Water power

In a state that is used to suffixes — usually dada, didi or babu — the new mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is reversing the trend.

The new incumbent, Trinamool Congress’ Sovan Chatterjee, rather than being called the commonplace Sovan Babu, has retained the moniker of Jol Sovan. Literally meaning water Sovan, it is a reminder of his earlier stint at the KMC as a mayor-in-council for water, when the prefix was attached to distinguish him from another colleague with the same name. Since then, the nickname appears to have worked for Chatterjee, who has charted a meteoric rise in West Bengal’s principal opposition party, despite being publicly chastised for corruption by none other than Trinamool’s enfant terrible Kabir Suman. Nowadays, Chatterjee is seen driving into KMC headquarters in a silver Mitsubishi Pajero. Clearly, water has turned out to be politically profitable for Jol Sovan. And financially too?

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