The term "Urban Naxal" is used in common parlance these days and these days people who indulge in protests and movements are also being called "Urban Guerillas". But, who are these Urban Guerillas who reside in cities and have a detailed "toolkit" to express disagreement towards the ruling government?
To bring you a detailed analysis of the same, we visited Naxalbari in West Bengal. In 1962, when China defeated India in the war, many of our own people were supporting China in the name of left-wing ideology and opposing India. They also started the Naxalbari movement from Naxalbari village in West Bengal in 1967, five years after the war.
Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, had once said, "politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed." The leaders who implemented Mao's idea in India were Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal. They believed in opposing the government with gun and gunpowder to give the poor their rights. These days, Urban Naxals have replaced the jungle with Twitter and the gun with the toolkit.
Bengal's Naxalbari still has Mao's statue in the village. Naxalism started here and many from the older generations idolised the Naxal leaders. But for the new generation, these sculptures just stones.
The thinking of the new generation has compelled the older generation to think that the time has come to change the mindset. The youth of Naxalbari, who were once known for their anti-government activities, are now preparing for government jobs.
We don't want guns, we want computers. "I want to go to the Army. I am preparing for a government job and have to change Naxalbari," a young armed forces aspirant from the village said. People of Naxalbari now want peace and want to forget the violence of the past. Atrocities and injustice were some of the reasons why Naxalism started from Naxalbari, now people here are seeking change.
The people of the village are working in big cities for the better future of their children. They have left the path of the bullets and have understood that democracy is important for their as well as the country's progress.
