What do we owe her?

My first reaction about a year ago when I read about Tata's Nano project being located in Singur, WB are... "WB as in West Bengal? Really?".

One year hence, Tata is moving out. The experience has surely been nothing short of traumatic. To bowl out one of the world's premier projects, an idea that made India so proud - for that fleeting time that proudness lasted! - is reckless. I would never forget the reaction from people around the world - some smart ones - in Slashdot that made me proud as an Indian. 

It's something beyond shocking to see such a project being put through so many hurdles. While acid tests are welcome as part of a democratic, self-correcting process, the key is to find solutions and not to botch up things in the name of polity. Hands down to Mamata's politics. 

Wonder who would EVER go to WB, or Kerala for that matter. I mean, when you have options, you don't necessarily go through the street with nasty thugs and mindless road-bumps.

I guess the message is to believe in your intuition and common wisdom. Because it pays to.

Photo credit: DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images