ON 25TH DEATH
ANNIVERSARY LET US RESURRECT KARTIK PANNALAL TO ERADICATE THE IRON FEET OF
FASCISM WHICH IS SIMMERING AT A BOILING POINT. KARTIK WAS A LIVING
PROOF THAT THE MOST SPIRITUAL PEOPLE WERE THEMARXIST REVOLUTIONARIES
By Harsh Thakor
Kartik Pannalal
was simply an ornament in his own right to the democratic Rights, Student and
Communist revolutionary movement whose memories will shimmer forever. Kartik
may be gone but his souls still sparkles in the hearts of many a well-wisher
like an inextinguishable star. Today night on June 4th we
commemorate his 25th death anniversary when he perished in a road accident at
the conclusion of fact finding team in
I would have
loved a Kartik reborn today with tide of Hindu communal fascism shimmering at a
boiling point,corporates given patronage to plunder wealth , at an
unprecedented magnitude ,
Kartik was born
in a wealthy Jain family in Mumbai, which inherited extensive family trusts.
Its remarkable how he culturally evolved in spite of such a traditional
upbringing. It is perfectly illustrated in a photo at the age of 11 in 1979
.Posing with his sisters in a wedding at the Taj Hotel in
Mumbai Kartik wore a wedding suit with
his sisters Rupande and Sona clad in traditional Ghagra Cholis. However exotic
those Ghagras looked his sister Rupande who became a social activist later,
resented wearing such robes.
A bright student
in school,Kartik was forced to study engineering but later rebelled against
him. His initial baptism into the revolutionary arena was through interacting
with his sister Rupande , a social activist in the Tata Institute of Social
Sciences in 1986,This put him in touch with the social reality of the time, be
it people in slums or factories.Kartik joined St Xaviers college and Stephen
Rego of Vidhyarti Pragahati Sanghata had a profound impact on him.. In late
1986 Kartik formally joined the Vidhyarti Praghati Sanghatana. I was no witness
of Kartik's evolution from an embryonic stage as I only met him at the end of
1988.Bastian Vailanga 's book Introduction to Marxism 'ignited the spark within
Kartik.
I can never
forget my times with him as a college boy even if we were some kind of rivals
Activists or sympathisers of that time always identify me and Karthik as the 2
students in Mumbai in 1990-91, joining the ranks of the Marxist-Leninist
Movement. I first met him in the vicinity of Elphinstone college in end of
1988,when he motivated me to join to a camp in Dahanu conducted by Kashtakari
Sanghatana.It was an experience that left a mark on me.to join the fold of revolutionary
activism.
I have vivid
memories of our mutual discussion on theoretical questions and on merits of
organisations. Memories shimmer in my mind of our presence in protests or
public meetings as well as mutual arguments. We never belonged to the same
political group and we had sharp disagreements .Mutual clashes took
place between the erstwhile Peoples War Group which his student
organisation VPS identified with and the Chandra Pulla
Reddy Group ,which was affiliated to PRAVIS, the student group I belonged to.
Kartik's
handling of the rape case committed by Avinash Patil in
Kartik from
1990-92 with surgical skill galvanised the student cadre in
St.Xaviers college as a member of Vidhyarti Praghati Sanghatana , to
support the Canteen Workers Strike and abolish the contract labour
system.. It was remarkable how he turned the minds of students belonging to the
elite strata of society and indoctrined with conventional values of capitalist
society, which generally sides with the exploiter classes ,to support
struggling workers .I recollect how students would swarm at the gate of the
college when Kartik arrived. Kartik pioneered the publication of magazine ; Chingaar'
which put to the table all the students issues of that day be it the Mandal
Commission, fee-hikes, Communalism, New Education Policy, Privatisation of
education or hotel facilities. A cadre was revolved around the
magazine which with close vigil noted how a crystallisation was occurring with
the advent of globalisation.
As a fellow
comrade Kartik often felt when I was distributing party journal of
revolutionary groups I was being used and felt that it was improper to use
student cadre for selling Maoist literature. Of course this view is
questionable. I can't forget how I flitted with different groups like Lok
Jagruti Kendra, Chandra Pulla Reddy Group and Red Star group in such a short
duration, from age of 21-24 and how Kartik strongly felt it was an excuse to
leave an organization. He was a firm adherent that an activist should struggle
within the framework of one political group.
Kartik was most
effective in working amongst basti residents and his humane touch won the
affection of many a resident. His style was distinctive from a conventional
Marxist activist, having characteristics of his very own. I can't forget are
joint participation in demonstration s defending slum dewllers.
