Struggle of life continues in Nandigram

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, February 21, 2007

You would not normally think that appearing for Madhyamik takes exemplary courage. But then, not everyone decides to take the examination just about a month after her father gets killed.
Madhumita Samanta of Nandigram’s Sonachura village has done just that. Her father, Shankar, a farmer, got killed in a violent clash over land acquisition on January 7 when their entire house was set on fire. And she not only lost her father, but also her house and all her belongings in the fire.
Though the entire village is still trying to cope with the tragedy, Madhumita decided to take the exam. A student of Kashuria High School, she took her exam from B.N. Balika Vidyalaya. “She told invigilators later that her exam went well,” said Ujjal Basu, president, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).
This year, around 750 students are taking the exam from two Nandigram schools. But even while some, such as Madhumita, defied the tragedy, there are others who could not.
About 12 students did not appear for the examination on Tuesday. Basu, however, felt this was normal. “It is natural for some students to not appear for the exam. But in terms of overall percentage, it is extremely nominal,” he said.
Local residents said that most students who did not sit for their exams stay in Khejuri, where the sound of bombs has become a regular affair. “On Monday night too, some bombs were set off, which might have prevented some students from appearing for their exams,” said SUCI leader Bhabani Das.
The students most affected are the residents of the bordering areas of the tension-torn parts of Nandigram — at Sonachura and Gokulnagar. After dark, lights at each house were put off to avoid attacks, robbing candidates of valuable revision time.
The police, however, said that the examination was held peacefully at Dhanyakhola High School and Draza Mohan Girls School on Tuesday. “It seems that the protesters and the ruling party kept their promise of restraining themselves from engaging in brawls with each other for the sake of the Madhyamik examination,” a senior police officer said. Large police forces were deployed to tackle any sort of disturbances near examination centres.
Nakul Das, a guardian of an appearing candidate, said: “In this land-acquisition turmoil, our children’s studies have suffered a setback. However, as parents, we have done all we could to boost the candidates’ confidence.”
The Bhoomi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee has placed wood planks over dug-up roads to provide better passage to the appearing candidates. Ashok Guria, district CPI(M) leader, however, said: “Everyone has been responsible for spoiling vital preparation time of Madhyamik candidates from Nandigram.”
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com