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Shantanu S. Bhattacharyya
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Disclaimer : All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A 'Radical' Approach

It took me 2.5 hrs to reach from Delhi to Kolkata. And it took me more than 7 hours to reach the W. Midnapore district. And now I have to find this man for whom a 'search and destroy' mission has been sanctioned by the home ministry. As a reporter for the 'National Pulse', I have been to some of the most troubled spots globally and spoken to some of the most 'aggressive' leaders but nothing made me as nervous as I am today. I am here to interview Binoy Majumdar, one of the most infamous maoist leader and by a strange design of fate my closest friend from college days.

Binoy was tailor-made to shine in the administrative service. Politically aware, academically brilliant, persuasive orator and above all highly motivated to join the IAS. And then he disappeared as if he never existed. Towards the end of third year he went back home never to return again.

As I tried to navigate the crooked gravel roads, I saw a small kid scribbling something outside his hut. I looked closely. It said "Maobad - ekmatro upaye" (Maoism - Only way). I smiled at the kid and asked :

Me : Do you know what is Maoism ?

Kid : (Nodded negatively)

Me : Do you know who was Mao ?

Kid : Nope.

Me : Then why did you write that ?

Kid : Because dad said this is the truth and I should abide by it.

Before I could go any further, his mom came and put an abrupt stop to our conversation. My gut reaction was to stop the mother and demand an explanation for why a kid who should be going to school and playing cricket getting into all this. But then the realization that the nearest school was more than 30 kms away and the cost of a cricket bat was more than a month's salary for most families, my righteous indignation fell apart.

A few minutes later a guy walked up to me and asked - “Are you the reporter from National Pulse”. Barely did I utter the word – yes, I found myself blindfolded and carried away in a rickshaw. I knew it was time for the interview. There were no salutations, nor any pleasantries exchanged. Even if Binoy recognized me, he did not show any signs of that. I was reminded that I just had 40 mins and he reserved the right to not answer any question. Here is an excerpt from the interview...

Me : What exactly is it that you want from the Govt. ?

Majumdar : I would like to say basic amenities but I guess recognition of our existence is a more pressing demand right now.

Me : Recognition ? Is killing innocents and murdering security personnel the way to attain recognition ?

Majumdar : Huh, the fact that you bothered to interview me suggests it is working. Sadly innocents dying of bullets is news but innocents dying of hunger and lack of medication is not.

Me : Well may I say that your success in getting 'recognition' is at the cost of being recognized as 'Anti-state' elements. And that a Govt. which till now was 'negligent' in your eyes has now focused its attention on wiping you out ??

Majumdar : Well at least we engaged them. And you need to understand that the Govt is not fighting a handful of people that can be wiped out. It is fighting an ideology which requires much more than bullets to overpower.

Me : But you ought to be aware of the fact that you cannot overthrow a stable democratic system by militaristic approach. Its pretty impossible. Isn't it much more pragmatic to try and become a part of the mainstream ?

Majumdar : I am aware its a war nobody can win. But the same awareness has to dawn on the other side too. Their arrogance has to give way to understanding and respect. Only then can any attempt be made to join your so called 'mainstream'

Me : You said its an ideology that keeps your movement going. But most people you represent aren't even aware of the maoist ideology. What is their motivation to support you ?

Majumdar : Are you telling me that every security person truly understands the democratic ideology ? Well most of them work for a salary. Same here. Some do it because they believe in it, some do it for money, some do it out of fear while most do it out of hatred and desperation.

Me : It seems rather strange that on one hand you claim the source of hatred to be Govt's neglect while on the other hand every time they try and build any infrastructure in this region, you blow it apart !

Majumdar : Token gestures like one railroad in a decade is just not good enough. We want a clear plan of action for development in this region and we want to be a part of that decision making process.

Me : Well then why not contest elections ? Given the mass support you have claimed, it should be easy for you to become a part of the decision making at highest level.

Majumdar : You may be too naive to believe that electoral outcomes are a function of mass support. I am not. The bottom line is people have been neglected and sidelined for too long and this war represents the aspirations of all those people.

Me : Aren't we included among people ? People who just want to go about our lives in normal fashion. Without fear, without violence. Don't we people deserve any representation ? You call it the people's war. But what about we, the people ?

Majumdar : Your Govt. is representing you well. Isn't it ? Instead of directing its resources for a more balanced development, it has decided to wipe out any one who asks for it. You must be very proud of your Govt.

Me : OK, one final question. Lets assume the Govt indeed comes up with a comprehensive package for the region. Lets say it has every aspect of development addressed over the next decade. Where does this leave people like Binoy Majumdar ??

Majumdar : (silence for few seconds) This cannot happen. People will never accept your Govt's charity. We don't want your pittance. (standing up) We have the might to acquire everything we need on our own. This interview is over.

Me : There seems to be a personal zeal behind this people's war Binoy. It seems it is more about what YOU think is right and the rest being just public rhetoric to suit yourself. Tell me Binoy isn't it a personal idea you cherish than a mass idea you represent ?

Majumdar : Isn't it always that way??

Waiting for my flight to Delhi, I kept thinking about the things Binoy said. The Indian Govt. seems to be absolutely right in recognizing the maoist threat to be the biggest internal security issue we face and the need to tackle it with a heavy hand. And yet I keep getting reminded of the dialogue from the movie V for Vendetta - Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof. It doesn't matter whether the idea here is insane or irrational or outright dangerous. A dissatisfied, disillusioned population would always remain a hotbed for radical ideas and radical leaders. If the Govt. doesn't supplement its armed offensive with a concerted effort to garner support of the local populace, then the war against an alienated indoctrinated mass might just get much uglier.