million people had died in the abortive ‘Great Leap Forward’ and the ‘Cultural Revolution’ initiated by Mao had degenerated into a power tussle between Lin Piao (Lin Biao), the defense minister of China and Chiang Ching (Jiang Qing), the third wife of Mao, leading to complete anarchy and digging the grave for Maoism in its homeland and paving the way for capitalistic revival under Deng Xiaoping. The clouds of freedom started gathering in the skies of the USSR, East Europe, Cuba, Vietnam and other authoritarian countries scorched by the summer heat of State Capitalism under the guise of socialism.
Eventually, the Central Government under the Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi was compelled to dissolve the UF Ministry and promulgate President’s Rule in West Bengal under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution. Strong measures were taken against the Naxalites and the latter, already disintegrated out of confusion, desertion and infighting, crumbled. Many leaders and thousands of cadres were arrested; some were killed in encounter with the police and the others absconded. The violent actionists the CPI-M went underground. Bechu’s maternal uncle, an influential barrister, had already sent him to London with a job in a British firm and through his connections with the police chiefs all cases and allegations against him were withdrawn.
After fall of a few make-shift governments, fresh assembly elections were held and the faction of the Congress Party in power at the Center, came out with resounding victory, a new Indira Congress government was formed and peace returned to West Bengal after five years of terror and turmoil, but it was a peace of grave, all hopes and aspirations of the Bengalis shattered and frustration reigning supreme having a deleterious effect on the rich Bengali Culture – their literature, music, film and academic excellence. The new race that emerged out of the ruins did not bear an iota of semblance with the Great Bengali race. One of the most glorious races on the globe was lost for ever in the quicksand of history.
CM dreamt of making the decade one of liberation, but ironically, it turned out to be the decade of defeat, ignominy, frustration and eternal enslavement to greed, jealousy and hatred.
Part-IV
Sandip met Swamiji and decided to join the Sevashram and Swamiji advised him to return home first and meet his suffering mother, resume studies and meet their chief at Ballygunge.
Sandip came back to their house at Burdwan and his mother, who had been bed ridden since her son joined the Naxalite movement, could not keep her joy to get back her lost son. Pradip was busy at business office. Sandip’s sister-in-law and the nephew and niece were happy at the return of Sandip. The kids remained clung to him and started pouring in hundreds of questions about the places their uncle had visited during the last few years. Sandip, tired of tedious journey and feeling drowsy, decided to have dinner early. His sister-in-law had prepared polao of basmati rice and rich chicken curry. The two women and the children gathered around the dining table. Halfway through the dinner, all of them were startled at the heavy thuds of boots and Pradip rushed into the room with a police inspector and a few constables. They did not give Sandip opportunity to finish dinner, not even to wash mouth and hands and arrested him ignoring the entreaties of the wailing women and the shrieks of the children. His mother fell unconscious and died that night of heart failure. Pradip tried to convince his wife that he had done this for Sandip’s safety as the Naxalites would have killed the renegade had he been out of jail. But she did not utter a word and left with the children to her parents’ house at Durgapur and never returned. Real design of Pradip to appropriate Sandip’s share of paternal property was crystal clear to her. Later on they divorced and Pradip married again. Sandip had learnt about the happenings in his family after his arrest from a kind police constable at the jail. After moving from jail to jail he was finally taken to the Central Jail at Alipore of Calcutta.
Part-V
After thorough check up, the doctor did not find any serious problem with Sandip’s health except mildly low blood pressure, hemoglobin deficiency and some bronchial congestion. Proper food, medication and rest would soon remove the troubles the doctor assured. Unlike many Naxalites in the jail or police custody, Sandip was lucky not being subjected to the horrible Third Degree. He was a pure theoretician and the police could not find any evidence of violence on his part. Moreover the Swamiji at Balligunge had produced before a high level police officer, one of his disciples, a letter of Sandip in which he had denounced the violent activities of the Naxalites and opted to quit and return to normal life.
