Kobad Ghandy
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| Kobad Ghandy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 Mumbai, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Kamal and Azad |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Prominent in the Maoist movement in India |
| Spouse(s) | Anuradha Shanbag (m. 1983; d. 2008) |
| Parent(s) | Nergis (Mother) Adi (Father) |
Kobad Ghandy (born 1951) is an Indian communist and Maoist-Naxalite leader. He is a member of the banned[1] Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was assigned the task of spreading Maoist influence in urban areas and running its propaganda wing.[2]
Ghandy was in charge of the South Western Regional Bureau (SWRB) coordinating the naxalite activity in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, where their activity remained stagnant despite herculean efforts made by the Maoist party. Taking into consideration his ability to analyse the national and international developments, he was also entrusted with the job of building up the naxal movement in urban areas.
Ghandy has admitted that despite the rapid spread of the naxalite movement in Central and North India, it failed to strike roots in other states. Even in Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, the party failed to win over people in plain areas and in towns, while the movement was getting strengthened in tribal belts. With the Maoist party realising that it was consistently failing in garnering support from the middle class and the intellectual sections of society, it had asked Ghandy to devise strategies and identify issues that could win over these two sections. For this purpose, Maoists had formed a Sub-Committee on Mass Organisations (SUCOMO) and Ghandy was heading it.
Though the violent naxalite movement began in Maharashtra in Gadchiroli division abutting Andhra Pradesh three decades ago, it had failed to spread to other areas. In Kerala also the naxalite party had failed to make much of an impact. Karnataka where the movement was relatively strong just a decade ago, had seen a split in the rank and file of Maoists after a section of leaders questioned the very principle of area wise seizure of power starting from forest areas. Ever since the split, the Maoist party failed to strike roots in this state.
In Tamil Nadu, the self-styled Maoist think tank had been trying to get a foothold in districts abutting Andhra Pradesh and Kerala but instant response from the police agencies had halted the spread of the Maoist movement. The exchange of fire near Theni river in Tamil Nadu two years ago forced the Maoist party to slow down on its plans.[3]
Contents
Early life
Kobad Ghandy was born to Nergis and Adi. Adi was a senior finance executive in Glaxo. He hails from a wealthy Parsi family in Mumbai.[4] Ghandy attended The Doon School and later St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.[5] He went to England to pursue a course in chartered accountancy but got initiated in radical politics and left England with his course unfinished.[6]
Political career
While in England, Ghandy became first involved in political activities. There he got involved in left-wing politics but was soon arrested and deported. [7] He first became active in socio-political activities in Mumbai (then called Bombay) during the tenure of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[8] By 1982, he had left Mumbai along with wife Anuradha and shifted to Nagpur[9]
He was the founding member of Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights.[10] He was also in touch with global ultra-Left organisations.[citation needed]
He was arrested in South Delhi[11] on 20 September 2009 while undergoing treatment for cancer.[12]
Personal life
Kobad Ghandy married Anuradha Shanbag in 1977[6][13] She was a communist.[14][15] Anuradha Ghandy died of cerebral malaria in April 2008[6] in the jungles of Dandakaranya in Central India.
Popular culture
Om Puri role is said to be inspired from Kobad Ghandy in Bollywood film Chakravyuh.[16]
See also
- Charu Majumdar
- Cherukuri Rajkumar
- Communism
- Far-left politics
- Kondapalli Seetharamaiah
- Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
- Mallojula Koteswara Rao
- Muppala Lakshmana Rao
- Naxalism
- Narmada Akka
- Prashant Bose
- Socialism
- Ultra-Leftism
References
- ↑ List of banned organisations
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External links
- From jail, Kobad Ghandy submits paper on inclusive growth to New Delhi seminar | ICAWPI - International Campaign Against War on the People in India, 20 October 2010
- Letter to the Editor - Kobad Ghandy, one of the senior-most leaders of the CPI (Maoist), remembers his wife and comrade Anuradha Ghandy, the only woman in the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoists), who died in April 2008 of cerebral malaria. | OPEN Magazine, 8 May 2010
