Tribute To Com
D Gnanaiah
-R.Pattabiraman
One of the versatile genius of P&T Trade Union
movement, great author of many books on Marxian perspectives, relentless critic
of social inequality existing in the Indian society and a fighter of secular values,
comrade Daniel Gnanaiah Ponraj is no more. He had lost his breath on the early morning of
july 8th 1917. He was at his initial months of 97th year. Com DG was
a father figure and inspirer to many young comrades of Tamilnadu. Comrade Gnanaiah had been a very close
associate of Com O.P Gupta for more than 50 years.
Born in pro German Lutheran Christian family, com DG
had his communist initiation in his native area near Madurai, even before he
entered in the postal services as an employee. He was associated with the
student movement and local kisan sabha.
His higher education was at the famous American college, Madurai where
many ‘later day leaders of communist movement’ were educated.
During the time of Second World War, he was compelled
to undertake Army Postal Service, which helped him to broaden his world vision.
He was just 21 when the world opened its door to him and it was the period in
between 1941 and 1946. The Cairo library was his great meeting place of various
revolutionaries’ ideas. He read books of H G Wells, Webb, Marx- Engels, Bernard
Shaw and John Strachey and had discussion with all friends of socialist ideas. He was befriended another stalwart of postal and
leader of P&T movement com Premanathan.
These friends were seriously watching the advancement Indian freedom
struggle and people’s war slogan of Soviet Union. When he was at Karachi, he
heard the news of RIN Royal Indian Navy struggle for freedom and other demands.
On hearing the appeal of comrade P C Joshi, then
General Secretary of CPI com DG and Prem collected Rs 2000, not a small amount
in 1945-46. Both the young friends had gone to Bombay to hand over the same to
the leader. There he met and acquainted himself with com BT Ranadive, Mohan
Kumaramangalam, Adhikari and Joshi. On
his arrival to India, he was posted at Trichy where he developed contacts with
the local union leaders. On hearing com Gupta’s
efforts for the unification of P&T movement, he stood solidly with Gupta at
Akola Conference and fought for that line in Tamilnadu . He had a chance to meet Gandhiji at wardha
Ashram.
During 1960 strike of CG Employees, he was arrested
and released after the trail of 7 months. He got his suspension order and then
dismissed from service. The great NFPTE union was derecognized. Com DG did his
yeoman service by collecting relief materials and money and dispatched to the
needy. The former Deputy Speaker of Loksabha, and a veteran leader of DMK
party, then an employee Shri G Lakshmanan
was also received the relief.
Com DG had played a major role in the discussion and
formation of JCM negotiating machinery and Compulsory arbitration , shaped the
events in favour of CG Employees. He fought against Government’s stand of placing
condition of abjuring strike for acceptance and formation of JCM. His speech on
the inaugural day of JCM was much appreciated by various shades of leaders
of CG Movement. Various trade unions of CG Employees should
thank leaders like DG, O P Gupta for their contribution of this greatest
achievement for bringing a permanent negotiating forum for them continuously in
the last 50 years. Com DG had gone England for learning the functioning of
whitely council.
He had a chance to visit Brussels for international
meet of PTTI. There he debated openly with the Secretary General of PTTI
against his notion about proletarian Internationalism. Com DG along with Gupta had gone to Soviet
Union on the historic occasion of Golden Jubilee celebration of 1917 soviet revolution,
participated the special session. Unfortunately on the occasion of its
centenary celebration in 2017, his demise was incidentally coincided. Again he
had a wonderful chance of visiting Soviet Union and addressed the session on
NoV 7, 1980 at Lenin Academy of Social Sciences where he had undergone his
higher studies on Marxism- Leninism from the same podium Lenin addressed to the
people after the great soviet revolution.
