From the Archives

This newspaper clipping, titled “M. P. Among 28 Arrested,” reports on an “Anti-Union Agitation” in Calcutta. The protest was organized by the W.B.L.S.R.C. (West Bengal Linguistic States Reorganisation Committee), likely against the proposed merger of Bengal and Bihar. The article details the arrest of 28 volunteers, including MP Shri Tushar Chatterjee, for defying a Section 144 order. Notably, the report mentions that before the demonstration, a send-off meeting was held at Mohammed Ali Park which was presided over by Shri Naresh Bhowmick. This places him in a key leadership position during the protests against the state’s reorganization. The protest was timed to coincide with the discussion of the States’ Reorganisation Commission (S.R.C.) bill in the Lok Sabha, adding to its political significance. ...

This postcard, dated September 17, 1956, was sent from the Socialist Party’s Central Office in Hyderabad to Comrade Naresh Chandra Bhowmick in Calcutta. It serves as a directive for a party-building and membership campaign. The key instructions on the card include: A call to enroll 20 new members, including 5 women, to qualify for active party membership. A directive to enroll a significant portion of the electorate as party members to gain clearance for the upcoming General Elections. A reminder of the party’s ambitious goal to enroll 5 lakh new members within the year. A deadline for submitting quotas to be eligible to elect delegates for the National Conference. A handwritten note on the back from “Sachchidanand” encourages the continuation of a chain letter to mobilize other comrades. This document offers a unique glimpse into the grassroots organizational strategies of the Socialist Party in the 1950s. ...

This document is a press statement from the West Bengal branch of the Socialist Party, dated August 12, 1962. The statement announces that two founding members, Comrade Satyananda Bhattacharya (former Secretary of the West Bengal Socialist Party) and Comrade Naresh Bhowmick (former Secretary of the Calcutta Socialist Party), have expressed their desire to resume work with the party after a ban on their membership had expired. Their letter affirmed their “unflinching faith” in the Socialist Party and indicated that around 50 other inactive members would follow their lead. ...