A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMMUNICATIONS

THE EPIC STRIKE OF JULY 1946 BY P AND T EMLOYEES – 1

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMMUNICATIONS

The 23 days strike of the Posts and Telegraph Employees which started from 11^th   July 1946 is an historic and inspiring chapter of the great Independence Struggle. The strike ended with achievement of all the 12 demands raised by the unions. It also shows the full justification of the demands. Public fully supported. As in the case of the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny, The strike of the P and T Workers also inspired and encouraged the freedom movement.

Before going in to the details of the strike, it will be pertinent to have a brief look in to the then communications services and the trade union organizations.

Growth of Communication Services

The history of Communications starts along with the history of mankind. In the early ages, they communicated each other with body movements, sounds, symbols, hints, pictures, drawings etc. These have been recorded by the various historians, who deeply investigated in the matter.

Alphabets, sentences, writings etc. were already in vogue in BC 3000 and used by Sumerians, Semitics, Egyptians and Chinese etc. The invention  of paper, printing press etc. helped communication services in a big way.

The rulers in India  used doves for conveying urgent messages to distant parts of their kingdom. Chinese used bamboo and wood pieces. Messages were also sent through horse men to various parts of the country. It is well known that Marathon is being organized in memory of the epic non-stopping run of soldier Philipedas to inform Caesar about the victory in the war.

Not only for sending messages and news, but also for the growth of civilization and progress, Communications have been of great help. Letters / Messages were sent initially by the rulers only.  Religious institutions and merchants followed suit for their own requirements.

Postal Services in India

Postal Services were started in Britain in 1516. Although initially it was only for the use of the royalty, it was extended to the people in 1635.Postal Coaches, pulled by horses and transporting letters, parcels etc were introduced in 1784.  When the trains were introduced, postal articles were sent through them also. It was on 15^th September 1830 that the first postal bag with articles  through train were sent from Liverpool to Manchester.  Universal Postal Union connecting postal services between various countries was introduced in 1874.

Although limited postal services existed during the period of Mughals and earlier sultans, kings etc., it was in 1766, during the British regime that the modern postal services were introduced in India, under the initiative of Robert Clive, then Governor General. The services were run under the direct control of the top British officers, and that too for the East India Company only. Only District Collectors were authorized to open the postal bags.

The General Post Office in Calcutta was started in 1774; in Madras in 1789 and in Bombay in1794. Gradually services started in the kingdoms of Travancore, Mysore, Junagadh, Indore, Bhopal, Cochin etc. It was called Anchal Service in Travancore and Cochin. There were some private services also.

Through a Post Office Act in 1854, all the postal services run by private organizations were closed. Postal services became the monopoly of the East India Company. The postal rates were unified. A grand system with 300 Head Quarter Offices  and 451 Sub-ordinate Offices  was introduced in October 1854. Postal Stamps were also introduced. The charges were calculated on the basis of distance in the early days.

Telegraph Services started in India in 1850s along with Railways. The first Telegraph line between Calcutta and Lucknow was inaugurated in November 1850.

The British fully utilized the  Posts and Telegraph Services  to control their biggest colony, India. It is worth mentioning  that the historians have recorded that  the telegraph services were fully used for conveying information and locating the enemy forces etc. during the first Independence Struggle, which the British called as “1857 Sepoy Mutiny “.

V.A.N.Namboodiri

Three great Strikes of the Central Govt Employees,  1946,1960 and 1968

Dear Comrades and Well Wishers,

Comrade P.V.Chandrasekharan and I (V.A.N.Namboodiri) have jointly written and published three books about the great three strikes of the Central Government / P and T Employees – 22 Days Strike by P and T Employees in 1946, 5 Days Strike of CG Employees in 1960 and One day Token Strike of CG Employees on 19^th September 1968. All these are in Malayalam and have been well received by the employees as a whole.

Now many comrades from other states, who do not know Malayalam, have requested that these books be translated in to English, so that they can also read the same. I have agreed to their requests. Interestingly the Malayalam books were published first about 1968 strike, then 1960 strike and thirdly 1946 strike. This was not intentional, but it happened as such. The translations, however, will start with the 1946 strike.

Now that Com.PVC has passed away, the entire responsibility falls upon me. I propose to translate and post in FB.  Within a few days the posts will start.

Your support and suggestions are most welcome in improving the contents as well as the presentation.

Yours Comradely, V.A.N.Namboodiri

THE EPIC STRIKE OF JULY 1946 BY P AND T EMLOYEES

PRE FACE

The various struggles, strikes and agitations organized by the workers and common people against the British Rule for about two centuries are part of history. Many people became martyrs in these struggles.

After the ‘Quit India Movement’ under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in 1942, sustained struggles in one form or other continued till declaration of Independence on 15^th August 1947.  ‘Royal Indian Navy Mutiny’, Thebhaga Struggle, Formation of INA under Subhas Chandra Bose and military campaign,  etc. are well known. The 1946 strike of Posts   and Telegraph employees which continued for 23 days and ended only after all the demands were achieved is also part of the great independence movement.

In preparing the original book in Malayalam, the various articles written by Comrades V.G.Dalvi, Dada Ghosh and K.G.Bose who were leaders of the strike, as also the union journals of that period have been of much help. In addition, the reports of the strike in the daily “Mathrubhoomi”,being published from Kozhikode for the entire period of the strike could be obtained and referred to, with the help of the Mathrubhoomi  management and their Librarian Shri  K.K.Vinod Kumar ( a former telephone Operator in P and T)  for which thanks are due to them. The present series of articles being posted are the English translation of the book, as demanded my many comrades from other states.

I express my thanks to all those who helped in various ways to prepare the book on the epic strike of 1946.  I pay my respectful homage to Com. P.V.Chandrasekharan, veteran leader and co-author of the book, who passed away a few months back.

V.A.N.Namboodiri