People's Democracy

Samar Mukherjee Felicitated

On His Birth Centenary

From Our Special Correspondent

HE was born exactly four years before the Great October Revolution in Russia in the year 1913. He has devoted his whole life for the cause of socialist revolution in India, for the cause of the workers and peasants and the cause of the deprived people of the country. The hundred years of his life journey has traversed the long path of revolutionary tradition and its legacy. Comrade Jyoti Basu used to call him as ‘The God’s Own man’ because of his perfection in all respects of life and work. Samar Mukherjee is the living history of the Communist and Left Movement in India. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal state committee organised a programme to commemorate the very special occasion of his birth centenary on November 7, 2012. The programme was held in front of Dilkhusha Street Party Commune in Kolkata. Samar Mukherjee was born on November 7, 1913. He participated actively in the freedom struggle and later became one of the leading figures in the working class movement of the country. He is a former Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) and one of the tallest leaders of the CITU and the working class. His felicitation was a rare and exceptional occasion for generations of Party workers in West Bengal.

In the commemorative function, Samar Mukherjee himself sat through and quietly received the respect and affection of the comrades. Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Party said he first met Samar Mukherjee in 1971 when he used to work at Party’s Parliamentary office and Comrade A K Gopalan was the then leader of the Party in Lok Sabha and Samar Mukherjee was the deputy leader in Lok Sabha. He has created an example of sincerity and dedication throughout his political life. Samar Mukherjee joined India’s struggle for independence as a student and became a member of the Communist Party in the year 1940. Since then he dedicated himself to the Communist movement of the country. He played an important role in building the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Centre for Indian Trade Unions.

Karat said Samar Mukherjee never thought of comforts and even saved from the meager wages he received as Party whole timer and used to re-donate it to the Party. This is one of the examples of the revolutionary practices of Samar Mukherjee. Karat also recalled his role in the fight to protect the civil liberties at the time of emergency both inside and outside the parliament. He said Samar Mukherjee witnessed the rise of Soviet Union as well as its debacle. That did not alter his conviction in Marxism-Leninism.  He remains a source of inspiration and courage to comrades all over the country.

Biman Basu, CPI(M) state secretary recalled the journey of Samar Mukherjee from a freedom fighter to a leader of the Communist movement in India. He said Samar Mukherjee was one of the architects of the Refugee movement in West Bengal and also one of the makers of historical railway strike in the year 1974. “Samarda never lost his class outlook whether he was a member of parliament or a working class leader”, said Basu.

Veteran leader of the Forward Block, Ashoke Ghosh also addressed the gathering. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, AK Padmanabhan, Suryakanta Misra, Nirupam Sen, Tapan Sen were among those present. Left Front leaders were present on the occasion.