[Assam] An evening in Hyde Park

[BBaruah at aol.com]

Ram says that the Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London,  has a parallel in 
Kolkata. It is a fact that the Bengalis do love a debate as can be seen  
whenever a number of Bengalis gather together at some place, maybe even inside a bus 
or a tram.’Adda’ is a  very popular form of unscheduled group discussions 
amongst Bengalis and it is  perhaps just this institution which Ram visualised 
when he responded to Rajiv’s  lively description of an afternoon spent at the 
Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park. I  am afraid the cramped inside of a bus or tram 
would not accommodate the  spectacle which the Speakers’ Corner is. 
The  Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner is an unique symbol of democracy in Great 
Britain. It  symbolises free speech as well as Britain’s major role in the modern 
world. In  Speakers’ Corner the Speaker is usually a single person 
challenging anybody and  everybody with a  verbal duel with  him (or her, though female 
orators are rarely seen). He anticipates antagonism  and he is ready for it. 
He might be hustled up or shouted down. At the end  nothing untoward happens 
because of the presence of the police. After all it is  well-organised although 
the public may not be much aware of  it. 
Bhuba
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