Naxalite movement has zero place in democratic form of government. What naxalites are doing with Govt.and public are unjustified as they are in eniminty with their own brothers & sisters. As our own brothers and sisters are working at all rank and file of government system. India is not ruled by King or Military ruler or one party. India is ruled by her own people for sometime people sitting in govt can harass commonman but not all officials. Everyone in any society who has power in every sense will feel inferior to others it is human nature and can not be changed. If Maoists/Naxals come in power in any state or center their members will bring more atrocities than any democratic fom of government officials which is illegal in our constitution. Please check in West Bengal or China or any military rulled country. Maoists or naxals can form a party and come to democratic government to change the present system if not liked by them or they can join government or run non-voilent movement to bring reforms what they want.You do not have right to kill humane as you are humame, if you do so you will be called 'Adamkhor' means 'Janwar'. Everyone is struggling to survive and earning their breads to make both hands meet for oneselves and the families, you can do so in free society. I feel present struggle of naxalites/Maoistes are nothing but to de-establish the whole country for that these people are taking supports from their foreign partners.

Very nice article. The health problems failed the man.

Kanu passes away but he left some lession to us.We have to implement agrian reforms seriously.It the problem will not resolved soon,It would be spread in remaining part of the country.Centre must emphasis on green hunt,but keep in mind hunger deaths,landless farmers and the people who doesn't know the reality of naxal movement.They know only atrocities of the troops.

Maoism is the expression of the utter helplessness and of the incorrigible frustration sensitive people feel.And in a democracy, it is easier to get frustrated because the system gives you the liberty to do so, and violence seems an easy solution to the endless list of types of corruption. Yet, very rarely has history been changed to better by this kind of expression of frustration: One kind of bad system has usually been replaced by another type of bad system.The pity of it is that it continues to fascinate humans.

Brilliant reporting. This is a really good article. Good work TOI and Avjit.

Excellent report. Wanted to read more.

Did it in former U.S.S.R.work?Does it work in China?There is no free lunch anywhere,You just can not confececate property belonging others in the name of armed revulution,never worked ,will never work,create wealth and then talk about distrubution,not cart before the horse,it is that simple,communist do not understand this,they want power,and peasant come handy.

despite the marxist violence and the awakening of peasants as Kanu wants us to believe, there is hardly any change in the politics of corruption and I am sure even if naxalites come to power, they will behave like Mayavati or Lallu or Karunanidhi. We Indians have reached the bottom of civilian behavior and civilization and as the Indian movies show only violent and powerful hero can overcome a violent and powerful villain. But the Hero has to look handsome - that is what separates a good from a bad.

What more proof do you need to show that TOI is heavily anti-India and anti peace. Glorifying a guy who espoused voilent means for his beliefs and who made friends with India's enemy China shows where TOI's loyalties are.

It is not surprizing that TOI failed to write about Swargiya Shri. Nanaji Deshmukh, the saint who transformed Chitrakoot by sheer dedication, sacrifice and made that area completely crime free, self sufficient and an ideal place to live.

Swargiya Shri Nanaji Deshmukh towers thousands of feet above this Naxalite whose only legacy is gun totting goons in the rural and jungles of India.

That is the difference between RSS inspired volunteers and Communism.

The legacy of Kanu will be remembered by landless and have not class for ever. Its a great article, thanks to TOI for showing its sensitivity toward last men of India.Struggle will continue until they achive a just society.

Naxalism is looser's movement. Those who can't achieve anything join this violent movement, which has no stand in 21st century. Mainly, its due to ignorance and poverty but also from outsider's funding and government's failure in addressing very specific issues people have. Just blaming govt isn't enough, get involved in the politics is the solution or it won't be solved.

Really brilliant

Are we praising this man who co-created the frankenstein called Naxalites? Only in India we have, parties / groups who go to our enemy -- China and fall on their feet, take advice etc., and feel proud of doing so. Naxalites are the Indian Taliban. All of them should be extinguished. This Kanu Sanyal should not be treated as a hero. WB is in a pityable state due to all forms of Communism. Communism has never succeeded in nay part of the world and will not in India. They are a pain to the country. The entire state of WB will be written off.

Better opted end by the one time naxal fire brand who fought for the have-nots. His meek conduct always inspired rural or urban youth during 60's and 70's but appeared fully pained due to corrective path by novice naxal or CPML outfits later which diverted to bloodshed, violence, distruction and last but not the least loots.This repugnance isolated him from the rest he made it end himself in peace and grace. However, congrats to Avijit for the comprehensive interview of a legend naxal leader who lived for poor and died for them

I have high respect for the sincerity of purpose revolutionaries like Kanu Sanyal have shown in spite of adversities in the political and social fabric of rural life in India. One thing remains certain, India has failed to accomplish a true agrerian reform to any extent unlike the China of MAO's times. These accomplishments of the Chinese Revolution only could put that nation on a future path of rapid industrialisation and see where they are today. We in India have struggled to retain the early capitalistic feudal structures under the guise of formal democracy serving only the interests of relatively small urban population and governmental bureaucracy to ignore what a huge majority of real India needed; self-sustained rural agricultural development opportunities leading to better education, health, housing, family welfare through women's education, among others. We rather need safe and clean water, sanitation and electricity along with good schools and means of mass transportation in every village, town and district of India, now that we have brought mobile phones and eventually Internet to the remotest corners. India will only shine through this route rather than what we see in the distorted big cities copying the failed model of western style industrialization with the accompanying environmental destruction whereas our farmers continue to commit suicides in dire poverty and underdevelopment in one of the most fertile lands on this earth.

