Aug 21

Dr. Kanhaiya’s Lesson on Diversity

BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru, at 1pm on Saturday, Aug 10, 2019
Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar Responds to a Questioner on Jai Shri Ram

During the discussion on Indian Youth at Crossroads, a question asked by a girl, who claimed herself to represent the students and youth of Mangaluru, was answered by Dr. Kanhaiya in such a way, that it instantly became madly viral all over the media, with millions watching the video, and the conversation transcribed into many languages.

The young girl started her question with ‘Jai Sriram’ and asked Com Kanhaiya why he cannot preach one nation, one student power, one polity, one unity policy. Com. Kanhaiya replied: ‘You are preaching one. But I am born of the interaction of two people i.e., my father and my mother. There is no controversy about our nation being one. Our nation is bound by one constitution which has got more than 300 articles.  The constitution provides for one parliament which has two houses. Each house has several elected members. So whatever we follow or whatever we do has plurality or diversity. You may say ‘Jai Sriram’ or ‘Jai Hanuman’ or anything you like to say. The constitution has given you liberty to say whatever you want. So please say ‘Jai’ to our constitution also.’

Dr. Kanhaiya continued: ‘I am born in Begusarai which is included in Mithila province. In Mithila every year Rama’s marriage is arranged. During this festival, several people from Ayodhya came over to Mithila with Rama’s attire. They are welcomed with abuses by locals. This is the practice of our place. It is our culture. In our place we do not name the Gods singly. We always say Seetharam or Radhekrishna and like that. There are more than 300 Ramayanas written by different people in different regions. In Lahol district there is a different Ramayana. In this version, Ravana is the father of Seetha. Rama loves Seetha and marries her. Ravana was against it and thus the war between them. In Himachal Pradesh there is a Triloknath Temple. There the idol of Shiva is on the head of Buddha. Here both Buddhists and Hindus pray. India is a big nation with a lot of diversities. To know this we have to travel the whole of India. Then only you will understand the beauty of it. When we think of the broadness of India it makes us to feel how small we are. If you go to any part if India you will have different experiences and thrills. You and I love this country. We love our mother. But if anybody come to you with a flag and ask you to shout a particular slogan and ask you to show your love to your mother, I am sure you will not do it. This country is mine. I love it. But love is not for exhibition. I always carry it in my heart and move forward.’ The reply was received with thunderous applause and the video has since gone viral all over, with more than 1 crore people watching it and there were thousands of congratulatory comments.

Other links:

Prajavani with Kannada sub titles:

And many many more!

And many many more!

 

Video: Shenoy Video, Mangaluru

Aug 21

Indian Youth at Crossroads

BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru at 11am-1pm on Saturday, Aug 10, 2019
Discussion: Indian Youth at Crossroads – Presentation: Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar, Reaction: Com. Amarjeet Kaur

The first discussion after the inauguration was titled ‘Indian Youth at Crossroads’. Making his first ever presentation in Mangaluru in front of a huge, very enthusiastic gathering, Com. Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar dealt at length on the topic, and explained the current crisis that’s affecting the youth of our country.

Com. Siddanagouda Patil welcoming Com. Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar

Dr. Srinivas Kakkilaya introducing and welcoming Coms. Amarjeet Kaur and Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar

Drawing parallel with Com. BV Kakkilaya, Com. Kanhaiya said that whereas Com. Kakkilaya was jailed by the British for participating in the freedom struggle, the present government of free India is jailing activists like himself for raising their voices against the anti people policies, and that in both instances, the governments chose to term these people as anti nationals. Explaining the crisis of capitalism, Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar drew attention to the fact that the technological revolution has lead to mass production of goods with the use of smaller and smaller workforce, leading to crisis of profits, which in turn have led to liberalization and globalisation, and at the same time, protectionism. Such crisis ridden situation has resulted in fragmentation and separation of the working masses, with workers, peasants, women, students and youth, marginalised and minorities having had to go their own ways and to fight their own smaller battles. The fundamentalist forces that are inimical to new knowledge and scientific advancement, he pointed out, are always at the forefront of using the latest of the very same technology that they shun. Such contradictions help these forces to wage emotional and perceptional propaganda, misleading the youth away from their real issues. He said that the attacks on public universities are a part of the agenda to break bigger institutions while also creating a perception that such universities that impart knowledge, and prepare the youth into intellectuals who pose tough questions, as breeding grounds of anti nationals. He urged the youth to pose tough questions to the powers, and said that singing paeans to the powers in blind faith, in fact is an act of being unpatriotic. Dr. Kanhaiya Kumar emphatically stated that like day and night, democracy, liberty and secularism shall remain forever, and the darkness if any, can only be temporary. He called upon the youth to practice democracy in their own homes, by valuing their spouses, and taking their own decisions about courses and careers. Such democrats, he asserted, would naturally uphold and fight for democratic values.

