Take for example the breaking news published in Bartaman, a leading newspaper from Kolkata. It concerns the reaction of one Ms. Mamata Banerjee regarding a recent unfortunate spate of deaths in hospitals in the state of West Bengal. Her comments could be brushed aside as irrelevant, but for a minor, inconvenient fact: she is the Chief Minister of the state and also holds the portfolio of Health.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the  first paragraph of the news-story in Bartaman below or my translation of  it.

Infant Deaths: Chief Minister Blames Her Predecessors in the Left Front Government

“Am I Aladdin’s forty lamps?”

Our own correspondent: Kolkata:  With respect to the recent deaths of infants in hospitals in the state, Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee noted that these infants were, in fact, conceived during the time of the preceding government of the Left Front led by the CPI(M) party. Friday at an awards ceremony hosted at the Salt Lake Heath Centre, Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the portfolio for Health,  commented that the Left Front was responsible. She said, “the infants which are being admitted to the hospitals in the state were conceived 10 months ago when the Left Front was in power. We have not been in power for 10 months yet. Don’t forget it.” She also said,  ”how can a government do in two days what a progressive government had not achieved in 34 years? Is this Aladdin’s 40 magic lamps?”

Shehrzad rolls in her grave.

Postscript: a few months ago, when rats were found in a city hospital and had eaten parts of the body of a critically-ill patient, she lost no time in blaming her predecessors. At the time, Ms. Banerjee had said that the rats had been deliberately set loose in the hospital by her predecessors in the government.

It was written in 1914, by the American author, Frederick Lewis Allen, and published in The Century, a now-defunct literary magazine: the copyright on it has long since expired and I’m free to share it. Don’t let the date put you off. If you’ve ever slept inside a mosquito net in oppressive heat (either inside your home or on a cot outside) you will find this a riot. Perhaps, “slept” is not the right word.

পাইরাশি না পিরাসি?
যেমন একাশীর পর বিরাশী
যেমন কুম্ভের পর মীনরাশি
তেমন পিরাসি কনস্পিরাসি।

অস্কার নস্কর – ভাস্কর তস্কর।
Nascar-এ কার পুরস্কার?
তিরস্কার আর চির-স্কার!

একটি আধুনিক প্রবাদ
দানা নাই খাইবার
বসতে চাই ডাইপার।

বড়দিন
ইশকাপনের বিবি আর মাস্কর্পনের কেক।
সকাল-সকাল পিকনিক আর বিকেলবেলায় ঠেক॥

মগজসৃষ্ট কল্পলোকে যা ভাবি আগামী
সম্ভাবনা ভাঁজ করে রোজ নিত্য ওরিগামি।

কপালভরা তিলক ভেবে কানে ধ্বনি ডঙ্কার
কপাল ফেটে টিকা বিনে হল ধনুষ্টংকার।

পাড়াগাঁয়ের চেনা নাড়ুগোপাল
আমরিকাতে হলেন এপিস্কোপল।

চালাও তুমি সারা বিশ্ব, তাই তোমায় প্রণমি
গ্রীসটা ডুবল, ইউরো ভোগে তুমি ইকনমি।