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One of the first communists I knew when I was growing up in Shimla in the early 1970s was the trade unionist D N Kapoor,  Kapoor chacha to me. He was among those who built up the trade union movement in Himachal Pradesh actively organising government and university employees, factory workers, the unorganised hotel industry workers and even the migrant load-carriers from Kashmir.

If I am a communist today, much of that is due to his influence. He combined a deep socialist ethic, a militant resolve and a brilliance of tactics. He showed my young impressionable mind the possibility of being a deeply moral person without losing oneself to self-righteousness. Full of fun and humour, he rescued activism from middle class angst for me.

From him I heard about the peasants raiding food granary in Rampur (Bushahr) in the mid 1960. I heard how he first joined the police and then rebelled and ran away. How he courted and convinced Kiran chachi to be Devki Nandan’s consort. How he managed to survive murderous attacks on him organised by hotel owners, factory owners, etc. He lit my childhood with the brilliance of class struggle. It did not remain a dreary concept in the pages of unwieldy Progress Publications books, it was real and now.

Unfortunately, like many good communists, his relation with the organisation remained somewhat volatile. He was eventually removed from the party but remained a committed communist till his death. Yes, he passed away due to liver failure in March 2009. I was in Hyderabad when I heard the news and cried many silent tears. But also poured myself a stiff glass of scotch and toasted his life.

Recently I went to Shimla again my memories were revived. Kiran chachi showed me a note my father had written to be read out at his memorial service. My eyes welled over again as I read it. I reproduce it below.

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The death of DN is indeed a very deep sorrow for me. He was my revolutionary friend, very close, warm and very concerned. A big personal loss. More. Our families have been very close to each other and they have been a great help in all our moments of need. It is really a collective loss for our family. We will never be able to forget. He will forever remain in our memories, a cherished remembrance.

Before he became a revolutionary, DN  was a rebel. Anyone who knows of the choice of his marriage to Kiran and how they got together will know that he always revolted against customs and conventions which are a dead weight in our lives. He has been a friendly, democratic father so unusual in our societies where the father is a stern, distant figure. He was also a very affectionate, indulgent grandfather. A nice human being indeed.

What I will never forget has been his revolutionary militant nature. Always with the exploited, toiling and oppressed people. His remarkable trade union activities  and the struggles he waged will always be a lesson for us. Of the many, I still vividly remember two militant strikes which he led and of which I too was a part.

The first was a strike of class IV employees in Himachal Pradesh University, which soon turned into a joint militant mass action of employees, teachers and students. It convulsed the political scene in the state. Also importantly, a large number of state committee members today in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are a product of that struggle. That was its very important long term gain.

The other was the protracted strike struggle of the Hotel workers in the 1980s. It was the first, truly militant, working class movement in the new phase of left politics in Himachal Pradesh. Its true significance is that it laid the foundation of a strong, enduring CITU (trade union arm of the CPI(M)) and gave to us a large number of the present day CITU cadre. Furthermore, it went into building a lasting tradition of militant working class struggles, of which there are so many glorious instances till now and I hope this tradition grows in strength.

On my behalf and of my family, I salute my departed comrade DN. Long live his memory.

It is rare that one learns revolutionary tactics and gets the glow of personal warmth from the same person. That was DN.

Comrade, Friend and Admirer

Javeed Alam.

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front row (from left): Bittu, Manjari, Sara, Mehmal. back row (from left): Aniket, Kiran chachi, Kapoor chacha, Bunty