500 odd people gathered at Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata to give Vladimir Lenin the red salute
Left parties in Kolkata on Monday marked the October Revolution that swept across Russia 99 years ago and changed the world forever, ultimately dividing it into Communist and Capitalist. Vladimir Lenin, who led the revolution, also gave the world its first Communist government.
In Bengal, the Left is out of power but the revolution of 1917 continues to inspire. Biman Bose, CPM Politburo member, who offered flowers and the 'lal salam' at Lenin's statue in Kolkata, said, "The revolution is an eternal thing, especially in countries where people are still being exploited."
Among the 500 odd people who gathered at Dharmatala in the heart of the city to give Lenin the red salute, most were over 60 at least. But their faith in the cause, undiminished.
Vladimir Lenin, who led the revolution, also gave the world its first Communist government.
Prabir Sen, 83, had joined the CPI briefly. But, he says, the glory days of the October Revolution will return. "After all, civilization marches forward, it doesn't regress," said Mr Sen. "So no need to lament that the Communist party structure is now weak."
35-year-old Sayandeep Mitra, head of the CPM's youth wing, DYFI, says the young have not forgotten history. "The October Revolution changed the world, how can it become irrelevant? It is history."
Historians feel the October Revolution is not the Communists alone though the two have become intrinsically linked.
"The October Revolution inspired many other people besides Communists. It inspired radicals in India, the nationalists of India. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore...the October Revolution has a meaning that stretches beyond communism and that is a point which is very easily forgotten. But should not be," said Hari Vasudevan, Professor Of History, Calcutta University.
The world is going to mark 100 years of the revolution. There are those who may feel it should be relegated to the dustbin of history. But the believers are still keeping the faith.