38 year old Comrade Shalini passed away on 29th March. She battled with courage till her last breath. For those not aware, Comrade Shalini was the chairperson of the Jan Chetna Trust along with being an executive member of the Rahul Foundation.  Please go her blog to know more about her and what a gusty and determined person she was.  The blog has material in english and hindi. http://shaliniatjanchetna.blogspot.in/
The English translation of a very powerful poem written by her on 31st January, 2013 in Hindi called “My Last Wish : A Revolutionary’s Will” is being pasted below.

Communists fight every battle with all their might.
I know – metastatic cancer is a deadly disease
So I am fighting it with all my willpower.
I want to live my life to the fullest and I do believe
That my will to live will defeat even death
And even if it does not happen
I will prove in any case that
True revolutionaries neither give up in the face of hard times
Nor surrender before death like a coward.I believe in my determination and combativeness
And I know that I have to win this battle and
Return to the front, to hold which till my last breath
Is a commitment made to my soul.
So, there is every possibility that this last wish of mine,
This ideological testament of mine
Might become meaningless tomorrow,
But even after fighting valiantly till the last breath,
Like a true communist,
If I have to fall,
I want to leave this letter of my last wish
For my comrades and friends.I know I have to defeat cancer.
I have the love and pain of my comrades with me.
I have to get back to rejoin the ongoing war against capital
On my front, for the sake of coming generations.
But if this is not going to be possible,
My comrades will ensure that
My body is untouched by the dirty hands of those
Who threw dirt on our red flag
Who vilified and slandered against our experiments
Built through hard work and sacrifices of numerous comrades,
Who defamed ‘Janchetna’ and our publications
By saying these are profit-churning enterprises, even though they know the truth.
The vermin must not be allowed to come near my body
Who indulged in the filthiest mudslinging against us and tried their best to spread
Poisonous fumes of suspicion and distrust among communist ranks
To cover up their own degeneration.
These deserters who fled to hide in their dens in the hard times
Shamelessly talk of principles.
Some are degenerate opportunists who still run political shops
To satisfy their egos and make a living.
This abominable gang has even used death and disease of comrades
As a political weapon to target us.
Even my filthy rich father is a part of this gang
Who blinded by his class arrogance and vested interests
Has tried everything possible to damage our work,
He has his own class commitments
And he will never change.
Comrades! You all must ensure
These people must never come close
To my body even after I am gone,
This is my last wish.

Comrades! I am not a daughter of working people.
I was born in a family of
Usurers, traders, landlords, parasitic moneybags.
As I gradually imbibed the spirit of communism,
I tried to think of myself as a daughter of working class,
And tried to work like a labourer on the revolutionary front.
I don’t know how much I have been able to pay back the people’s debt,
How much sins of my ancestors I have been able to wash away –
This will be judged by the coming generations.
I can only assure that
I have never thought of going back home,
I was never attracted by the idea of settling in a cosy nest,
And back away from the storms.
Like a normal communist
I too have had natural human weaknesses,
And even some class weaknesses inherited from my background.
I do not claim that I was never touched by pessimism,
Or I never had any grievance with my comrades,
But I can assure that I have always got satisfaction and happiness
In my efforts to become a better communist,
I love my comrades more than anything in the world
And trust them wholeheartedly
And I still love life with all my heart
And I want to live as much as I can.

That’s why, I believe that victory will be mine
The cancer is bound to be decimated against my communist resolve
In this fight against death.
But I am ready like a true communist
To face every adversity
And that’s why I am writing down my heartiest wish
That if I lose out in the battle of life
My body must be wrapped in our cherished red flag
And then it must be donated to a government hospital or medical institute
For the purpose of scientific research or to donate organs to poor and needy patients.
I will legally assign the responsibility for this to two of my comrades.
If this is not possible for any reason
My body should be taken to an electric crematorium
On the shoulders of my comrades
And my last rites must be performed without any religious rituals
With raised fists and the International being played.
It must also be ensured
That none of the degenerate renegades must be allowed to join
They must not be allowed to come near my body.
I know, those who say even today
That I have been “brainwashed” (which is the biggest abuse for me),
Will not refrain from using my death for their dirty politics,
Thus, it is necessary
That I write down my wish in clear terms.

Comrades! I do not await death
But to get back to my work.
Cancer can be defeated by
Positive attitude and firm resolve
And all possible treatments are going on.
But still if I am unable to return to my front,
There is nothing to worry,
I will remain present in your thoughts and determinations.
I know, you will turn grief into strength
To make up for my loss.
You can turn one into a hundred.
We have to save the children! Save the dreams!!
We have to wake up forgotten ideas,
And explore new thoughts!
We have to recruit new soldiers
And make the people realise once again
That they are the makers of history.
I may or may not be with you,
But this fight will go on, till victory comes.
The caravan will keep on going, until it reaches our destination.

– 31/1/2013
An inspirational poem  for shalini

शालिनी से

हम लड़े हैं साथी
उदास मौसम के खि़लाफ़
हम लड़े हैं साथी
एक नयी राह बनाते हुए, प्रतिकूल हवाओं
के ख़ि‍लाफ़
हम लड़े हैं साथी
उखड़े तम्‍बुओं वालों की घिनौनी तोहमतों के ख़ि‍लाफ़
हम लड़े हैं साथी,
मौत पर राजनीति करने वाले
गिद्धों के ख़ि‍लाफ़
हम लड़े हैं साथी
उल्‍टे पैर घर लौटती दुनियादारी के ख़ि‍लाफ़
सीलन भरे अँधेरे के ख़ि‍लाफ़,
वैचारिक प्रदूषण और दि‍खावटी प्रतिबद्धता के ख़ि‍लाफ़।
और अब, हम लड़ेंगे साथी
मौत की चुनौती के ख़ि‍लाफ़,
षड्यंत्ररत मृतात्‍माओं के ख़ि‍लाफ़।
हम लड़ेंगे
कि ज़ि‍न्‍दगी ठहरी नहीं रहेगी।
हम लड़ेंगे
कि अभी बहुत सारे मोर्चे खुले हुए हैं
जूझने और जीतने को।
हम लड़ेंगे
पीड़ा और यंत्रणा के ख़ि‍लाफ़
हम लड़ेंगे
सच्‍चे ज़ि‍न्‍दा लोगों की तरह
क्‍योंकि उम्‍मीद एक ज़ि‍न्‍दा शब्‍द है।

                               – कविता कृष्‍णपल्‍लवी