Biswajit Basu (top) and Al Gore

He is a known face in the Deshapriya Park stretch, having spent his childhood and a part of his adulthood there. Biswajit Basu has traversed a long way since, through the inhospitable Indian terrains in search of oil for the ONGC to be part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that has won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore of the US.

Basu is a lead author of a chapter on CO2 Capture and Storage, a special report by the Working Group (WG) III of IPCC. He hardly knew anything about CO2 emissions before his stint with IPCC from 2003 to 2005. However, his work with the ONGC and his decade-long experience in writing policy papers for the Centre made him an ideal candidate for IPCC. When IPCC head R.K. Pachouri approached the ONGC to nominate a geo-scientist to be part of WG III, Basu was a natural choice.

Having graduated in geology from Presidency College and done his masters from Calcutta University, Basu spent his initial years as a field geologist and later as well site geologist for ONGC. “Uncontrolled emissions due to burning of fossil fuel is resulting in global warming with devastating long term consequences,” says Basu. His prescription: “While the best method is to reduce emissions, we can also perhaps tap some of these emissions and use them or store them back.”

The city is proud that Basu is sharing the Nobel with Gore. Co-chairs of IPCC WG III, Ogunlade Davidson and Bert Metz, has to say this to their co-workers: “…the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to IPCC along with Al Gore of USA… makes all of you a Nobel laureate…. This award is for all those who worked so hard… and produced Special Reports on Aviation, Emission Scenarios… CO2 Capture and Storage…”

One-man show

How the city is developing in terms of services. This is from a leaflet (picture right) that has one person advertising the following services. “We are with you always,” says the leaflet (in Bengali) and lists the services. “Coloured prints of old black and white photographs. Photograph lamination. Passport size and stamp size photographs for Rs 1.50 and Rs 1.20. CDs and DVDs from video cassettes. Still and movie photography. Photographs enlarged. Orders accepted for extraordinary paintings and photographs to decorate the drawing room. Printing of bill books, leaflets, visiting cards and poster designs and flex (backlit, frontlit) printing done here. Webpage designs and web hosting. Interior designing and development of flats, offices and showrooms.”

The other side of the leaflet promises real estate services, sale of flats at Nager Bazar and Dum Dum Park with no brokerage, though another name is listed here. If one man is capable of such industry, why does Bengal still lack investors?

(Contributed by Anasuya Basu)