Red Salute to Comrade Madhukar Katre
Comrade Madhukar Katre, President of Lal Nishan Party (L), passed away on 16 of January, 2009 in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Born in Pune on 05.02.1927, Com. Katre joined the freedom movement even as a young schoolboy in Kolhapur.
Later, he embraced Marxism-Leninism, took active part in the freedom struggle as well as the Praja Parishad struggle against abolition of the princely state of Kolhapur. He was jailed for 17 months for his participation in the movement.
Later he also took leading part in the Goa Liberation struggle and also the movement for the formation of Sanyukta Maharashtra. Later still, he led the struggle for implementation of tenancy legislation of the Maharashtra State.
Later along with Comrade Sataram Patil, he founded the movement of Co-operative Sugar Factory Workers in 1982. He had also been the General Secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Sahakari Kamgar Mahasangh, from which platform he helped organize a militant Trade Union movement of the Co-operative Sugar Factory Workers, which created a broad rural base for the Lal Nishan Party. He was also the founder of the organization for the much exploited Sugarcane Cutters of the Co-operative Sugar Industry and was the General Secretary of their State-level organization.
As a leader of Lal Nishan Party, he played a leading role in the movement of the peasantry for relief and elimination of famine in Maharashtra as also in organizing the Municipal Workers. He was also a front-ranking leader of the landless labourers, and of the Maharashtra Rajya Sheti Mahamandal.
He was an inevitable part of struggles of road workers, forest workers, and other sections of the rural working class.
When there was a split in the Lal Nishan Party, he joined the Lal Nishan Party (Leninist) in 1989, where he eventually was elected President. In spite of health troubles he remained active till the end of his life.
On 17 January, a massive funeral procession was held at Ahmednagar in which a wide cross section of people from Ahmednagar District apart from Party Leaders, paid tribute to him.
He is warmly remembered by many comrades of CPI(ML) with whom he had many comradely interactions.
Liberation pays heartfelt revolutionary tribute to Comrade Katre, and condolences to his family as well as comrades of the LNP (L).
Farewell to Revolutionary Poet Jwalamukhi
On 15 December 2008 in Hyderabad, the renowned revolutionary Telugu poet, cultural personality and human rights activist Jwalamukhi passed away at the age of 71. He had been an integral part of the revolutionary peasant movement of Andhra Pradesh, a major figure in Telugu literature and a leading voice of cultural resistance against state repression in the 70s and 80s.
Inspired by the martyrdom of Subbarao Panigrahi, he along with Cherabanda Raju, Nikhileshwar and others formed a group of young litterateurs, popularly known as Digambar Poets, who had active support from poets like Sri Sri. This new literary-cultural current in Telugu that was inspired by Naxalbari movement, Dalit and tribal’ struggles for life and dignity left its mark on poetry, cinema, theatre and society. In the Hindi heartland he maintained a close relation with Jan Sanskriti Manch (JSM) and he addressed quite a few of its National Conferences. His death is an irreparable loss to the revolutionary left cultural current. CPI(ML) salutes the invincible cultural warrior.
Red Salute to Comrade Shambhu Nath Singh!
Veteran comrade Shambhu Nath Singh breathed his last on 29 November 2008 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was 87. Comrade SN Singh joined the Communist Party in 1949 and was instrumental in forming a traders’ organization in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, the area where lies the disputed site of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir-Gyanvapi Masjid. Influenced by the initiatives of CPI(ML) against the communal fascist forces in the early 90s, Comrade Singh joined our party in 1992 and remained a dedicated communist till his end. The Varanasi party office was his home and the party as his family, till his dying day.
Comrade Shambhu Nath Singh, your memory and example will continue to inspire us always!
Tribute to Comrade Sacchida Babu
Comrade Sacchidanand Prasad, fondly known as Sacchida Babu passed away and his home in Patna on 6 January 2009. He was 73. Since 1969-70, he had been in touch with the party. Defying state repression, he had used his home as a party shelter, and during emergency, he had even been jailed under MISA for 18 months as a result. In spite of pressure to turn informer, he never gave in and never betrayed the party.
Throughout the 70s, he worked on the front of translation, publications, and ideological education. He encouraged his wife and daughters to join the movement; his daughter was part of the women’s cultural group ‘Chorus’, which was formed with encouragement from him and Comrade Maheshwar. As an employee in the Patna Secretariat, he organised other employees to form a union. He played a leading role in the anti-communal movement following the Babri Masjid demolition.
Red Salute to Sacchida Babu!