User:Rajendra Sadangi

“A Crusader for Anti Displacement Movements; Comrade Rajendra Sadangi”

BRIEF LIFE HISTORY OF COMRADE RAJENDRA SADANGI
Comrade Rajendra Sadangi was a revolutionary intellectual who dedicated his life to the cause of downtrodden people particularly for the Adivasis and the poor. He was born on 15-6-1960 at a village Narisoh, Cuttack district, Orissa. At the age of 48 he died of Cerebral Malaria on 27-3-2008 at 5 a.m. in Bhubaneswar Hospital, Orissa.

Early Years
After completion of his studies, in 1983 he was appointed in National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand, Gujarat as an Executive and later promoted as Senior Executive. Late in 1990 he was deputed by NDDB to Oil Orissa and he took charge of Western Orissa Cooperative Oilseed Corporation (A Govt. of Orissa Undertaking) as its Managing Director. There he repeatedly came into conflict with other corrupt Directors and he realized that the governments policies were essentially against domestic oil production. Once he realized that little can be done in trying to reform the system from within, he resigned in 2001 while actively protesting against the government’s policies.

Development as a People Centric Revolutionary
He took a very active role in the relief work after the devastation by the super-cyclone in Orissa. Many of the intellectuals he worked with in his later years, came in active contact with him during this relief work. He also actively participated in the protest against repression on the people displaced due to Utkal Alumina in Kashipur. After this he started a Co-operative Society and gave training to Adivasis and Villagers to develop cooperative societies. In this process he started studying revolutionary literature including Marxist-Leninist literature and became more conscious about the Character of Imperialism, ill effects of Imperialist Globalization, neo colonisation and its policies. To oppose these policies he gathered some intellectuals and formed an organization Lok Pakhya. He was made the convener of that organization. In the name of Lok Pakhya he organized a number of seminars, meetings on people’s issues particularly tribal people’s issues. His last few years work was in close coordination of several democratic and Left Revolutionary Parties such as Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (New Democracy) Critiques of New Economic Policies In 2000, he and his friends formed the Orissa Khadya Adhikar Abhiyan to campaign against the attack of MNC and corporates on agriculture and food. He spearheaded an all round protest against this attack under the New Economic Policies. He was also one of the organizers of People’s Science Congress at New Delhi in 2002. He and his friends also help launch a combined movement of various democratic forces and revolutionary organizations against DFID (British Government's Aid Agency).

Working for Sustainable Agriculture
Soon he started articulating the need to preserve Indian agriculture, its seed diversity and wealth. He strongly opposed the ongoing neo colonial attack on Indian agriculture which is seeking to dominate Indian agriculture through their seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Together with his father Mr. Natbar Sarangi, he started experimenting and exploring practical ways of resisting this attack through different agricultural practices such as organic farming. He also starting actively opposing displacement of Adivasis and other peasantry due to mining and other large-scale industrial projects by MNCs and corporates.

Kalinganagar
Gradually he emerged as a forceful voice against forcible displacement, emerging as the articulator of this protest at a national level. He actively supported and helped guide the Kalinganagar movement and mobilized support in favour of this struggle in Orissa and outside. When the BJD-BJP Govt. unleashed repression on Kalinganagar people in May 2005, he collected money and other materials and helped them. On 2.1.2006, in the service of the Tatas, Navin Pattanayak Govt’s Police fired on tribal people of Kalinganagar, who were resisting forced displacement. The firing led to the death of 13 Adivasis and injuring many. He immediately helped to build up a strong protest movement which included the historic 13 month long blockade of NH 200, one of the trunk routes carrying minerals and ores to the Paradeep port. A case for conspiracy of the murder of the policeman (who was killed in the police attack on the Adivasis in Kalinganagar on January 2, 2006) was also foisted against him and several others. Com. Rajendra Sadangi organized meetings at Bhubaneswar under the banner of Lok Pakhya, mobilizing intellectuals and democratic forces in support of the Kalinganagar movement and other issues of neo colonial development.