Remember, every Kanu Sanyal and even Charu Mazumdar has contributed to making us aware of our shortcomings and struggles in their own honest convictions(even when that appeared misguided at times to others uninvolved in that struggle)and they could not accomplish an all encompassing revolution like in China to make a quantum jump in history. History alone will give them their due credit or blame.

as long as poverty is there will be discrimination and devoid of basic things.
kudos to naxalbary movement ,because of the movement government under the leader ship of vengalrao in andhrapradesh has killled 2000m youth in srikakulam and inciting revolution he implemented mandal and muralidhar commision report for backward classeshad therebeen no naxalism in andhra there have been no reservations for BC s in andhra.
but now BC s are forgetting the marytys an.remember parents will not buy cycle to son unless he protests and refuses to go to school in the process accidentally he may break the utensils,the same husband wont buy jewellery to wife unless she protests in her own way as ambedkar said educate,organise and agitate even in USA women were given voting rights since 1947 abd blacks from 1960 only after the above triad,nothing is given free

Comrade Kanu Sanyal is now no more.His death is a great setback for the Naxalites in armed movement.He was a legendary leader with upright love for the nation.Moreover he was a leader with his Education and Experiences in background.I can't believe that he can commit suicide.His death marks the erosion of CPI(ML)party organization.A national party in offing is now sance any leader.

I feel Charu did not die in vain. Much of the belated wisdom which struck us was due to his organised struggle.A certain process started due to his burning ideas, a process to avoid a catastrophe, and although it too, has gone partly astray, some progress on land reforms has been achieved.

You may not agree with his ideology but never question his sincerity. What parliamentary democracy has given to the poors of India? Only more poverty and deceit! We will always need some Kanu Sanyals at important moments of social reformations.

Naxal or Maowadi movement will not succeed because activists rely on or incidentally are killing those whose lives are not precious to governments or in the eyes of leaders who run the governments.

There are two parts two the story of Kanu Sanyal. One is his ideology and second is his personal commitment to the cause of the poor. We can always criticize the ideology he adopts to resolve the issues of the poor but his commitment for the cause of the poor is indeed unquestionable. While his body was being carried out (As shown in a TV Channel) the poorest of the poor people had gathered to pay their last respect and they were weeping bitterly as if they lost the guardian. Further from the media reports of his death evidences are galore which says he constantly refused to leave the village of Naxalbari and go to the comforts of city life for his treatment. As a matter of fact he never left the commune in which he was staying and all the movements he build in and around those area (post 1977) was absolutely as per the approved norms of Indian democracy and hence there was no question of "Operation Greenhunts" in those areas.Coming to his ideology and taking cue from what Mao Zedong advised him "... whatever you learn in China, try to forget it. Go to your own country, try to understand the specific situation and carry the revolution forward". Probably this has been the biggest dichotomy of Marxism though claiming to be a global philosophy in theory Marxism, but in practice it was more of localized phenomenon.The 'era of Chaos and Confusion' (as termed by Lenin) which commenced from the time of 2nd International continues till now as Marxism cannot resolve the modern days issues which are of global nature.Marx considered his philosophy different from others by saying "The philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways - but the point however is to change it". The world has so much that Marxism is not in a position to interpret it forget change.Though practioners of Marxism try to identify left or right deviations amongst their counterparts they probably never try to seek their answer from the fact whether their ideology is relevant or not?

One reason Kerala developed so fast was the Naxalite movement in Kerala.It instilled fear in the minds of landlords and self confidence in the minds of downtrodden. It would have taken atleast 50 years for social reforms to be so effective in raising the lower strata of people.
Very good article Mr.Avijit Ghosh... thanks

What we miss here is the strong China link to the problem! Why did Sanyal meet the Chinese? It shows Maoism is an externally funded and propagated idea till this date, and this should be taken up at all international platforms...take China head on!!!

Reading this stream of comments was really more enlightening than the article itself. It tells me how India thinks today.
I am stupefied by the hate shown by some people openly . I agree the Naxals are bad boys , but those opposed to them are no gandhians either. They are a disgrace to democracy if they speak of "annihilation" and "wipe away" and "bongs" in the way they speak- Mr Ron sanders sounds like the Great Dictator born again:)

Also, I am yet to hear of another democratic "Leader" of India , dedicating his life to the cause of teh poor in this manner in modern day India.
If you calll this mana rowdy, you must have a reason to say it. One reason movements happened in Bengal or Kerala is because these are places where academics is trong and the intent to question is always strong. Survival isnt enough- even domesticated cattle can afford that. What is a democracy that cannot question its own laws and morality. Why else is Caste and Religion such a big issue in most of "developed" India?