During the time of September 19, 1968 strike he led
the entire CG movement with great courage and Vigour. He was arrested one day
earlier to the strike and imprisoned at Tihar jail. He guided the movement
through his drafts from Tihar, even when he was behind the bars. NFPTE was derecognized. He fought with com Gupta for full restoration
of recognition from Branch to higher federation level. He had undergone indefinite
fast with com O P Gupta. The movement
was received serious political attention and veteran leaders of various parties
supported the fast. Leaders like
Vajpayee, Dange, Bhupesh, Achutanandan, Chandrasekhar, Mohan Dharia, Aruna Asaf
Ali all came to the spot and greeted the fasting comrades. Mohan Dharia and
Aruna mediated with the Government and the fast ended after 8 hectic days.
Com DG as the
editor of P&T labour worte many educative articles and exposed the policies
of then Government. During the time of emergency the journals were censored and
not allowed to reach the branches. Com Jagan made extra efforts to send them
from Tamilnadu thro Tamil journal. On the formation of Janata Government Shri George Fernandez was appointed as MOC.
Com DG met him and narrated the problems of victimization. Fernandez personally gone thro the files that
forbidden DG’ s re-admission to Postal service which one was struck by Sankar
Dayal Sharma and cleared the same and made way for DG to re-enter into
the services and then DG had attained
his superannuation. This was his 5th time of his re-entry
to the services facing suspension, dismissal, compulsory retirement etc.
Handing over the post of Secretary General to Guptaji,
com Gnanaiah focused his attention to educate the comrades on Marxism. He had
become a known CPI and AITUC leader
within a short span of 10 years since 1978. He had been in the National
Council, Control Commission of CPI. As Vice president of AITUC, he had ably conducted education camp to
AITUC workers which one was appreciated
by many. He had his close association with senior leaders / Comrades like Dange, Rajeshwar Rao, Mohitsen, Indrajith Gupta, A B Bhardhan and shaped the
policies of CPI by discussing with them and his closeness with leaders like comrades Manickam, Nallakannu, D Pandian,
Gopu, S S Thiyaga Rajan helped to shape the
political line of Tamilnadu CPI.
He had been a consistent fighter for social justice and he has authored
a lot about Mandal commission. He showed his anger in his younger days for separate water pot for high caste Brahmins
and had that courage to break them in the office premises itself.
He had been one of the finest associate and colleague
of Gupta and inspired many next
generation leaders like Comrades Jagan,
RK, Muthiyalu, M L Sharma, B P Sharma and other youngsters like Mali, Tamilmani and Mathivanan of the Telecom
movement. He was the builder of the educational institutions like Workers
Education Centre for the working class of Tamilnadu . He conducted many
educational camps for rationalizing them and to make them to understand the
importance of class struggle in our society. He ably taught them to understand
the caste question and the importance of the movement of social justice. Whenever
he had the chance of meeting CPI, CPM leaders, he expressed his longing for the
left unity. He never failed to criticize the left also when he felt the
shortcomings. He had taken much efforts to understand India, its history, social
inequality, the dimension of Hindu- Muslim strife and Unity and he never minced
words to narrate the contribution of Islam and the role of leaders from that
community for the advancement of progressive movement.
He had authored more than 25 books in all the above
subjects. His bio sketch was captioned as ‘ I ALSO RAN’. His narratives on the
history of P&T movement – ‘Glimpses’ were well received by the workers. He had
authored a short history of CPI also. In his last days he labored much to
elaborate the history of Communist movement. He was very fond of receiving
comrades for intellectual discussion and for proper updating of current
development in the Marxian movement. It was awesome to see a comrade even at
the age of 96 reading and writing daily hours together. Com DG a tireless personality always with the
thirst of learning and taking the
learnt things with great responsibility to the younger generation would live with all
of us thro his memories and write ups. Let us learn from him and rededicate
ourselves for the cause that he stood all these years.
Let every worker of
P& T, and a member of Indian
working class be proud of this great
comrade and let us salute him for his valuable contribution to the society that we are living and kicking.
No comments:
Post a Comment