Support for the Nandigram Peasantry
When the Nandigram movement against SEZ & displacement started, he supported them too. After the 14th March, 2007 police firing, in which 14 people died in Nandigram and many people were injured, women were raped by Police and CPM hooligans, Com. Rajendra Sadangi reacted immediately. He had mobilized Com. Ravindra Jarika, Convenor, Bistapan Birodhi Janamanch Sukinda (Kalinganagar) and 40 other people, men & women, mostly the Adivasis of Kalinganagar, and went to Nandigram carrying relief materials for the Nandigram people. On the way they all were arrested by West Bengal Police at Kharagpur station and detained for nearly 12 hours. Later, when he and the others were released under public pressure, he immediately proceeded to Nandigram.

Anti POSCO Agitation
He supported and was active in the Anti POSCO movement in Jagatisghpur district from the very beginning. Recently when the Navin Pattanayak Govt of Orissa was trying to suppress the anti-POSCO Movement against displacement he contacted the leaders and participants of that movement and began to work in cooperation with that movement. Recently the Orissa police put some cases against him and even issued non bailable warrants against him but could not dare to arrest him due to public pressure.

NGOs as agents of Imperialism
He was a staunch and principled opponent of NGOs. He mobilized the intellectuals of Bhubaneswar against the NGO dominated WSF. His firm stand on the issue it was possible to keep away NGOs from anti-displacement in Orissa and he contributed to growing awareness of the dangers posed by them. Com Rajendra toured Orissa extensively and traveled to several other parts of India organizing and participating in movements against forced displacement. He was also considered an expert on issues concerning use of water, adverse impact of corporatisation of agriculture on seeds and farming leading to the severe decline of sustainable farming. He participated in many mass meetings, seminars, conventions etc and spoke about the anti people policies of the govt, clearly articulating how the govt was essentially serving the interest of imperialist and reactionary classes, and how the Indian state was fast becoming an extension counter of the dictate and policies of MNCs, The World Bank and IMF on several issues concerning agricultural policies.

National Platform for Anti Displacement Movements
He also took initiative to form an All India platform to coordinate struggles against forcible displacement, SEZs and Land-grabbing. He actively worked to bring all these movements and the political forces leading and supporting these struggles and the opposing the attack by imperialists and comprador ruling classes.Within a short span of time he made an immense contribution to the people’s movements on diverse issues. He developed from a democratic intellectual to an active supporter of revolutionary movements. He undertook a serious and vigorous study of Marxism over these years, in particular over the last one year. At the time of his death he was trying to co-ordinate and unite all the anti-SEZ anti displacement movements into a powerful national movement. At this juncture his death is a great loss for the revolutionary struggle, for people, for anti displacement movements, for the downtrodden and the Adivasis.

Com. Rajendra’s parents are alive. He has two sisters and a brother. He is survived by a young son aged 18 years. He had lost his wife in an accident in 1996.

Related Articles
     [www.epw.org.in/epw/uploads/articles/5155.pdf]

Press Releases
   Date: 4.04.08 Jan Hastakshep Press Release  Janhastakshep organized a memorial public meeting: “A Crusader for Anti Displacement Movements; Rajendra Sadangi” for his irreplaceable contribution to these ongoing struggles, on the 4th of April  2008 at Gandhi Peace Foundation. People from different walks of life including the intelligentsia, students, lawyers, the working class and political activists attended the meeting. Shri Rajendra Sadangi, Convener of Lok Pakhya - Orissa, passed away on 27th March,2008 after being taken ill with cerebral malaria. The meeting was presided and conducted by eminent poet and social activist Mr. Pankaj Singh. He introduced Rajendra Sadangi’s life and his sense of immense loss both at a personal and political level. He spoke about Rajendra Sadangi’s trajectory of growth as Director at NDDB to a social activist and his complete political transformation after coming in contact and working with the Revolutionary Left movements. Rajendra Sadangi was able to energize and mobilize, the intellectuals and the peasantry with Adivasis to the issues of forced displacement, neo colonial exploitation, the agrarian crisis and expose the murky role of the comprador ruling elites.

