Why we never hear about such people

Cerebral malaria can be fatal, but people have been known to recover from it. Anuradha Ghandy, however, didn't stand a chance. Already weakened by the sclerosis when she walked into the hospital, it was too late. Within 24 hours, she was gone. By the time her vast circle of friends was informed on the evening of April 12, the 54-year-old had already been cremated. Better this than death by 'encounter', after prolonged torture. For that was the fate we feared this Naxalite could not escape.

That Anu managed to evade arrest for so long, was an indicator of the ruthlessness with which she effaced her identity. This, of course, meant isolating herself from all those who would have given up everything to nurse her. There was another way she could have recovered, even while underground. Anu could have followed medical advice and given herself the break her body so badly needed. For someone so important to the Party (CPI-Maoist), it might well have allowed it. But that wasn't her style.

Just climbing stairs had become an ordeal five years ago. Yet, days before her death, she was in some jungle where malaria was probably an inevitability. Anuradha Ghandy, I learnt after her death, was a senior Maoist leader. Her political career spans the first radical student outfit in Mumbai (PROYOM) in the '70s, and the armed dalams of Adivasi women in Bastar. Certain that like her comrades in Chandrapur, she too would be implicated in false cases and arrested, Anu went underground some years ago.

When I first met her in 1970, Anuradha Shanbag was the belle of the ball in Mumbai's Elphinstone College. A petite bundle of energy, bright eyes sparkling behind square glasses, her ready laughter, near-backless cholis and coquettish ways had everyone eating out of her hands, professors included. Elphinstone then was an intellectual hub. The Bangladesh war was just over, drought and famine stalked Maharashtra. Naxalism had come to Mumbai, at that time the industrial capital of the country. Anu, majoring in Sociology, was everywhere—inviting Mumbai's leading radicals to talk about the reasons for the drought, putting up posters that proclaimed 'Beyond Pity' and urging students to get involved with the crisis in the countryside, defending this stand against those who felt a student's role must be limited to academics and at the most, 'social work'.

Anu was also the one to question celebrity guest speakers such as Girish Karnad, whose path-breaking plays had just hit the stage, on the link between theatre and society. And it was Anu who introduced us to that feminist bible, Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch. Those were the days of 'parallel' cinema. Marathi amateur theatre was blossoming at Dadar's Chhabildas Hall. The Dalit Panthers had exploded into the Marathi literary scene. Adil Jussawala's New Writing In India was still making waves. Forum Against Rape, Mumbai's first feminist group, had just been founded. Anu, by then a lecturer at Wilson College, was immersed in all this. With her wide range of interests, she succeeded in linking the human rights organisation she and few others founded after Emergency with the city's intellectual ferment. Among other things, the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR), demanded that the State stop acting lawlessly with Naxalites even though they rejected its laws.

Thanks to Anu's ability to talk as intelligently with George Fernandes as with Satyadev Dubey, her brother Sunil Shanbag's mentor, the cream of Mumbai's intellectuals supported this demand. Playwright Vijay Tendulkar and reformist Asghar Ali Engineer were CPDR's president and vice-president.

It was time for Anu to grow into a successful academic, the type who writes books and attends international seminars. Instead, in 1982, she left the life she loved to work in Nagpur. The wretched conditions of contract workers in the new industrial areas near Nagpur and of Adivasis in the forests of Chandrapur had to be challenged. Committed cadres were needed. In her subsequent trips to Mumbai, Anu never complained about the drastic change in her life: cycling to work under the relentless Nagpur sun; living in the city's Dalit area, the mention of which drew shudders from Nagpur's elite; then moving to backward Chandrapur. In Marxist study circles, 'declassing oneself' is quite a buzzword. From Mumbai's Leftists, only Anu and her husband Kobad, both lovers of the good life, actually did so.

Kobad's family home had been a sprawling Worli Sea Face flat; he was a Doon School product. Anu's lawyer-father may have left his family estate in Coorg to defend communists in court in the '50s, but she had never seen deprivation. Despite her own rough life, neither did Anu make us feel guilty for our bourgeois luxuries nor did she patronise us. On the few occasions she would suddenly land up over these 25 years, it was as if she had never left. She had the same capacity to laugh, even at herself, the same ability to connect, even with management types, the same readiness to indulge in women's talk. But with those closest to her, she seemed unnaturally detached. Her parents doted on her, yet she didn't take every opportunity she could to meet them. I realise why now.

Rushing to meet them whenever she came to Mumbai would have been worse than an indulgence. It would not only have eaten into the time she had for Party work, it would have also made it impossible for her family to have accepted what she saw as inevitable—an underground future. In order not to endanger her family, Anu simply disappeared from their horizon. When her father died, she couldn't go home. That was also the reason for her harsh decision never to have children, though her parents would have willingly brought them up. That was one bond she knew would draw her away from the life she had chosen.

The 'Naxalite menace', says Manmohan Singh, is the biggest threat to the country. But I remember a girl who was always laughing, and who gave up a life rich in every way to change the lives of others.

