Has Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom gone in vain? -cries Prof. Nilamani Sahu in his book ‘Sahid Bhagat Singhanka Sahidatwa Byartha Ki? – written in Oriya and published by Sahid Bhagat Singh Vichar Manch, Bhubaneswar.
As the question pierces through the environment Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pushed the country into, revolutionaries and radical thinkers celebrated the Sahid’s birthday and discussed on his relevance in the packed-to-the-capacity Nagbhusan Patnaik hall under the auspices of the Vichar Manch, on September 27.
With Manch President Natabar Sarangi in the chair, Secretary Bainshidhar Parida presented the annual report that depicted how members in ever increasing numbers are joining the organization.
Second edition of the book was released on this occasion by veteran revolutionary Kshitis Biswal. Paying rich tributes to Bhagat Singh as epitome of all revolutionary virtues, he castigated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for malsteering India into the grip of the collapsing capitalist system.
Author of the book Prof. Sahu gave an in-depth account of political significance of Bhagat Singh that he has discussed in the book. He also dwelt on dialectics of revolution in the context of Bhagat Singh while highlighting socio-spiritual components of evolution of revolution that leads to man’s emancipation from all impediments to development.
Journalist Subhas Chandra Pattanayak recalled Bhagat Singh’s refusal to defend himself in the British Court as that would have granted legitimacy to the foreigners’ hegemony he was opposed to and India was fighting against. This oneness of conduct with the cause he pursued had of course led him to the gallows; but he has remained immortal to inspire revolutionaries for all time to come, he said.
Criticizing the latest design of non-communists to divest the masses of revolutionary leadership by calling upon Naxal leaders to join the mainstream, Pattanayak questioned their very concept of mainstream when that has helped only 0.00312% families grab 70% of national wealth in India when 43% of the country’s children, according to a HANGaMA study released by the Prime Minister, below the age of five, are malnourished; and UNICEF says, malnutrition is more common in India than in sub-Saharan Africa.
Unification of purpose and practice and unity amongst the real progressives must be a must for salvaging India from clutches of plutocracy, he stated.
Journalist Prasanta Patnaik insisted upon united fight against the system that has reduced India to a state of apathy towards the common man and the democratic governance to an obedient instrument of the looters of Indian exchequer. In the present regime of rising discrepancies, Sahid Bhagat Singh is more relevant for restoration of democracy on the right track, he said.
Journalist Kedar Mishra stressed upon the necessity of involving masses of marginalized culture to build up a well defined revolution against all impediments to development that Bhagat Singh had dreamt of.
Journalist Sudhir Patnaik focused on how the patriotic ideals of Bhagat Singh are most relevant now for saving India from corporate conspiracies.
Former MLA Radhakant Sethi emphasized on characterization of Bhagat Singh’s ideals.
Mahendra Parida, Nrusingh Raut, Aksyaya Das, and Ms. Puspanjali Satpathy dwelt on the contradiction the country is facing under sway of capitalism and emphasized on concentrated efforts to do away with concentration of wealth in a few hands so that benefits of balance development may be ensured to all.