THE SFI Maharashtra state committee held its four-day state-level study camp from May 30 to June 2, 2024, at the Comrade Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Bhavan at Talasari in Palghar district. It was the first time that Palghar district was hosting a state SFI camp. It was attended by 160 student activists from 17 districts. They included 40 girl students.

The SFI in Maharashtra for many decades has the tradition of holding regular study camps every year at the beginning of the academic session in June. However, this tradition was interrupted due to the Covid pandemic in 2020-21. This was the first class held after that.

INAUGURAL SESSION

After the flag-hoisting by SFI state president Somnath Nirmal, the class was inaugurated by Vinod Nikole, the young MLA from the Dahanu-Talasari seat, who is also one of the state secretaries of CITU. The session was briefly greeted by AIDWA state general secretary Prachi Hatiwlekar, DYFI state president and vice chairperson of the Talasari tehsil panchayat samiti Nandkumar Hadal, AIDWA state joint secretary and chairperson of the Talasari tehsil panchayat samiti Sunita Shingda, AIKS state working president Chandrakant Ghorkhana, CITU district president Laxman Dombre, DYFI state joint secretary and chairperson of the Talasari nagar panchayat Suresh Bhoye, and principal of the Godavari Shamrao Parulekar College of Arts, Science and Commerce, B A Rajput. All the above leaders are from Thane-Palghar district.

The subjects and teachers in the state camp were: 1. Dangers of the New Education Policy – MFUCTO/BUCTU leaders Tapati Mukhopadhyay and Madhu Paranjape; 2. Glorious History of SFI and Future Challenges – SFI national vice president Adarsh M Saji; 3. What is Marxism? – AIKS national president Ashok Dhawale; 4. India’s Constitution and Attacks on It – AIKS state vice president Uday Narkar; 5. Gender Equality and Students – AIDWA national general secretary Mariam Dhawale; 6. Politics of Identity – AIKS national joint secretary Ajit Nawale; 7. Profit-based Corporate Politics in the Sports Sector – AIDWA state joint secretary Preethy Sekhar; 8. SFI Programme and Constitution – SFI state president Somnath Nirmal; 9. How to Build the Organisation – SFI state general secretary Rohidas Jadhav; 10. How Should an Activist Be? – SFI former state general secretary Maharudra Dake.

Almost all subjects were followed by lively group discussions and question-answer sessions.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

One highlight of this class was the sessions addressed by two of the seniormost leaders in Maharashtra, 96-yearold L B Dhangar and 88-year old Lahanu Kom, ex-MP and ex-MLA. Both are veteran AIKS leaders, living in Dahanu and Talasari respectively, who have worked with the legendary AIKS leaders Shamrao and Godavari Parulekar. Both of them related their remarkable experiences of the adivasi struggles in Thane-Palghar district.

The second highlight was the mass fund collection drive. Students were divided into 12 groups and they approached ordinary people in shops and houses in Talasari, Dahanu, Udhwa, and Ashagadh. In just three hours, a sum of Rs 60,794 was collected. This boosted their confidence.

The third highlight was the cultural programmes of songs and dance that were held every evening. Those couples who had had inter-caste marriages were warmly felicitated.

The SFI state committee meeting that was held along with the class, decided to hold immediate demonstrations condemning the BJP-controlled state government for including some verses from the Manusmriti in the syllabus. A demonstration burning the Manusmriti was held at Talasari itself by the participants in the camp. (This government decision was later withdrawn after a general uproar all over the state.) Other important decisions were taken to strengthen both the movement and the organisation.

The SFI in Thane-Palghar districts made good efforts to ensure the success of this camp, and it was helped by the AIKS, CITU, AIDWA, and DYFI in the district. Over Rs 17,500 worth of progressive literature was briskly sold. The camp concluded amidst great enthusiasm with a spirited rendering of “We Shall Overcome”.