Bechu’s wife was a simple and cordial lady and treated Sandip like her own brother. Her three year old son soon won the heart of Sandip. After considerable recovery Bechu took him to the site of construction at Brahmapur at the southern outskirts of the city, instructed him what to do and introduced him to the contractors. It was a large housing complex for the middle class families and surrounded by rural areas. The spot was beautiful and Sandip liked the job. Every morning a Japanese-make Datsun-120Y car would take him to the spot and he would return home after day’s work of supervision. The work was very simple and he got plenty of time to roam around in the car, have lunch from a restaurant at Garia and gossip with different classes of people – the contractors, masons, laborers and customers visiting the complex.
After his return the child would hang around him insisting Sandip to play with him. He had plenty of toys, picture books and devices for children’s games. The child would often make Sandip crawl and he would ride on his back making Sandip a horse. The mood of the child changed off and on and Sandip had to struggle hard to keep pace with his changing moods as non compliance would make the child shriek and cry. At times the child would ride his lap and entwining Sandip’s neck entreat in a sweet voice, “Tatu atta gappo ba-o” (soft ‘t’ as in French la table) [uncle tell me a story; adults would say, ‘kaku ekta galpo balo’] and Sandip would tell him stories of ghosts, goblins, kings and animals and the child would laugh aloud, raise eye brows in surprise, embrace Sandip in fear and become sad according to the nuances of the stories. Sometimes he would make his own stories and lisp them out in his charming half uttered language.
How happy he felt after long suffering and enslavement! It was good luck that Bechuda came upon him, unconscious on the roadside. Coming out of the jail after release he had no where to go. He could not return to his brother who had invited the police to get him arrested in order to appropriate paternal property. Friends and other relatives would never entertain an ex-Naxalite and political detainee. Still the fresh air, the views of the outside world and the sense of freedom after years of confinement revived his spirits. He trudged along ignoring the languor, looked with keen delight at the National Library, the zoo, the stream of busy pedestrians and the fast moving lines of cars and while he reached near the race course, the panoramic view that opened up exhilarated his heart. He wanted to cross the road and walk towards Victoria Memorial but the fast moving cars along the road prevented him from taking risk with his weak legs. So he started tottering along the sidewalk eastward. He wobbled along notwithstanding dizziness but while he reached the junction of the J. Nehru Road he felt the world undulating, everything swaying before his eyes and a dark cloud engulfed him.
Part-VI
On his way back from the site Sandip got out the car at Gariahata to buy a toy for the child and a boy on the footpath handed him a leaflet of a Democratic Rights Organization. The organization has alleged the government and the police for ill-treating the political detainees, inhuman tortures of the Naxalites in jail and police custody, crippling and killing many of them. There’s a long list of young boys, some brilliant students with bright future in the two categories many of whom were known to Sandip.
Sandip could not sleep at night. Once Bechuda had instigated many such unfortunate youths to join the extremist movement and now he himself is in perfect safely, lolling in luxury. As soon as the Left Front Government, dominated by the CPI-M, returned to power in 1977, Bechu returned from London and joined the CPI-M and soon he got a high position in the part
y. He started the construction business and by means of party connections became a big promoter in no time.
Sandip felt a prick of conscience that he is trying to return to safe and prosperous life with the assistance of this heinous betrayer who is responsible for the ruin of so many bright students. He resolved to leave his house and the job at once and dedicate himself to the philanthropic programs of the Sevashram, but his deep love and attachment to the child prevented him from leaving and he began swaying between two minds.
It started raining heavily and construction works had to be stopped for the day. Sandip directed the driver of his car to go back and he took a taxi for the Victoria Memorial and sat on a bench close to the bush of multi-colored kalabati flowers lining a small beautiful pond. It was now drizzling and in the haze the esplanade unraveled the mystic fairyland again. He closed his eyes and felt on his face the coolness of the droplets of rain and started reciting from a poem of Boris Pasternak:
“I have allowed my family to scatter
All my dear ones are dispersed
A