This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Naxalbari uprising. It is a mere coincidence that Raghab Bandyopadhyay, a foot soldier of the movement, died of cancer on 8 February 2017.

Bandyopadhyay was born in a middle-class family, but spent his early life in the slums of Kolkata. His mother became a widow at the age of 25 and took shelter in the slums for the upbringing of her little children. She used to remind him of his father’s freedom-fighter background and expected that her son would lead the life of a respectable citizen, overcoming the world of the slum. However, Bandyopadhyay became a foot soldier of the Naxalite movement as an organic part of the slum world.