OBITUARY: BAREN BHATTACHARYA
Baren Bhattacharya CPI(ML) Kolkata District Committee member and Secretary of Tallygunge-Garia area committee expired on 30 December 2006 at Maniktala ESI Hospital in Kolkata. He was suffering from liver abscess since August 2006. His friends and Kolkata CPI(ML) dist. party comrades left no stone unturned for his recovery from this fatal disease.
He began his career in investigative journalism working in Lok Samachar, a monthly organ of West Bengal People’s Front (Gana Front),. He also worked without pay as proofreader in the Frontier, a weekly left and revolutionary journal. Later he joined Pratikshan, a Bengali fortnightly magazine, as a
permanent staff. But after few years he lost his job due when Pratikshan folded. Then he started his new career with the English dailies in which he worked as stinger or as a freelancer on business reports.
Simultaneously he continued his party works organizing different sections of people. He played a great role in building up CPI(ML) State Office in Kolkata. He was loved by all for his straightforwardness, simplicity, and resoluteness and he remained loyal to the cause of the people as well as to the party. He was popular by his nickname ‘Barenda’.
The CPI(ML) Kolkata district party committee organized a funeral procession on 31 December from the state party headquarters where party supporters, cadres, Baren’s personal friends were present. He is survived by his wife Madhabi, and his 13 years old daughter Abanti.
The state CPI(ML) party committee in a condolence message said that the party has lost a resolute, dutiful, loyal, and straightforward cadre. His loss is irreparable. The CPI(ML) state party, Kolkata dist. committee, Deshaborty Patrika and Nabanna Patrika Group are very much grieved at this irreparable loss and send their condolences to Baren’s family and his friends who stood by him during the period of his ailment. (From CPI(ML)Update, Jan 2007)