One of the most widespread and violent protests that convulsed Bengal, especially Calcutta, in living memory was the Naxal uprising that hastened the decline of Bengal, its intellectual capital included, and ruined at least two generations of its youngsters. As Dasgupta said earlier this week, the continuing protests that the Naxalite movement triggered did nothing for the betterment of the state, its society, its economy or its people. To be honest, few of the protests that swept through Bengal down the decades since Independence resulted in any tangible gains, says sociologist Ranabir Sen who used to teach the subject at Calcutta University. Even in recent years, the protests that rocked Bengal did not bring any benefits to the state and, if anything, hurt Bengal grievously. A case in point was the widespread protests over land acquisition at Singur; though led by Mamata Banerjee, the recurring protests saw participation by a cross-section of society. The result: The Tatas took their project, which could have attracted more big ticket investments, out of Bengal, the farmers of Singur lost everything and are cursing themselves for having gone along with Banerjee; Bengal is saddled with a lady at its helm who is a spectacular failure as the chief minister, and the image of the state has only worsened. The only gainer from Singur was Banerjee, and that could not have been but bad news for Bengal.