1920-2020: Hundred Years of Struggle

One Hundred Years of Indian Communism

A THEORETICAL analysis of the prevailing situation, from which the proletariat’s relationship with different segments of the bourgeoisie and the peasantry is derived, and with it the Communist Party’s tactics towards other political forces, is central to the Party’s praxis. A study of this praxis over the last one hundred years of the existence of communism in India, though highly instructive, is beyond my scope here.

Communists Organise the Working Class Movement

IT is not coincidental that the communist movement in our country and also the organised trade union movement are both commemorating the centenary of their formation. Both these events are inspired by the establishment of the first workers’ State in Russia, after the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1917. Guided by Marxism-Leninism and its theory of emancipation of the society under the leadership of the working class, communist pioneers like Muzaffar Ahmed, Singaravelu Chettiar, SA Dange, Ghulam Hussain, plunged into the task of organising working class from initial days.

Communists’ Contribution to the Struggle for Social Justice

In spite of all these factors, it can be justifiably stated that the involvement of communists in the struggle against social oppression cannot be belittled and is no less than anybody else’s.

Recalling the Role of Communists in Freedom Struggle

THE year-long observation of the formation of the Communist Party of India in Tashkent on October 17, 1920 will come to close. But, the objective of the CPI since its inception, in shaping the future of India as a democratic, secular, people’s Republic where citizens will enjoy equality and freedom irrespective of caste, creed, religion and economic status remains unaccomplished. It has also come to suffer severe setbacks, particularly, in the recent years where these very foundational principles of the constitution have come to be contested.

Communists: Steadfast Defenders of Secular Democracy

WE are now reaching the conclusion of the year-long observations marking the centenary of the foundation of the Communist Party of India on October 17, 1920. The Covid-19 pandemic, the prolonged national lockdowns and the restrictions of physical distancing etc have hampered the robust observation of the envisaged centenary programmes. Within these limitations, however, using the virtual media and digital communications, the Party has conducted programmes highlighting the role of the Communists in various phases of Indian history during the last century. SHAPING THE AGENDA

Communists and the Struggle for Democracy

INDIA, at the time of independence in 1947, was a deeply backward country, economically and socially – a condition that was deepened by 200 years of colonial rule. For the Communist Party, the key question was completing the tasks of the democratic revolution which remained unfulfilled at the time of independence. The democratic transformation of society had political, economic and social dimensions.For Communists, unlike bourgeois parties, democracy was not just electoral democracy with the right to vote based on adult franchise. That alone was not sufficient for democracy.

100 Years: In the Fight for Women’s Emancipation

THE Communist Party from its inception in 1920, tried to combine Marxist theory and practice in the specific context of socio-economic conditions in India to take forward the fight for women’s emancipation. The Party’s understanding on the “Women’s Question” evolved through its own direct work particularly the work and experience of women communists.

A Century of Struggle and Sacrifice

OCTOBER 17, 2020 is a historic day as it marks the hundred years of the formation of the first unit of the Communist Party of India in Tashkent in the then Soviet Union. A century of the Communist movement has passed spanning eight decades of the 20th century and two of the 21st century. The birth and development of the Communist Party is intertwined with the freedom struggle in India. The best and most militant fighters belonging to various streams of the independence movement joined the Communist Party because of its staunch anti-imperialist role.

Finding One’s Heartbeat

A RECENT check-up at the doctor’s showed up that though all the health parameters were fine, only the heartbeat was missing. The perplexed doctor, ordered and monitored all further tests to understand this strange phenomenon, where a live person, breathing, walking and talking does not have a heartbeat. Naturally, nothing came out of these medical tests. This further aroused concern in the doctor, who was baffled and started palpitating.

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