thousands. What matters is the unfairness of the exercise and the assault on democracy.
Surajit Dasgupta135,755 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce
Yesterday, a woman shopkeeper, on reaching her shop in Dum Dum, West Bengal, noticed that it was occupied. When she asked what was going on, the encroacher first said she could operate out of half the premises. When she disagreed, she was assaulted and molested. The victim approached the local BJP office and complained, saying that the miscreant wore saffron. It turned out he had no links with the party. MLA Arijit Bakshi (Dum Dum, AC-114), also a lawyer by profession, helped free her shop and assured the people that such criminal activities would not be tolerated, no matter who the suspect was.
Surajit Dasgupta99,665 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
Tapan Biswas, a Trinamool activist and close associate of Malabika Baidya, the Trinamool Councillor for Ward No. 127, has been arrested. Seeing him cornered, residents shouted, “Chor! Chor! (Thief! Thief!)”. Tapan Biswas is accused of extortion, threatening people and land encroachment.
Surajit Dasgupta99,894 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce