Letters

Samar Sen Memorial Lecture
I liked Shoumma's critical review of Pranab Bardhan's Samar Sen Memorial Lecture very much [Calcutta Notebook, May 19-25, 2013]. I wonder how Anustup, a radical leftist journal, could consider Bardhan as a suitable person for delivering the Samar Sen memorial lecture. Samarbabu deserved a person who has some really new thoughts to offer–thoughts that leave the capitalist paradigm behind. Bardhan's "new thoughts" are actually old capitalist thoughts.

Shoumma has pointed out the most important (though not the only) root of the problem: the annual addition of 1.3 million to West Bengal's list of unemployed people. But he apparently also has the illusion that a solution to this problem can be found within agriculture. How? Where is the land? Land does not grow on trees!

When Samar Sen was editing Frontier, China was still a beacon for him, for Frontier, Anustup and their readers. China has betrayd their hopes, has become a capitalist country. But it has done one right thing, namely the one-child policy. Not only West Bengal, but whole India should emulate China in this regard.
Saral Sarkar, Germany

Indranath Majumdar -I
In the late sixties of the last century a book-selling concern started its business in Kolkata. The concern was unique in the sense that it dealt in rare books, books unavailable elsewhere could be found there. The founder, Indranath Majumadar, was a person with little formal education but his enterprise drew a large number of scholars, teachers and students to him, and they came to beleaguer him with orders. Then he, along with this business, started publishing quality books. One such book was Truth Unites (Edited by Asoke Mitra) : Essays in Tributes to Samar Sen. His other publications include, Sumanta Banerjee's In the Wake of Naxalbari, Ranjan Gupta's Rahrer Samaj, Arthanity O Gana Bidroha (Society, Economy and Popular Uprisings of the Rahr Region) Binoy Roy's Unish Satake Bangalir Bigwan Sadhana (Cultivation of Science by Bengalis in the Nineteenth Century), Gram Banglar Itikatha (A Bengali Translation, made by Ashim Chatterjee, of W W Hunter's Annals of Rural Bengal), Gautam Bhadra's Mughal Juge Krishi Arthanity O Krishak Bidroha (The Agrarian Economy and Peasant Rebellions in the Mughal Period) and many others.

The founder of Subarnarekha, who passed away on 9 May this year, was an activist of the undivided Communist Party of India when he was very young. Then he gave up active politics. In the late fifties, Atulya Ghosh, the veteran Congress leader set up a hostel for the needy and meritorious students of the mofussil of West Bengal. Indranath Majumdar was appointed superintendent of the hostel. Many of the boarders later on acquired eminence in their respective fields. Two leaders of the famous peasant struggle of Gopiballavpur, namely Santosh Rana and Ashim Chatterjee, were also boarders of this hostel during their student days. Atulya Ghosh, however, found it difficult to bear the expenses of the hostel in 1967 after the fall of the Congress Government in West Bengal and finally the entire business was wound up. What is noteworthy is that even though a former communist activist, Indranath Majumdar was his choice as the superintendent. The reason was Majumdar's personal integrity, which impressed Ghosh.

When the hostel ceased to exist, its residents were forced to go elsewhere and Indranath Majumdar lost his job and then started the business of book selling for earning his livelihood. His bookshop was housed at 93. Mahatma Gandhi Road. That was also the address of the famous Bengali cultural quarterly Ekhsan (Edited first by Nirmalya Acharya and Soumitra Chatterjee, and then by Nirmalya Acharya only). Indranath Majumdar came to be closely associated with its publication. His generous helping hand to Nirmalya Acharya when the latter was suffering from cancer, which finally led to his death, can still be remembered by those who knew. This generosity was always extended to serious scholars and students, who could have valuable books and journals from him at cheap rates. One of the beneficiaries was this writer himself.

In 1984, Indranath Majumdar set up a branch of Subarnarekha at Santiniketan, and soon it became one of the high spots of the town of Tagore. Visitors from outside, as well as students and teachers of Viswa Bharati, frequented the place. Outside visitors included scholars of renown as well as lay readers. The number of friends of such a person was naturally not small. The names of some of them may be mentioned, e.g. Amartya Sen, Asok Rudra, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Asoke Mitra, Somnath Hor, Nirmal Chandra and many others. All of them treated him with respect and honour. Those who visited his house at Santiniketan should not forget his hospitality. He is survived by his wife, a brother and two sons.
Anirban Biswa, Birbhum

Indranath Majumdar - II
It was summer of 1960. I had appeared in the I.Sc examination from Jhargram Raj College and was expecting a good result. I had heard of Presidency College in Kolkata and cherished the idea of doing my B.Sc from that college with Honours in Physics. But my family was too poor to send me to Kolkata for higher education. A teacher in Jhargram had told me about Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Chhatra Kalyan Abas, popularly known as Bidhan Chhatrabas where meritorious and poor students were provided free accommodation. So I came to Kolkata, a stranger and somehow located Bidhan Chhatrabas in Paikpara. On entering the hostel, I saw a tall and healthy man negotiating a motor-cycle in the court-yard. He was learning how to ride it. On seeing me he asked, " What do you want ?" I told him that I wanted accommodation in the hostel. I also told him that I was very poor and it was not possible for my parents to bear expenses in Kolkata. He listened patiently and asked me to come with my marksheet once the results were out. This man was Indranath Majumdar. I stayed at Bidhan Chhatrabas for two years and Indra-da was our guardian in the period of our first encounter with the outside world. The Pradesh Congress leadership of that period had decided to set up this hostel with an eye to helping brilliant students of rural areas prepare themselves for the IAS. But the students who came were influenced by left ideology. Indra-da, as custodian of the hostel was to look after the students and see that they did their studies well. He was aware of his responsibilities, but was very affectionate and friendly towards the students. He gave them friendly advice so that they could form ideas of their own.
For a long time I was in the jungle and then in jail and had no contact with him for a long period. In 1978, while I was addressing a public meeting at Bolpur, Indra-da came there and took me to his house. Congress leader Saugata Roy was also there. I had dinner with them with lemon-chicken prepared by Indra-da.

My next encounter with him was at Beliatore. One morning I saw him riding a rickshaw and going towards the paddy field for latrine. He took me to his father-in-law's house in the Bauripara of Beliatore. His wife was from a poor Bauri family in Beliatore. They had a thatched house. Indra-da had no problem living there.

Later on, I had visited him many times in Bolpur, Kolkata and Boimela. He used to enquire about our activities. Whenever I met him, he was that affectionate guardian.

I got the news of his death from Ashim (Kaka). We had the common experience of being under the guardianship of Indra-da in Bidhan Chatrabas in the formative years of our lives. I shall ever remember him as a friendly and affectionate "guardian".
Santosh Rana, Kolkata

Indranath Majumdar -III
The last time I met Indra Da was at Santiniketan on Basanta Utsab day. Hot tea and singara was being distributed free to all comers at ‘Subarnarekha’ and I helped myself to some, hungry as I was after taking photographs of the Dol procession. Previous evening he had given us some insights into the markets of Bolpur where clandestine succour was available for the thirsty at all hours. A perennial, though not so discerning, imbiber of the Hippocrene, sans the beaded bubble, my first meeting with him was in 1963/64 at a famous waterhole near Wellington Square where I had gone with Shamser Anwar. I remember his smiling admonishment about the need for restraint in little boys. I also remember the guffaw of his famous companions. Much later, I remember another affectionate rebuke from him when he physically restrained me from getting off a slow moving Santiniketan Express at Bally station.

I was not very close to him at any time, though he always had a smile and a kind word for me whenever we met. When I, along with stalwarts such as Ashish Lahiri, Pulak Chanda, Prabrit Das Mahapatra, Anupam Majumdar used to frequent 'Kathashilpa' regularly during 'Prastutiparba' and 'Anwesha' days, I often went to his shop on Mahatma Gandhi Road, just to browse the famous collection. I could never measure up to the illustrious visitors to the shop, but basking in reflected glory has a unique warmth. With his passing ends an era of joviality's matrimony with scholarship. I hope some people have been perspicacious enough to keep a record of all his activities. I hope our detestable habit of letting history vanish will not make us forget this monument to booklore.
Salil Biswas, Kolkata

‘‘A Tragedy’’
By a series of manoeuvres involving the bending and twisting of various laws, Union Carbide has avoided facing the consequences of its involvement in the Bhopal gas disaster. The building collapse in Bangladesh was similar in that it was no accident but a tragedy waiting to happen. It is not unlikely that here too the corporations involved will get away unscathed.
Mukul Dube, Delhi

Posco on the Move
Villagers of Govindapur we are hocked to find that without giving any importance to the demands raised by various groups and forces on the situation prevailing in the area, the police have initiated today that is on 6th May 2013 work for constructing a trench in a clandestine way which would connect the proposed POSCO project to Govindapur village. This might help the striking forces to unleash a new phase of terror villagers apprehend.

The police have already felled more than 600 trees in Gobindapur village without respecting the verdict of National Green Tribunal (NGT). The Odisha government is as good as dead and the dictates of the company are ruling supreme in Jagatsinghpur district. The District Collector and the Superintendent of Police (S.P) are behaving in a manner as if they are accountable to the company and their contractors.

At this juncture, we urge you to call / send fax to the following authorities immediately. Any kind of support and co-operation to sustain our democratic movement is the call of the hour now.
Kindly forward this mail widely.
Hoping for Solidarity.

Prashant Paikaray
Spokesperson
POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
Mobile: 09437571547
E-mail: prashantpaikaray@gmail.com

You can call and write to the following :
1.    Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Odishas
Tel.(O) 011-91-674-2531100,
011-91-674-2535100,
011-91-674 2531500, Epbax 2163
Tel. (R) 011-91-674-2590299,
011-91-674-2591099,
011-91-674-2590844,
011-91-674-2591100,
Fax : (91) 674-2535100
E-Mail: cmo@ori.nic.in
2. Murali Chandrakanta Bhanadare,
Governor of Odisha,
Fax: (91) 674-2536582
3.   Shri B K Patnaik, Chief Secretary,
E-mail: csori@ori.nic.
Phone: 0674-2536700, 0674-2534300,
0674-2322196, Fax: 0674-2536660
3.   S K Malkick, District Collector,
Jagatsinghpur,
Ph: 09437038401,
Fax: (91)6724220299
4.   Superintendent of Police,
Satyabrata Bhoi,
Ph: 0624-220115
Mobile: 09437575759
E-mail: dmisp@ori.nic.in
5.   Dr Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India
Tel: 9111-23016857
e-mail: manmohan@sansad.in
6.   Sonia Gandhi
Tel: (91)11-23014161
(91)11-23012656
Fax: (91)112301865,
e-mail: soniaqandhi@sansad.nic.in,
7.   Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of India, Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi 110 001
Tel: +91 11 230 74448
Fax: +91 11 2334 0016
Email: chairnhrc@nic,in
8.   Shri V Kishore Chandra Deo
Minister of Tribal Affairs
Room No. 400 ‘B' Wing,
Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi- 110001
E-mail: vk.deo@sansad.nic.in
9.   Smt Jayanthi Natarajan
Minister of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex,
Lodhi Road New Delhi-110003
E-mail: mosefgoi@nic.in

Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 46, May 26-June 1, 2013

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