Trade unionism at IIT Kharagpur

I got this link on iit kgp group at our college.
Well this was something one could expect to happen at place like KGP. few things immediately came to my mind

1. A folklore (true) about Russy Mody of tata steel when he was chairman of BOG during 70s at the height of militant trade unionism in Bengal. Once unions decdie to strike on pay hike and all messes were closed. There were no billus,veggis or chillis in those old days so actually students were held at ransom. But Russy Mody was from same community as Sam maneckshaw so I imagine he would have also said "Gentlemen, now there would be no withdrawals".
On a serious note he sent all students except final year to their home because they had to pass out and get degree.For them food used to come from TISCO jamshedpur in two trucks with an armed escort. This went on for three months till strike broke and as per settlement new private restaurants were opened in campus to prevent any future blackmail by unions.


2. But unions are very powerful in Bengal. Each hostel for a strength of 250 students used to have some 30 odd mess workers on roll. People aging from 18 yrs ( in lieu of their father) to 80 yrs ( yes with false age) used to be on the rolls.They will refuse to keep their bags out of working place( so there was huge pilferage of food). We used to have mess duty for two students every day who will ensure that stores is not misused.

3. Local suppliers would usually be hand in gloves with mess managers. One of the mangers when i was in final year was actually a hotel management graduate but being son of a kharagpur local he came back. All these people were in hand in gloves and if student body will blacklist a firm for supplying inferior rice or wheat they will rename the firm. No outside firms would be allowed to supply material .

4. When there wa labor day or if staff decided to hold a meeting about Iraq or Terrorism ( there were 500 so in main building + 15-20 per department , 30 departments) then students can't have a function in auditorium. Theater will show only Bengali movies on Sunday.

5. To cap it all construction workers of new hostel had to be absorbed as mess workers. So obviously food used to be of very poor quality. I can make better chapatis then what my used to be made in my mess. Despite having shift duties there would be a weekly off on Saturday evening not to mention almost 3.5 month holiday in a year.


6. One of my Bengali friend once told me that in Bengal except IIT and IIM all colleges (including prudish Jadavpur) suffer from strikes of either students, or faculty or staff. But this news item shows that even IIT is not immune to it now.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080722/jsp/bengal/story_9583770.jsp

Unions in IIT food mess
OUR BUREAU

July 21: Over 250 IIT Kharagpur students had to go without lunch at their hostel to- day as a contractor downed mess shutters after Citu and Aituc union supporters bashed up some of its employees.

Although students of only one of the 19 halls were denied lunch at their mess, they were not the only ones suffering. Agitation by two unions controlled by a joint forum of the CPM and CPI labour arms, demanding absorption of contract workers and those engaged for construction of new hostels, has crippled mess operations in three halls.

The Jagadish Chandra Bose hall residents were the worst hit, having to eat at canteens on the campus on the first day after summer vacation. The Meghnad Saha and Homi Jahangir Bhaba messes shut down after 2pm.

Two others worked normally as they had absorbed all workers.

“We had engaged private caterers to run the mess at five halls. They were ready to absorb the existing workers. But another group, temporarily engaged for construction work, is also demanding absorption,” said an IIT official.

There are about 150 mess workers in the five halls.

Sudip De, a PhD student staying in the JC Bose hall, said the mess had been closed for two months because of the vacation. “Some of us, who did not go home, travelled 4km every day for meals. We had thought our travails would end today,” said De.

The contractor for the JC Bose hall, Sudarshan Behera, said: “We had agreed to absorb some members of the Hall Workers’ Union. However, the construction workers’ body demanded the inclusion of their members, too. We can’t accommodate so many.”

He closed the mess after some of his employees were allegedly attacked.

“We demand the inclusion of the construction labourers since they are rightful claimants to the jobs,” said Purnendu Panigrahi of the construction labourers’ union.

While negotiations are on between the authorities and the unions, the students of the three affected hostels will be accommodated in other halls. “We are trying to restore normality at the earliest. But for the time being, we have asked all students to have their meals at the two hostels that are operating,” said D.K. Tripathi, the dean of students’ affairs.

Vijay Tendulkar is no more

As a rule I don't have much liking for communists and their penchant to denigrate our society every now and then in the garb of liberals but one has to give them credit where it is due.
Vijay Tendulkar was one such man. I read his drama tittled "Silence the court is in session" in my college library on a sultry afternoon quite similar to climate mentioned in the play and while reading it I felt as if i am present in that room where this drama troupe is enacting a false trail. It hit hard on false morality of our society and how strong and dominant can condone acts of eah other via perfect legitimate means.

This play actually aroused my curiosity and I searched library for any other paly by him and then I hit on Ghasiram Kotwal and all debauchery behind the Peshwai was revealed. The play was also notable for its mixture of dance & choreography and i wanted to enact it during inter hall drama but our drama captain did not find it appealing enough and instead went for oft repeated Spartacus.

He has one more play to his credit called "sakharam Binder" which I am yet to read.While reading various obituary to him I came to know that script for movies liek Nishant, manthan ,ardhsatya and aakrosh were also written by him.
All these moveis are gem in themselves but my favorite is Ardhasatya maybe because I find it more connected to my age.

For someone like Vijay Tendulkar I think this would be apt " i may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say till death".
A conscience keeper which every society needs at all points of time.