AS part of the on-going preparations for the upcoming 21st Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Andhra Pradesh state committee gave a call for reaching out to the common people throughout the state. The campaign, titled, 'CPI(M) to every house', evoked good response. The intention of the campaign was to reach out to a majority of the households in the state, explain the political and ideological uniqueness of the Party and the struggles undertaken by the Party on various issues and demands. This campaign was undertaken in all the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Elaborate and meticulous planning went into this programme and as a result, around 100 teams, each comprising of five to ten activists covered the entire length and breadth of the Visakhapatnam city and met more than 2,50,000 people. Another aim of this programme is to seek the support of people in organising the 21st Congress. In spite of the many hardships they are facing, particularly after the recent Hudhud cyclone, which had wreaked havoc in their lives, people wholeheartedly and voluntarily came forward to give donations ranging from ten rupees to ten thousand rupees. A noteworthy feature of the campaign is the enthusiastic response to the campaign from working class, who constitute substantial majority in the city, women, and middle class people. This programme has also helped in enthusing and motivating our cadres. TWO KM RUN In the run-up to the Party Congress and also commemorating the 84th death anniversary of Shahid-e-azam Bhagat Singh, the Party conducted a series of activities for the youth. Various competitions were held as part of the day-long activity, called as Vizag Youth Carnival. The first of these programmes was the two kilometre run, from the RK Beach, the place where the concluding public meeting of the 21st Congress will be held, to Bhagat Singh's statue. This run was flagged-off by BV Raghavulu, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) and Prof GSN Raju, vice-chancellor, Andhra University. Both of them enthusiastically ran along with the competitors and other participants. Enroute, all the enthusiastic morning walkers joined them and greeted the participants. Raghavulu addressed the participants at the culminating point of the run, after garlanding the statue of Bhagat Singh. He recalled the sacrifices of many young people like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev during the freedom struggle and called upon the youth to actively take part in nation building and demanded the government to utilise the vast potential of the youth of our country – a rich resource no other country in the world possesses. The winners of the 2K run were given prizes, mementoes and certificates of participation. Apart from the competitors, more than 1000 Party cadres, cutting across ages, too participated in the run. Ch Narsinga Rao, state secretariat member, Lokanadham, district secretary, B Ganga Rao, city secretary, GS Rajeswara Rao, zone convenor and many other leaders also took part in the run. Apart from the run, essay writing, elocution, poetry writing, poster designing, short-film making contests too were organised for the youth on that day in the Andhra University in coordination with the department of journalism and mass communication. Many professors and other faculty of the university helped in the conduct of these competitions. Extensive campaign was undertaken preceding this event in all the engineering colleges and degree colleges in Visakhapatnam. Pamphlets and postering was done in all the colleges giving wide publicity to the event, which resulted in the active participation of students from these institutions. Prizes and participation certificates were given to all the winners and participants. An android app giving information about the Party and the Congress was also re-released by BV Raghavalu which was widely covered by both print and electronic media. This android app was developed by our IT team. On March 25, a cultural jatha comprising of more than 50 artists covering all the thirteen districts of Andhra Pradesh reached Visakhapatnam, after touring all the districts in the state. The artists depicted the historical background of the communist movement and the freedom movement and the stellar role played by the communists and their sacrifices. The entire dance drama captured the attention of the audience and gained their appreciation. Some of the songs rendered by the artists have inspired the audience and many had joined them in their performance. The entire programme, which required a fusion of traditional Prajanatya Mandali art forms and modern technology like video presentation, was organised at Kalabharathi auditorium which was filled to capacity. Many people were seen standing throughout the event, watching with rapt attention, till the end. Ch Narsinga Rao, state secretariat member, MVS Sarma, member of legislative council and state secretariat member of the Party, V Krishnaiah, secretariat member, appreciated and commended the Prajanatya Mandali for conceptualising and depicting such a wonderful performance. Commemorating the 50th year of the formation of our Party, a huge rally was organised with a 50 metre Party flag. More than 200 comrades participated, in the rally in which, 21 women comrades carrying 21 flags, symbolising the 21st Party Congress, led the rally. This rally was flagged off by Y Venkateswara Rao, state secretariat member and was also addressed by Ch Narsinga Rao and GS Rajeswara Rao. Similar rallies and processions were also held at other zones where in our Party activists have enthusiastically participated holding the 50 metres flag. These rallies caught the attention of the public. On February 23, Vivek Monterio, who played an active role in the anti-Jaitapur nuclear reactor agitation visited Kovvada in Srikakulam district, where a nuclear power project is proposed by the government. Monterio addressed a meeting where he highlighted the dangers of the nuclear plant and how such a plant will ruin the environment and effect the livelihood of the fishers community and the farmers and peasants. Apart from these, various state leaders of the Party are touring around the district and various zones in the city, addressing hundreds of meetings of various scales explaining the significance of the 21st Congress and urging the people to actively support the Party. Box item A SPECIAL Vizag Fest 2015 is being organised from April 10-19, in Andhra University Engineering College grounds, for the first time in the city of Visakhapatnam. An organising committee was formed to oversee the conduct of this Fest with former vice-chancellor of Andhra University, Prof KV Ramana as chairman and MVS Sarma, member of legislative council as vice-chairman. This Fest will showcase the rich cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh, particularly North Andhra. Many prominent cultural troops and folk artists have already confirmed their participation. Literary discussions, poetry sessions too are planned during those days, in which eminent literary personalities from all the South Indian states are going to participate. A book exhibition, consisting of stalls by many renowned international and national publishers, including progressive publications will be putting up their publications for sale in the Vizag Fest. A thematic exhibition depicting the rich history and syncretic culture of the land too is being organised. Already various activities were conducted to publicise the event and inviting the people to be part of the Fest.