People's Democracy

COMRADE Dr Mahadev Saha's devotion to the cause of the communist movement and his unquenching thirst for books was recalled at separate condolence meetings held at the AKG Bhavan in New Delhi on April 22 and at the Promode Dasgupta Bhavan in Kolkata on April 27.

Dr Mahadev Saha expired on April 14 in New Delhi after a brief illness.

Addressing the meeting in Delhi, CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet paid glowing tributes to Dr Saha's unflinching commitment to the communist movement. Surjeet recalled that he came to know Dr Saha during the period of sharp differences in the united party. He was actively associated with Comrade Muzaffar Ahmad (Kakababu) in Bengal in that period and firmly stood with the comrades who fought against revisionism. Surjeet rated him as an extraordinary communist intellectual who devoted his entire lifetime reading and writing for the cause of the working class. Saying that the party had lost a valuable comrade with the demise of Dr Saha, Surjeet stressed that there is need to find out more details about Dr Saha's life.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat, who presided over this meeting, said the abiding memory of Dr Mahadev Saha will be the tremendous legacy he has left behind --- the legacy of his total commitment to the communist movement right from 1930s when he came into contact with the Communist Party through participation in the freedom struggle.

Referring to Dr Mahadev Saha's nature of never giving out details of his life, Prakash said everyone thought he was a Bengali though he was actually born in Uttar Pradesh. Whatever little details were given out in his life-sketch were based on talks with a few veteran Bengali comrades who knew or worked with him.

Prakash felt the most characteristic feature of Dr Saha's life was his entire devotion to reading and writing. But this was different from the leisurely variety and was focussed on aiding the advance of communist movement in the country.

Referring to Dr Mahadev Saha's very simple lifestyle, Prakash said he always took the smallest amount of wholetimer wage, saying that his expenses were met with that amount.

A memorial meeting was held to remember Comrade Mahadev Saha in Kolkata. Addressing the meting, state secretary of the Bengal unit of the CPI (M), Anil Biswas recalled the enormous knowledge base Dr Mahadev Saha possessed about Marxism-Leninism and said how Dr Saha would carry on debates with the likes of comrade Muzaffar Ahmad, some time for days on end.

Anil Biswas recalled the simple life comrade Mahadev Saha led and said that his only fascination was with books of which he had built up an impressive collection. The letter comrade Saha had written to Biswas a few weeks before he passed away in Delhi, expressing his great appreciation of the spirit of self criticism displayed by the delegates at the recent conference of the state unit of the Party, "would continue to inspire us in the days to come," said Biswas.

Polit Bureau member of the CPI (M), Biman Basu spoke about the outspokenness of Dr Saha and said that the late comrade was always ready with facts to back his arguments. Senior leader of the CPI (M), Samar Mukherjee, and CITU stalwart Mohd Amin reminisced about Dr Mahadev Saha. Raman Maheswari of the Hindi Swadhinta presided over the meeting.