This article has been written on the occasion of the death anniversary of P Sundarayya, on May 19.

PUCHALAPALLI Sundarayya was a revolutionary whose efforts for theoretical studies were always linked to practice. Whatever subject he chose for study, be it examining the agrarian relations, or the developments in the fields of literature and culture, they were always linked to immediate needs of practice.

SERVICE conditions of bank employees in the country were first codified in the Sastry Award at the industry level in 1952 and subsequently amended in the Desai Award in 1958. The era of bilateral discussions commenced in 1966. The first bipartite settlement was arrived on October 19, 1966, between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and trade unions of bank employees. The latest in the series, the 11th bipartite settlement, was signed on November 11, 2020, with retrospective effect from November 1, 2017.

ISSUES related to reservation have been cropping up in various parts of the country. Various groups are agitating in different states for their sectional demands. To further their electoral interests, bourgeois political parties, directly or indirectly, are promoting these sectional agitations and demands.

IN The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt, the famous political philosopher, author and Holocaust survivor, wrote: “Only the mob and the elite can be attracted by the momentum of totalitarianism. The masses have to be won by propaganda,” referring to how the Nazi gangs unleashed fascism with ferocity in Germany in the early decades of the 20th century.

WHEN the land of people’s movements and struggles played host to the 23rd Party Congress, it scripted a new history. The 23rd Party Congress of CPI(M) at Kannur was made a huge success by the efficient organisation, spirited coordination and hard work with determination. The energetic support offered by the Party workers, sympathisers, fellow travellers and the common people was crucial in achieving this.