The Common Man wakes up

I was born in the year(1955) when the first film of Satyajit Ray, Pather Panchali, released. It was also the year when the first film by Mrinal Sen , released. It was the year of a new wave in the history of India. The first nationalization came with the formation of Life Insurance Corporation of India by amalgamating many Indian and foreign insurance companies. The crucial decision to start the Metric System ,was taken by The Government of India. The first Industrial Policy of the country was drafted. I have seen many changes taking place in India and the world, during the last 50 years.

The students of our generation faced the great Naxal Movement in West Bengal.( 1967-1971) It was the first real revolution which inspired the students of our age to change the political and economic system of the country. Pupils from all renowned colleges of Kolkata ( the then Calcutta) like Presidency College, Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, joined the Movement. Our school( Vivekananda Institution, Howrah) was captured by the Naxals and a red flag was hoisted on the top of the school. The school remained closed for more than one year.

I have seen the War of Independence of Bangladesh.(1971-1972) How the “Mukti Yoddhas” (Freedom Fighters) of Bangladesh fought against the army of the then undivided Pakistan….. I still remember the voice of Sheikh Mujibar Rahman crying “ Amare keu dabaye rakhte parbe naa” ( Nobody can suppress me).

Then, there was a movement against the Indira Gandhi rule , led by Jayprakash Narayan. Internal Emergency was declared. All the big leaders were taken into custody. The freedom of the Media was curtailed. There were protests all over the world against such steps taken by the Government of India. Subsequently, Indira Gandhi was defeated in the General Elections of 1977. The first Non-Congress Government, led by Morarji Desai, came to power.

Indira Gandhi came back to power in 1982. Sikh terrorists, led by Bhindelwale, occupied the Golden Temple. To flush out the terrorists, the Operation Blue Star was launched. In the process, Indira Gandhi invited the enmity of the Sikh community. Two Sikh security personnel of her official security guard killed her on 31st October 1984.

It marked the beginning of a new political and economic era of Indian History. Such were the days of turmoil of my youth. As a new blogger, I wanted to share the experiences of the first part of my life, which I feel, is quite different from my present life.