I first came across Sanjay during an agitation against fee rise declared by the Mumbai University in seventies. Student action committee had decided to occupy the Mumbai University premises for a day. He was then studying at Xaviers college. He attended the meeting held a day earlier by our core committee for working out the nitty grit-ties of the action plan. Later on we met on many occasions in the course of student struggles at Mumbai colleges. I particularly remember one incidence at Ambedkar college where it was challenging to implement college Bandh and I was surprised to see Sanjay’s presence there. As usual the right wing elements tried to prevent us from implementing the Bandh. I had an impression that as Sanjay came from an elite background he might get a little rattled in the rowdy environment. But as we went ahead dealing with the goons I realized that he was not only a clever student from an elite background but also very much a comrade ready for the street brawls as well.
During that period I had already finished my studies at the college of Architecture. I was working in the students movement on behalf of the party as a whole timer and was much senior to Sanjay as a ‘student’. Later on I started seeing Sanjay at many political gatherings. Little did I know that Sanjay already had a communist background. Recently some one described him as a ‘ legacy Lawyer ‘ on account of him continuing the lawyer tradition of his father, but very few people are aware that he also belonged to the communist legacy inherited from his parents. During his initial days in Mumbai and before he started working as a full time lawyer Sanjay’s father had been a party whole timer in the united CPI and his mother too was a CPI cardholder for a long time. Later, I was most surprised to Know that Com Sundar Navelkar, one of the founders of the CPI ML in Maharashtra led by Com. Charu Muzumdar at that time was also Sanjay’s aunt.
Later on, it became evident that Sanjay along with other students of Vidyarthi Pragati Sanghtna, a student organization formed during the course of the students struggle, started working with the Peoples War group. That is where he learned his ideas about political revolution and students role in it. He became quite serious about his role in the revolutionary movement by that time. He made serious attempts to declass himself by leaving his family to stay in slums for year or so. His sincere attempt to connect with the dispossessed helped him establish strong ties with many people from the working class and dalit castes. Many of them remained steadfastly on his side till the end, in his struggle for equality and justice for the oppressed.
He worked during that time as a whole timer and threw himself whole heartedly in many ground level struggles of workers, slum dwellers and Dalits. He refused to be part of the establishment in any way. He briefly associated himself with cultural performances as well. In every struggle he never sought to find a middle path but even in most adverse circumstances avoided taking compromising positions. His non compromising attitude landed himself in many difficult situations, but he never wavered in the face of adversity. The police beatings in the matter relating to Wagle Industrial Estate workers, attack by the goons in Rahul Nagar slums and many other such incidences occurred during that time.
As he gained experience of the peoples movement at the ground level he became aware about the short comings of the political line of adventurism. He became more aware of the mass line approach to the revolutionary politics as distinct from the romantic line of political adventurism. This led to his moving away from the Peoples War group. In that period he struggled to find a new avenue to continue his association with the revolutionary politics. He started his practice as a lawyer during that period. As he searched for a new political alternative he found a new hope in the CPI- ML Red Flag. At that point he chose to continue his legal practice in the service of the revolutionary cause. Eventually that decision earned him a very special space in the working class struggle for social and economic justice.
Sanjay had a tendency to look for challenging tasks. His attraction for rock climbing, long distance cycling and practise of such other sports amply reveal his appetite and capacity for tenuous challenging tasks. This trait helped him to take on difficult challenges in the revolutionary movement as well. During the difficult situation like break away from the Peoples War group, after the Red Flag split or even more recently at the time of split in the Red Star, his never say die spirit helped him to retain his grip on the Trade union struggles under his leadership. Many in the M-L movement when confronted with such organizational crisis, loose their conviction in the revolutionary movement itself, but not Sanjay.
His negotiating skills and positive attitude helped some of the major party fractions of ML movement spread across India, to merge together to form CPI M-L mass line. That was his last major contribution to the M-L movement. This very capacity of acting as a catalyst in the process of unification earned him a distinct position of Asia Coordinator of the progressive and revolutionary forces at the International level. His passing away at such an early stage of his life has been a great loss not only for India but also for the internatinal community. His vibrant personality and effective leadership qualities earned him many friends among the international working class movement who have expressed deep pain over his demise.
Sanjay’s attitude of being non sectarian for the cause of the progressive working class movement always made him the most undisputed choice as a leading representative in the joint action committees in Maharashtra. He passionately pursued the policy of a broad united front in every field to defeat the rising fascist tendencies in the country. Though a radical activist himself he always insisted upon inclusion of all types of forces suitable to the long term interests of the workers, in the trade union and revolutionary political struggle. His most remarkable contribution to the working class movement is in establishing and nurturing TUCI as a strong revolutionary trade union organization. He firmly believed in building a broad political front to resist anti worker policies and the rising communal fascism in India. He always stood in the way of sectarian narrow mindedness of any kind. He gave a sharp edge to the working class struggle by combining it with the revolutionary aspects of the Ambedkarite vision.
Even while facing serious health challenges he remained determined to return to play an active role in the movement. That was his quality, he never gave up in any struggle and always believed in winning. His untimely demise has caused deep grief among the workers who held him dear. Com Jane a reputed lawyer and an activist with a distinct standing in the working class movement was a silent contributor to many of Sanjay’s legal and organizational achievements. As a comrade she took tremendous care of Sanjay during his illness while at the same managing the office tasks in the absence of Sanjay. Com Amrish Patel a tall figure in the working class movement himself, also fueled the spread of TUCI along with Sanjay and always has been a major contributor in the success of many Struggles led by Sanjay. We can not forget them and also com Arvind Nayar, com Govinda, com Nayak and others who have been pillars of strength to Sanjay. To forget their contribution and close relationship with Sanjay would be like being disrespectful to Sanjay himself.
All I can say is that we have lost a sensitive and combative activist who dedicated more than four decades of his life to the revolutionary and progressive movement. Every great dream is sustained by dreamers and Sanjay was one such dreamer. He was a dreamer and also a practical worker at the same time. He believed in Che Guevera’s quote, “The revolution is not an apple that falls from the tree when it is ripe, you have to make it fall.”
Albida Comrade!
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