radicalblogger

Dear Tariq, When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a Trotskyist, it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone else, that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth International history, in terms of “in those days of Tariq Ali”. This is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, along with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the signatories. As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another comrade of yours, ‘there was fire in his belly in those days’. Perhaps we have all grown older, but some of us have refused to grow “wiser”. I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above all anger, the statement that some of you have signed. If you are uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement based...

One of the things we inherited from our erstwhile colonial masters was the cruel and humiliating tradition of “ragging” junior students. Administrations have traditionally tended to ignore or play down the matter. There are many reasons for this, not least of which is the reality that ragging divides the student community and turns students into torturers. This certainly suits administrations far more than getting radical student communities raising questions about imperialism, the exploitation of peasants and workers, environmental degradation, or other social issues. I remember that when we were students, in Jadavpur University, it was our organisation, the JU Democratic Students Front, that used to generate anti-ragging consciousness. Our elected office bearers used to move among the students, halting ragging. On occasion, we got hold of raggers and demanded that the administration must take action against them. The times have changed. There was a case of ragging in Jadavpur Univers...

A Brief Report on Nandigram On 25th March, several of us made a trip to Nandigram, partly to distribute aid, partly to find out the situation. Three of us subsequently went to the SSKM Hospital and met some of the victims who were being treated. This brief report/deposition is based on our observations and documentation at Nandigram and Kolkata. The following were the persons interviewed, on 25th March 2007, with such identification as we could obtain. Buddhadev Mondal -- independent social activist, Nandigram town. Ashish Mondal -- Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee, Mahespur. Samad -- Jamait-ulema i Hind and Convenor, BUPC, Etimkhana, Nandigram. Kamallata -- Kalicharanpur. Interviewed at Nandigram Hospital. Anuradha Mondal -- Southkhali Char. Interviewed at Nandigram Hospital. Nur Jahan Bibi -- Garchakraberia. Interviewed at Nandigram Hospital. Mehrunnisa -- No. 7 Jalpai. Interviewed at Nandigram Hospital. Sheikh Sultan -- Nandigram. Interviewed at Nandigram Hospital. Manasi -- Sarbe...