FILM ON MN ROY “THE KOMINTERN BRAHMIN”

An award winning  Film on M.N. Roy (Manabendra Nath Roy 1887-1954) “The Comintern Brahmin -The Untold Story of M.N.Roy” (128 minutes)  made by French  Director Vladimir Leon was shown at 6.30 PM, 19th March, 2013 at Auditorium, India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi (near Lodhi Road).

About The Film ‘The Comintern Brahmin –Untold Story of M.N.Roy’

From Mexico to Russia, from Germany to India, French Director Vladimir Leon seeks out a revolutionary adventurer from Bengal-MN Roy. Starting his career as a militant revolutionary in Bengal in the first decade of 20th Century, visiting various countries in search of arms for Indian revolutionaries during First World War, landing in USA evading British intelligence in 1916, Roy studied socialist literature and became a socialist. He escaped to Mexico to evade arrest by American police, joined Mexican Socialist Party, became its Organizing Secretary.

 

After Russian Revolution, Roy was instrumental in converting the Mexican Socialist party into the Communist Party of Mexico and thus became the founder of the first communist  party setup in the world after Russia, went to Moscow on invitation of Lenin to attend the second conference of the Communist International in 1920. His differences with Lenin on the role of colonial capitalist classes in the movements for national liberation is legendary. However the Theses prepared by him on the ‘National & Colonial Question’ as well as prepared by Lenin, both were adopted at the Conference.

 

Roy founded the Communist party of India on 17th October, 1920 at Tashkent and headed the Asian section of the International. He sent vast amount of communist literature and a  number of communist emissaries to India to develop communist movement. This literature was made the basis by the British to prosecute communist activists in famous Kanpur and Meerut conspiracy cases, and eventually to convict Roy himself when he returned to India in 1930. He played important roles in the Communist International, led its delegation to China in 1926 to guide Chinese Communist Party, his differences with  Stalin’s policy and escape from Russia to Germany, his opposition to Communist International policies under Stalin era make a fascinating story. Lot of his role and writings (mostly written in German, Spanish & Russian) during this period remains unknown, suppressed and distorted as he refused to conform to official line with which he disagreed on principle. His role as anti-Stalin and anti-Nazi militant in pre-war Germany, a politician and thinker in India are of great importance. However, official history of these countries has preferred to erase his mark. This award winning film which is an enquiry as much as a meditation on the obscure course of History is a modern epic which sheds light on current affairs in the different countries.

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