Times move very fast. It is two years since Comrade Jyoti Basu, the veteran Communist leader and Chief Minister of W.Bengal for a record period of more than twentythree continuous years  left us forever. He passed away on 17th January 2010. A member of the Polit Bureau of Communist Party of India (Marxist) since the formation of the party in 1964, he was a veteran trade union leader as also an efficient adminstrator. Though born in a Bhadralok family, his entire life was spent for the service of the workers and the common people. He was close to the P&T Union movement as with other unions. He was a senior Vice-President of the CITU till last. He continued his close connection with the Railway Unions of which he was office-bearer for a long time. Comrade Jyoti Basu declined the post of Prime Minister offered to him, when the Party advised him to do so.

The 20th Party Congress of CPI(M) to be held at Calicut (Kozhikode) from 4th to 9th April 2012 will be the first Congress after  his death and the delegates will be missing him very much.

My respectful homage to the memory of Comrade Jyoti Basu! Red Salute to Comrade Jyoti Basu!

11th January was the 46th death anniversary of late Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of the country who died in 1966. But it is reported that there was no official function, no public homage and connected functions usually organised by the Government of India on such occasions. What happened to the Government? Whether it has forgotten the event or it has purposely ignored, because he did not belong to the first family? If the report is correct, the government should apologise to the nation and the family of the late Prime Minister.

Yesterday night I started reading the book  on  Com. A.Majeed, P&T and Confederation leader of Kerala who met untimely death by a road accident on 30th September last year.  71 persons including trade union leaders, artists, cultural personalities, co-workers,friends and relatives  have written about Comrade Majeed and his valuable connections with them. Many were very emotional. I was one of the contributors. I could not stop reading till the end of  the book. Another book in which the articles and poems of Comrade Majeed was also published.

During a comparatively young age, Majeed had served the people in a big way and became dear to all by his pleasant manners and connections.

I appreciate Com.A.K.Ramesh and others who edited and published the books, a memorial to the departed comrade, in such a short time and in a beautiful way.

19th December,2011 is the 10th death anniversary of Comrade Susheela Gopalan, former Member of Parliament, Minister in the Kerala LDF government and trade union leader. She was closely connected with the P&T TU movement and was the Chairman of the powerful Co-Ordinating Committee of P&T Unions, Kerala for a long period. She was married to Comrade A.K.Gopalan, the revolutionary leader of the working class, freedom fighter, Opposition group leader in the first Parliament and Poit Bureau Member of CPI(M) since its inception till his death in 1977.

Whether as Chairman of the Co-ordinating Committee or as an M.P., she was always available to the P&T comrades. She used to stay at 20, Janpath, while she was M.P. I had the opportunity to meet her several times in connection with the issues of the telecom workers since I was also at Delhi as the President/General Secretary of the union. She was always helpful in taking up these issues with the government.

On this 10th death anniversary, I pay respectful homage to the memory of Comrade Susheela Gopalan! My Red Salute to her.

Comrade P.Appaji, former Assistant General Secretary of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III and a senior leader of the Telecom movement passed away to-day (28-11-2011) morning at Udupi. He was ailing for some time and was in the ICU.

Com. Appaji was a fearless fighter and fully committed to the cause of the workers. At the Thiruvananthapuram All India Conference of AITE Union Class III in 1994, he was elected as Asst. General Secretary along with Coms. P.Abhimanyu and P.Asokababu. Many times he was at CHQ to assist in the functioning of the All India Union. He was a great help to the CHQ whether at Delhi or in Udupi. A very simple and down to the earth person, Com. Appaji was respected and loved by the workers. After retirement a few years back, he had settled about some fifty miles away from Udupi along with his family consisting of wife and two sons. He was very much interested in agriculture and had settled in the interior to have his land developed with many kinds of agricultural crops. It was at this time that the rare dreaded disease caught with him. He was under prolong treatment  which required costly injections and medicines. But the costly treatment  and the close affectionate attendance from the family could not save him from the serious disease.

I had the opportunity to visit him on 4th May of this year at his residence. Along with Coms. G.B.Salakki, AGS and P.Mukundan, a senior comrade from Kundapura, myself and wife visited him at his residence in the interior Brahmavaram, about 80 km from Managalore. He was sick and pale and has just returned from the hospital a few days back. He was very happy to see us. He was very keen to know about the latest developments about union. CHQ used to send the union journals to him regularly. We had idly and tea along with the family. I honoured him with a shawl. He was so happy, despite his illness,  in meeting us.  His wife and son were also very happy to have our company for about one hour.

Now Com. Appaji has become a memory,  a memory of commitment to the union, a memory of affection. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family including his life partner  and two sons.

Red Salute to Com. Appaji!

