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In Struggle, Education of the Educator
Welcoming C P Bhambri’s call to debate (10 August 2013) the propositions in the article “‘The Near and the Far’: Why Is India’s Liberal-Political Democracy Rotten?” (1 June 2013), the author of this article argues that expecting a peaceful mass movement aimed at carrying out a “revolution” is only daydreaming. A mass movement that has revolution as its ultimate goal will, almost inevitably, necessarily assume a violent form in the face of state repression. But cruelty and brutality must never be a part of the means of revolution. We educators need to be educated, and our best education can take place only in struggle, for correct knowledge is also a struggle, and can be a deep one at that.
The process of democratisation is based upon radical criticism of existing society; criticism is its indispensible element. Its activists should therefore never avoid criticism or forbid controversies. All shades of opinion within this movement towards democracy should make themselves fully felt. I therefore welcome C P Bhambri’s (henceforth, CPB) call that the debate should continue. In response to my essay, “‘The Near and the Far’: Why Is India’s Liberal-Political Democracy Rotten?” (1 June 2013), CPB asserts that “the Indian vanguard parties”, hopelessly divided at present, need to form a “united front of the oppressed” (“United Front of the Oppressed”, 10 August 2013, pp 132-33) to advance the process of democratisation (in his words, “revolution”).
Misrepresentations
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