In Kolkata’s chess corner, ‘confusion’ prevails over electoral prospects

Gariahat intersection in Kolkata reflects public opinion on upcoming elections, with chess players pondering political uncertainty and nostalgia for clarity.

The Gariahat intersection is the nerve centre of Kolkata where, amidst frenetic activity, people calmly play chess all day, and where public opinion usually reflects what the city is thinking. And in this general election, “confusion” is how this tiny island of thought sums up the general mood in the city over which party will win.

“The situation for the BJP here is different from what it is in other places. Here, in Kolkata, even if they don’t want to vote for the Trinamool Congress, they may still not want to vote for the BJP because it is being led by people who belonged to Trinamool not too long ago,” said Abhijit Bhattacharya, an investment consultant who, as he does on most evenings, has stopped by here to watch a few games of chess before heading home.

“(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has done well. Market is growing, foreign investment is growing, NRIs have good things to say about India, and it is quite possible that the BJP will win again, but I wish they were represented by fresh faces in Bengal,” Mr. Bhattacharya said, even as he had an eye on the game in progress on one of the tables — he was also periodically giving tips to one of the players.

This small island at the traffic intersection of Gariahat, right under a flyover, is a strong childhood memory for countless Kolkatans because, before malls came up, this was the primary shopping hub of the city. Initially, the intersection was a place for adda (a gathering for stimulating conversation), then chessboards surfaced and the game became an addition to the adda.

Over time, chess became serious business here and, nowadays, there are half-a-dozen tables on which games go on from morning till late in the night, with many people, young and old, men and women, making it a habit to be present here in the evenings. Maintaining a calm amidst the chaos that is Gariahat, they people usually have a finger on the pulse of the city.

“No matter who wins, there should be a strong Opposition. Without a strong Opposition, there would be no democracy, we will have dictatorship, they will pass any bill they wish,” said Salil Kumar Das, a retired employee of Indian Bank who comes to Gariahat these days wearing a medal he won recently at a chess tournament in West Bengal.

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