JOURNEYS & JOURNEYS – 34

Train Journey with a team

It was June 1993. The Central Working Committee of the All India Telecom Employees Union Class III was going to be held at Kolkata. Since the revisionists had floated a parallel list of office-bearers and created problems, the deliberations of the CWC was going to be most important. Com.Moni Bose, General Secretary , as is his usual practice, made everything ready for the journey to Kolkata, including printing of Report & Accounts etc.

He contacted the office-bearers and other CWC members in Delhi and nearby circles (states) and planned to travel to Kolkata in the same train. Some will join from the stations on the way. One or two very big steel dabbas with full of rotis (chappattis ), subji (vegetables ),fruits and very tasty sweets were arranged with the help of Com.Raghubir Singh, our office staff, and Ghaziabad Comrades. Water was stored and could be refilled from the stations when necessary . ( Water bottles system not started ). About 20 / 25 comrades were there in the same sleeper compartment. North Indian comrades usually brought food and sweets from home even otherwise. It was a very happy journey.

Next day morning when we reached Howrah Railway station and got down from the train, there were a large number of leaders and workers waiting in the open space in the the platform with garlands and shawls to receive us. All were received with welcome slogans and garlands. Not only the leaders of Telecom, but that of Postal and CG employees were also there. W.Bengal and Kolkata were always a bastion of the progressive section and the reception was an expression of the same.

V A N Namboodiri  03.11.2024