Arundhati Roy pays tribute to Satnam in Patiala

Arundhati Roy pays tribute to Satnam in Patiala

Patiala ( Punjab), May 8, 2016: A large number of people gathered today to pay tribute to revolutionary writer and renowned activist Satnam. Satnam, the author famous travelogue Jangalnama ended his life on intervening night of April 27-28. The function was organised at Model Town Community Centre by Comrade Satnam Tribute meeting Committee.

In the packed hall, while paying tribute to Satnam, celebrated English writer Arundhati Roy shared her memories of the meetings, the time she had spent with Satnam. She said that whenever she would visit Punjab, she would always meet Satnam at Patiala. She said that Satnam left us in the times when Indian government is hunting down the people with Air Force planes. She said that we are in dark times, when RSS is not an elected body but it is ruling through BJP. She said that everything is being done with plans written by RSS ideologue MS Golwalkar around four decades back.

Amid new challenges, she said that Left has a huge responsibility and faced with a new challenge and various groups need to shun differences and join force else in the coming two years there will be a big coup.

Earlier while speaking peasant leader Dr Darshan Pal who had a long association with Satnam said that in four decades there was no struggle and sphere in which Satnam didn’t work. He said that in four and half decades he worked among transport workers, industrial workers, employees, farmers, teachers, intellectuals. He was an expert of nationality struggles and had a special interest in Middle East. He said that his splendid work was an outcome of a struggle.

Buta Singh, a co-founder with him campaign against operation Green Hunt in Punjab, said that his grip on world literature were unparallel and he penned hundreds of writings in English as well as Punjabi. He shared how in past four and half decades he remained on forefront of various struggles for the right to self-determination, for the rights of dalits, Adivasis and oppression on women.

A freelance journalist Pushpraj from Patna, who traveled with Stanam to Bastar in 2006 said that he would tell us about the beauty of Bastar and it trees, its mountains and even ants he would discuss. Delhi based documentary filmmaker Sanjay Kak said that it was always refreshing to listen Satnam, when he would talk about international politics. We have a lot to learn from Satnam’s works. PDFI leader Arjun Prasad Singh said that Jangalnama was the song of struggle, he said that he could never complete the sequel of the book as he didnt want it to be a narrative of oppression.

Apart from that RDF leader Balwant Makhu, leaders of different CPI(ML) parties including revolutionary poet com. Darshan Khatkar (CPIML-New Democracy), Jaspal Jassi (editor, Surkh Leeh), Sukdarshan Natt (CPIML-LIberation), Harbhagwan Bhikhi (CPIML-Red Star) spoke at length about revolutionary contributions of Satnam. Besides, solidarity messages from different organisations and individuals from abroad and local were also read out. French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who is working for Lemond Group, sent her condolence message who had spent time with him in the jungles of Bastar. Besides film-makers Daljit Ami and Jatinder Mauhar, and senior journalists Jasvir Samar and Jaspal Singh Sidhu, a large number of democratic and revolutionary activists, cultural activists, progressive thinkers and academics attended meeting and paid their homage to their departed comrade. – See more at: http://sanhati.com/articles/16967/#sthash.Oxq9Wvh0.dpuf