Venezuela lies nearly 9,600 miles from Kolkata— over 15,500 kilometres across oceans, continents and time zones. Reaching it takes more than a day in the air, with multiple stopovers and shifting routes. The clocks differ by almost nine and a half hours. Yet today, in a quiet corner of North 24 Parganas, that distant nation feels heartbreakingly close.
Bagu is a small, unassuming village, about a two-hour drive from Kolkata. A handful of buses drop travellers at Shikharpur; from there, winding rural roads — some paved, others still raw — lead to the village. Life here usually moves at an unhurried pace. But recent events in Venezuela have disturbed that calm. News of political upheaval, arrests and instability has travelled across continents, unsettling the people of Bagu for reasons deeply rooted in memory.
At the centre of this unlikely connection stands the Bagu Lower Basic Primary School, locally known as Bagu Junior Basic Primary School. Founded in 1942, the school was established by revolutionaries who believed education was the most enduring form of resistance.
But Bagu’s school holds a story that stretches far beyond Bengal.
In 2004, during the Left Front regime, Venezuela’s then president Hugo Chavez visited West Bengal at the invitation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Keen to understand Bengal’s grassroots governance and education system under Left Front’s governance, Chavez chose to visit this modest primary school tucked away in rural North 24 Parganas. The sight was extraordinary— a foreign head of state walking through narrow village lanes, inspecting classrooms, speaking to teachers and children, listening intently.
Chavez noticed everything. He spoke warmly with students, exchanged ideas with teachers, and expressed concern about a pond situated dangerously close to the school. For the children’s safety, he suggested filling it to create a playground and recommended the construction of additional classrooms.
Three years later, those words translated into action. In 2007, a grant of ₹12.5 lakh from Venezuela reached the West Bengal government for the renovation of the school. The transformation was dramatic. New classrooms rose, the pond gave way to a playground, a boundary fence was erected, and the school’s face changed.
“He observed everything very carefully,” recalls current headmaster Sandeep Baidya. “At that time, we had 200 to 300 students. This was the only primary school in the village. He was deeply impressed and gave the grant keeping the students’ safety and convenience in mind.” Gratitude still lingers in his voice.
Today, however, the story has come full circle— and not gently.
Venezuela is once again in turmoil. Political unrest, arrests and uncertainty dominate headlines. That unrest has reached Bagu in an emotional sense. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, prayers are held at the school— not for local concerns, but for peace in Venezuela. The village remembers. The school remembers.
Kalyani Mandal, who oversees the mid-day meals, still speaks of 2004 with quiet reverence. She believes storms eventually pass. But for now, hope feels distant.
Time, too, has left its marks. The very building once renewed by Venezuelan generosity is now crumbling. Plaster peels away, walls weaken, and the risk of collapse looms. With too few usable classrooms, two classes are often taught together. Teachers lack proper rooms, and several sections of the old structure remain locked for safety reasons. Repairs are estimated to cost Rs 13–14 lakh, and an application has already been submitted to the board.
“This building could collapse at any time,” Baidya says bluntly. “That’s why we’ve been forced to merge classes. It needs to be demolished and rebuilt. We’ve submitted our request, and we’ve been assured help will come.”
So Bagu waits.
It waits for repairs, for approvals, for safety. And it waits for something far more intangible— for peace to return to a country thousands of miles away, whose generosity once breathed new life into a forgotten rural school.
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