| Kobad Ghandy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951[1] Mumbai, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Kamal and Azad |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Mumbai |
| Known for | Prominent Figure of Maoist movement in India |
| Spouse | Anuradha Shanbag |
| Parents | Nergis (Mother) Adi (Father) |
Kobad Ghandy is an Indian communist and Maoist leader. He is a member of the banned[2] Communist Party of India-Maoist. Maoists are also referred as naxalites in the media. He was assigned the task of spreading Maoist influence in urban areas and running its propaganda wing.[3]
The 63-year-old 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 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.[4]
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Kobad Ghandy was born to Nergis and Adi, a senior finance executive in Glaxo. He hails from a wealthy Gujarati Parsi family in Mumbai.[5] They lived in a huge house at Worli Seaface in Bombay. His sister, Maharukh, ran a family hotel in Mahableshwar with her husband. His brother, Farokh, ran an ice-cream unit.
He did his schooling from Doon School, where he was Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi's classmate. He went to St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and did his chartered accountancy from London.
Kobad Ghandy was working in England and he got involved in Left-wing politics but was soon arrested and deported. By 1982, he had left Mumbai along with wife Anuradha, a sociology professor. They decided to move to Nagpur - to dedicate themselves entirely to the cause of tribal rights, women's issues and campaigns on behalf of lower caste people and women.[6]
He rose to the rank of a politburo member—part of the highest decision making body of the Red Ultras. He was the founding member of Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights. He was also in touch with global ultra-Left organisations.
Ghandy was influenced by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah. Seetharamaiah’s vision was to spread the movement in Maharashtra and TN. Ghandy’s preference to work in urban areas had triggered a clash between him and Seetharamaiah. He drifted towards T Nagi Reddy’s UCCRI-CPML in the later part of the 80s.
He was arrested in South Delhi[7] on 20 September 2009 while undergoing treatment for cancer.[8] He was also known by the names Kamal and Azad.
Kobad Ghandy married Anuradha Shanbag[9] in 1983, whose family was from Kodagu. She was a communist.[10] She died of cerebral malaria in 2008.[11] Anuradha Ghandy died of cerebral malaria in April 2008[12] in the jungles of Dandakaranya in Central India. On her second death anniversary, Kobad Ghandy wrote a 1000-word tribute to her, which was published in the Indian current affairs and features weekly magazine Open. "The Indian people, particularly its oppressed women, lost a blooming flower that spread its fragrance in many parts of the country," he wrote. "Two years is a long time, yet the fragrance lingers on. The sweet scent, like from an eternal blossom, intoxicates the mind with memories of her vivacious and loving spirit. Even here, in the High Risk ward of Tihar jail, the five sets of bars that incarcerate us cannot extinguish the aroma that Anu radiates in one’s memories."