During the
1992-93 Mumbai riots Kartik waged a sustained battle to garner all forces to
orchestrate self defence commitees against riots and invested every ounce of
energy in saving the Muslim community. Few activists then displayed as
exemplary patience in dealing with the Muslim victims as Kartik who himself
conducted a separate teaching school for them. With astute skill Kartik
launched an ideological crusade on the Hindutva Shiv Sena and played a major
role in testifying the Shiv Sena crimes in the tribunalKartik played a vital
role in shaping the Peoples Tribunal.
Kartik was
critical of the social reformist approach of the Ekta Forum led by Ashar Ali
Engineer and wholeheartedly supported the Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation
Front in Kashmir in 1990.He was convinced that India was on the threshold of
turning into a Hindu fascist state.
The pinnacle of
his activist life was in exposing the misdeeds of the Indian govt in
We parted ways
after 1992 when he made his journey seriously into the Civil Liberties movement
after qualifying as a lawyer and was in the forefront of work in the Committee
of Protection of Democratic Rights. Just shortly before his death we met in a
programme commemorating Comrade Gadar in Dadar.Although we met for only a short
while, i was happy he had lost none of his purity or human touch. The duration
when we lost touch with each other coincided with my first job in the Taj Air
Caterers from late 1994 ,which gave me insight into social labour
Although I left formal activism from 1992-96 became an unofficial
supporter of the CCRI from 1992 to late 94 which later
merged into the CPRCI(ML).in 1995.
Kartik's post
-death commemoration meeting in Hall of Bombay Union of Journalists sprung
people from all walks of life .In the view of VPS leader Arun Ferreira Karthik
was in some ways a replica or incarnate of Che Guevera ,whether standing with a
cigarette in his mouth when calling students in, whether addressing a press
meeting or even in his contemplating or cracking a joke. I was touched to hear
ex Naujwan Bharat Sabha leader Stephen Rego state "That although I taught
him so much .in the end it was I who learned from him more than he learned from
me. "I can never forget the tears of colleague George Jose when recounting
how Kartik moulded the St Xaviers group .Late Sebastion of CPDR classified
Kartik as a true friend rather than just an activist.lok Shahi Hakk Sanghatana
leader Vinod Shetty expressed his great moments in working with Kartik ending
with tears in his eyes .Aavhan Natya Manch activist Robert narrated how dazzled
he was with Kartik's meditative attention in adhering grievances of the Muslim
community when trouble had simmered at a boiling point. during the communal
riots in 1993 in Mumbai. Varavara Rao upheld Kartik’s role in the
Assessment of
Kartik
It was very rare
to find a Student or youth of that time in Mumbai who was such a
personification of revolutionary humanism, particularly in the upper middle
class. In many ways his personality had overtones of Che Guevera. Kartik exuded
that quality of 'love' so much required within a revolutionary and the
spiritual aspect. Kartik was the embodiment of sensitivity within a human
being.Kartik had great concern for fellow people and hated activists being
turned into objects.
It was soul
searching witnessing the manner he could de-condition or radicalize upper class
students to bring them within the fold of democratic movements and he
compassion he displayed when interacting with common workers.Kartik had deep
insight into the psychology of people and would do just what he doctor ordered
to inculcate a change within them. He refrained from parroting revolutionary
jargon of Maoism but in almost congeal and lucid manner related politics to the
students.
Notable that he
did not look down on non -activists.Kartik was critical in the manner left
activists were used not only by the revisionist parties but also the
revolutionary groups, who he felt often gave crass respect to humanism and
would convert cadres into pawns. This was noticeable in the manner cadre were
pulled into rallies.
To the deepest
core he opposed dogmatism, with his views akin to that of Che Guevera in
important aspects. The splittism within the movement made him sick and he was
determined to challenge all orthodox or conventional practices.
Kartik was an
admirer of the C.P.I.(M.L)Peoples War group in Andhra Pradesh who he felt were
genuinely resisting opression.However he was at considerable variance with the
Leninist or Maoist concept of dictatorship of the Proletariat and questioned
the vanguard role of the Party.Kartik upheld Che Guevera's concept of moral
incentives and was harshly critical of the great purges of Stalin and some
practices in he Chinese Cultural Revolution.Ofcourse I disagreed with
Kartik’s stands on Lenin, Stalin and Mao which opposed the
collectivist Leninist spirit .He also failed to grasp how the Peoples War group
made major violations in massline practice or how tactics of Boycott in
parliamentary elections was sectarian. In some ways his views were flawed with
infections of the New Left and Trotskyite tendencies .Kartik credited Trotsky
for the formation of the Red Army and upheld aspects of Guevarist foco theory.
At the end of it
all perhaps I regret that I could not do what he did in his time but remember
that nobody is infallible and I had virtues in other respects as a person. We
had strong differences with considerably different personalities but still had
considerable mutual respect.
Harsh Thakor is
a freelance Journalist from Mumbai who has travelled around
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