Com. Amarjeet Kaur, in her response to Dr. Kanhaiya’s presentation, narrated the struggles waged by the AISF and other mass organisations and her own experiences as a member and office bearer of the AISF, NFIW and AITUC. She urged the youth to follow the ideals of democracy, secularism and progressive thought, and to maintain sustained vigil and struggle for these values.

Revolutionary songs by IPTA Karnataka

During the interaction that followed, many questions were asked about the Indian communists vis-à-vis others, the cultural and other spaces that need to be reclaimed by the communists, the new ideas for Indian politics, particularly the left, etc., and Com. Kanhaiya answered them with élan. A question asked by a girl, who claimed herself to represent the students and youth of Mangaluru, however, was answered by Dr. Kanhaiya in such a way, that it instantly became madly viral all over the media, with millions watching the video, and the conversation transcribed into many languages.

Photos: Yajna, Mangaluru

Video: Shenoy Video, Mangaluru

Aug 21

Inauguration by Com. Amarjeet Kaur

BV Kakkilaya Centenary at Mangaluru
Inauguration by Com. Amarjeet Kaur, at 10.00am on Saturday, Aug 10, 2019

The BV Kakkilaya Centenary Programme was inaugurated by Com. Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of AITUC, by releasing the second revised edition of Com. BV Kakkilaya’s autobiography titled Bareyada Dinachariya Mareyada Putagalu (Unforgettable Pages from Unwritten Diary).

Com. Amarjeet Kaur inaugurating the Centenary Programme by releasing BV Kakkilaya’s autobiography ‘Bareyada Dinachariya Mareyada Putagalu’

In her inaugural address, titled ‘Role of the Working Class Movement in India’s Freedom Struggle and Nation Building’, Com. Amarjeet Kaur narrated the origins of AISF, AITUC, CPI and IPTA and explained their valiant role in the freedom struggle. She stated that the Communists under these mass organisations not only fought against the British colonialism, but also against the oppression on and exploitation of the peasants and workers, organizing mass struggles that played a stellar role in the freedom struggle. Such struggles, and the strength of the Communists as the principal opposition in the first years of India’s parliamentary democracy, she pointed out, pressurized the then governments to formulate policies that were secular, liberal, democratic and pro-people. She also pointed out that the RSS, which was also founded in the same year, 1925, as the CPI, not only ditched the freedom struggle, but worked for polarizing the people and spreading communal hatred, abetting the division of the country into two, culmination in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, and that the same forces are now continuing and building their divisive and fascist agenda posing grave danger to our nation. She added that the condition of the working class in the country has become pathetic since 2014 due to the policies of the Central government. She lamented that the laws aimed at protecting the interests of the working class, enacted owing to the struggles of the working class, are now seeing ineffective implementation. Stating that 95% of the working force of the nation is in the unorganised sector, she said most of the jobs in government and public sector undertakings are  on contract basis, creating a situation wherein these workers do not get even a 1/3rd of the  pay which government employees get. While in the pre-independence days the people and workers came together forgetting all the ideological differences to fight for the freedom, after independence there started several central trade unions and because of which the workers were scattered to some extent, said Com. Kaur, and recounted the stellar role played by Com Gurudas Das Dasgupta in bringing unity among all the central trade unions and independent unions to fiught together for the common causes of the workers. She reminded that the present Government is trying to dilute the hard earned rights of the workers and such moves are being fought valiantly.

Com. Amarjeet Kaur delivering the inaugural address
Com. Amarjeet Kaur delivering the inaugural address
Com. BK Krishnappa honouring Com. Amarjeet Kaur