Chaturanan Mishra

I was grieved to learn of the death of Chaturanan Mishra. His presence and his interventions enriched political life in the country. Never hidebound by party affiliation, never personal, always constructive. His writings provoked thought. If his articles in Mainstream in particular in the last twenty years or so are put together, the publication would constitute a valuable and inspiring collection from the point of view not only of the Communist but also of the Socialist Left.

As he was among those veterans who were not just stalwarts of their party but also independent thinkers, such a publication would serve as an exemplar for some of our younger and middling scholars and activists, often labouring under crushing burdens uncritically generated by ancient party lines seldom subjected to adequate scrutiny. Anil Nauriya [Published in Mainstream, Volume XLIX, No 30, July 16, 2011]