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It is thirty six years since Comrade Vayalar Rama Varma, the popular and revolutionary poet passed away at the young age of 37 years on 27th October 1975.
He was a poet, lyrist with progressive outlook. Many of his film songs are cherished by the common people whole heartedly.
Many years back, I had the opportunity to hear his poems recited by himself on two or three occasions. Com. O.N.V.Kurup was also another young poet who recited his poems there.It was an experience. His love for the poor and the toiling masses was expressed in his poems. Unfortunately we lost him at a comparatively young age.
But his poems still inspire a lot of people.

23rd October 2011 is the 65th anniversary of the martyrdom of the valiant Punnapra Vayalar Comrades. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, the people of Travancore kingdom (later part of Kerala State) revolted against the misrule of the Dewan of Travancore C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer who brought anti-people rules to subjugate the people further. They confronted the army with spears and such like weapons. The workers were shot and killed in cold blood by the army. The first massacre was in Punnapra on 23rd October and the second at Vayalar on 27th October 1946. Many died in both firings. The workers did not surrender but faced the bullets. The Punnapra Vayalar struggle is part of the struggle for independence and aginst the Dewan Rule. Dewan C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer had to run away from Kerala after a sword attack on him.
Inspiring monuments have been constructed for the Punnapra Vayalar Martyrs in the same spot near Alappuzha where comrades pay homage on these days and organise many programmes in memory of the great revolt.

Babu Tarapada is one of the pioneers of the P and T Trade Union movement. He organised the Postal workers in the early 20th century by first forming the Postal Club, Calcutta and then forming the Postal Union. The period was when the Britishers were ruling the country and British Empire was termed as an empire where the sun never sets. In almost all the continents they had colonies and was the super power.
It was not an easy period to organise the unions. But Babu Tarapada meticulously organised the Postal Union.
The Second All India Conference of the All India (including Burma)Post Office and RMS Employees union was held at Lahore (it was then in India)in which Babu Tarapada presided as the President of the Union. His Presidential Speech was well prepared and it inspired the Conference in such a way that it was a big leap for the organisation and a mile stone in the P and T Union movement.
I will quote only a few portions of his speech which will explain his commitment to the union and his fight for the working class.
” Organise if you want real living wage! Organise if you want your working hours reduced! Organise if you desire better treatment from your superior officer! Organise if you want that authorities should consult and consider your opinion on all administrative measures affecting you!”
” Take it from me, Brothers, that petitions and memorials and supplications will count for nothing so long as you do not organise yourselves in a manner to convince the Government that you will no longer stand nonsense.”
” The rules laid down by Government for recognition are humiliating and if you accept them, your association will be reduced to officialised bodies without liberty and independence. Recognition is bound to come from the unwilling government as soon as you make your Association strong..”
This speech was made on 9th October 1921. Even after long 90 years it is as relevant and fresh as it was at that time.
Babu Tarapada was chargesheeted for the speech. He was given an option to make a statement that what he spoken is not correct and get out of the punishment proposed. But Tarapada was of a sterner stuff and committed to the workers. He challenged the charge sheet and firmly told with evidence and statistics that whatever he spoke was correct and stood by it. He was dismissed from service. But till his end he workerd for the P and T workers sacrificing everything he had.
Babu Tarapada and his Lahore speech will ever be remembered and the same will inspire many generations of workers.

Che Guevara was a revolutionary who fought his entire life against imperialism. His life and death are part of the historic path of revolution. He was assassinated on 9th October 1967 in a school in the forests of Bolivia by the CIA agents and the soldiers of the Bolivian dictator.
Che was born as Ernesto Guevara de la Sena on 14th June 1928 in Argentina. He got the name Che ( meaning friend) as the word was repeatedly used in his speeches. He was trained as a Doctor, but he became a guerilla and fought along with Fidel Castro for liberating Cuba from dictactorship. He was one of the leaders of the Cuban Liberation war. After Cuba was liberated in January 1959, he became a Minister in the Castro Government. He visited India during the period.
Instead of being in the Government, he wanted to liberate other countries. In 1966 leaving his posts he went incognito to Bolivia to lead the guerilla fight there. But he was caught by the CIA agents and the soldiers of the Bolivian dictator and was assassinated on 9th October 1967 in a school in the forests. His hands were chopped off and kept as an evidence that he has been killed. His body was buried in an unknown spot. But after many years and change of government in Bolivia the place was found out in 1997 and the remains were sent to Cuba. A memorial to the great revolutionary was built in Bolivia where he was killed.
In his eventful young life and martyrdom, Che influenced the world youth more than any body else. He was a revolutionary who acted according to his convictions and was a comrade who practised what he preached.
On this day of his martyrdom My Red Salute to Comrade Che!