Delhi State Secretary of CPIML(New Democracy) Aparna said that Rajendra Sadangi was a very close associate and comrade. She spoke about Rajendra Sadangi’s growth from a believer in reformist interventions and how in his getting close to the people and in understanding their problems, became convinced of the need for New Democratic Revolution. The Kalinganagar movement which rejected rehabilitation, impelled him to direct his energies towards anti displacement movements and to become a spokesman of this position. Rajendra Sadangi was a colossus in the critical role of coordinating several anti displacement movements in Orissa and was beginning to take on this role on a national scene. His critique of capitalism included the need to fight imperialism and he strongly critiqued and exposed the role of NGOs as defenders of the ruling classes and imperialist forces, cautioning the anti-displacement movements against them. He was closely involved with the Kalinganagar and the anti-POSCO movement, giving them guidance, while rallying the intellectuals of Orissa against corporate and state threats and repression. Aparna insisted that the best homage to Shri Sadangi would be by working for his idea of a new society which could only be built though a concerted people’s struggle against forced displacement and imperialism.

Mr Sumit Chakravartty, Editor ‘Mainstream’highlighted the fact that Rajendra Sadangi’s life is an example to all those who go to Business Management Schools and do not bother about the dispossessed and the poor struggling for their rights. In these troubled days when all ruling class parties from the left to the right are becoming increasingly corporatised, Rajendra Sadangi, himself a Management graduate, grew into a “People Centric Revolutionary”. Mr. Chakravartty also felt that the best homage to Rajendra Sadangi would be through carrying his role forward by working for people’s movements against entire the range of oppressions being done by the ruling classes.

Prof. Pralay Kanungo, Centre for Political Studies, JNU, talked about his long relationship with Shri Rajendra Sadangi since his college days in Orissa. He spoke about his deep sense of loss at having lost someone he deeply respected and also about the immensely important role of Shri Sadangi in this critical period of people’s struggles in Orissa. He spoke about their time at college when Rajendra Sadangi was a promising hockey player and how, over the years he developed into a communist revolutionary. He felt that Rajendra Sadangi was the sole intellectual in Orissa who was sharp enough to understand objective reality and was also interested in transcending his own ambit of influence and work. He also spoke about Rajendra Sadangi deep involvement with traditional farming methods as an effective form of resisting neo colonial intervention and exploitation.

Senior Advocate, Mr. Ashok Pandaalso spoke about his personal relationship with Shri Sadangi. Mr. Panda explained that currently resource rich Orissa is under attack unlike any other state in India. This attack is led by a dangerous combination of the armed might of the state and corporate greed and it was Rajendra Sadangi who was astute enough to understand these linkages of money, assistance, patronage and subsidies given to industry and how he was always connected with the people, continuously providing them with clear directions for a revolutionary resistance.

Mr. Ish Mishra, Department of Political Science, Hindu College spoke about how he got to know Rajendra Sadangi when he often traveled to support the Anti Displacement struggles in Orissa. Mr. Mishra felt that the decline of capitalism is forcing it to make even more concerted attacks on the people of developing nations and that it is only through the struggles of the likes of Rajendra Sadangi and Bhagat Singh that an effective resistance can be built up against this onslaught.

The meeting was concluded by Mr. Pankaj Singh who reiterated the fact that Mr. Rajendra Sadangi was a source of immense inspiration for the people of Orissa with his fiery passion, fearlessness, immovable commitment to the cause of the people and intellectual incisiveness. He will continue to inspire many others through his work, his vision of a more for egalitarian world and his immense compassion for the peasantry and working class. In conclusion, two minutes silence was observed by all the people attending the meeting in the memory of Rajendra Sadangi. Sachin Singh
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