CITU

Kamal’s formal academic life was very short. His academic life started in McMillan KG School of the locality where he studied up to class V. Then he was admitted to Padmapukur Institution where from he passed the Matriculation exam. Here ended his formal academic life.

There are plethora of events in his political life. The political life which was started when he was a boy of 8 years and continued without interruption till he breath his last. In 1921, Gandhiji gave a call for boycotting of foreign goods. Kamal started to spin thread in Charka for his dress. In 30s, probably in 1933, he along with his friends started to publish a magazine – Chatradal. The magazine is not like contemporary students magazines. It contained the articles of Progressive and Socialist fervour. Through this magazine he came in contact with the then revolutionaries. From the very inception of Labour Party he was associated with it and played a significant role in the growth and development of the party. In 1933, the party decided to expand its influence among working class. Com. Sarkar worked untiringly to expand the base of the party. He even spent his days and nights in the workers shanties. In 1934 Dock workers of Calcutta Port went on a strike. About 14,000 workers participated in the strike. Com. Kamal Sarkar was the main architect of the strike. He was 21 at that time and that was the first strike under his leadership. The last strike in his leadership was the 50 days successful strike of Jute workers in 1992. In between (1934 – 1992) he led many strikes and became friend, philosophers and guide of workers.

For leading the strike of dockworkers he was arrested and put behind bar. It was his first confinement in British jail. Since then he was arrested and confined in 1938, 1949, 1963 and 1965.

His able leadership in steering the Dockworkers strike to right direction proved his mettle and his area of activities was expanded by the Party. He was sent to Peshwar (now in Pakistan). In 1936, the labour party merged with the Communist Party. Com Kamal was placed in the Provincial Committee. At that time Indian National Congress was an anti imperialist Forum. People with different political ideologies worked in the Congress. He too was associated with the INC. In BPCC, he was elected as its assistant Secretary. In 1936, he attended the AICC Congress in Lucknow as its delegate. In 1938, in the secret conference of the provincial committee of CPI, held at Chandannagar, he was elected to the P.C.

In the same year he was arrested on the offence of writing and pasting poster of May Day. In 1938, he along with many, severed his connection with CPI and joined Bolshevik Party.

It may be noted here that Labour Party or Bolshevik Party used CPI as a platform. They all used to follow the dictate of third international – whether they were in or out of CPI. Never did they do any act pernicious to the ideal of the third International.

Considering his acumen and capabilities Com Kamal Sarkar was sent to Jamshedpur to organize party in general and workers of the belt in particular. To achieve this goal he worked hard there. Due to excessive work without adequate food his health broke down. He became a victim of pleurisy and was admitted to R.G.Kar Hospital. He was cured but advised for complete rest and change of air. The party sent him to a village, Tumba in the North West Province. There instead of taking rest he worked for building party base.

In 1944, he came back to CPI. He was deputed to the Party’s daily Swadhinata for work. The CPI was declared illegal in March 1948. During this period he worked hard in disguise for the Party. The Railway Strike was started on March 9, 1949. To make the strike a success he worked hard. In this time he was arrested and imprisoned up to 1951. After he was released he started work in the Swadhinata with an added responsibility Labour Table. He was in this responsibility up to 1962. He was the member of the P.C. too. On the outbreak of border skirmish he was arrested in 1963. His imprisonment continued up to Jan 26, 1964. He participated in the Tenali Conference of CPI as delegate. When the CPI was divided he joined the CPI(M) and remained its member till the last day of his life. In 1965, he was arrested in DIR and was released in 1966. Up to 1988, he was the member in the Provincial Committee. On health ground he retired from the P.C. but continued his membership of the party.

Kamal Sarkar had played an important role in organising workers along with his role in political field. He started his life organising dockworkers, which has already been noted. He organised engineering workers of Railway, Cotton Textile workers, Jute Workers. He was a popular name in industrial belt on Barrackpur, Budge Budge and Calcutta. A commendable job he accomplished was organising Jute Workers. Actually after 1966, he devoted more time and energy in organising workers. In 1968, he became General Secretary of Bengal Chatkal Mazdoor Union. He was in this post up to 1992. In 1992, he was not physically fit. The strike of Jute workers started under his leadership and ended with a glorious victory. Com Kamal Sarkar defying doctor’s advice worked hard, moved from factory to factory for the success of the strike. The strike ended after 50th day. Alas! He could not see the end of the strike. On June 9, 1992 at 5 P.M. at the age of 79 Com Kamal Sarkar left all his admires for the ‘undiscovered land from whose borne no traveller returns.’

When CITU was formed he became one of its secretaries. In 1991, he was elected as one of its Vice Presidents. He was one of the Secretaries of WB State Committee. Along with these he was the General Secretary of BCMU and Joint Secretary of All India Jute Workers’ Federation.

Comrade Kamal Sarkar was a voracious reader. He did not concentrate himself only in Marxist literature. He was an avid reader of contemporary novels, fiction, poem and what not. He was an excellent writer. He wrote many articles both in Bengali and English on working class problems. In his teens he published ‘Chatradal’.

He published a journal of Railway workers when he worked with them. His writing was simple, lucid and easy to understand by common people. He presented the Marxist Philosophy in a very simple way. He was a regular writer of the Shramik Andolon, the mouthpiece of CITU, West Bengal and the Working Class – the monthly journal of All India CITU. He brought to the fore the various oblivious incidence and personalities not so known by today’s leaders but were pillars of Working Class movement in 40s, 50s, 60s. Moreover, he essayed a monograph namely Desha Desha MAY DIBAS (May Day in different countries). It was the first book on May Day in Bengal. To represent the Party and CITU he had to go to Rumania, China and Eastern European Countries several times.

Kamal Sarkar was bachelor. In 30s he tried to go to Soviet Union through Peswar, Afganisthan to establish a link with Soviet Union. During this time there was a police raid in his ancestral house. His father told him “Either you leave party or house”. He preferred the later. Since then he seceded all his connections with his relatives and moved freely with a fixed aim to form a new society free from exploitation. In 50s he entered the commune life of the party. First he was in the party commune at 64, Lower Circular Road, Calcutta and there after he shifted to the commune of 9, Dilkhush Road and remain there up to his last breathe.