Kolkata: Muzaffar Ahmad Memorial Award for Newsclick Founder Prabir Purkayastha for his Book

Kolkata: Digital news portal Newsclick’s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha was conferred the Muzaffar Ahmad Memorial Award for his book, Knowledge as Commons: Towards Inclusive Science and Technology, here this week.

The award was given on August 5, on the occasion of the 136th birth anniversary of communist doyen, ‘Kakababu’ or Muzaffar Ahmad, a pioneering figure of the Left movement in the country.

The award in the memory of ‘Kakababu’ is given every year for original progressive works published in Bengali and English. This year, along with Purkayastha, the other two awardees were Swarnendu Dutta for his Bengali work on Ayodhya and Shibananda Paul for his Bengali book on the Santhal revolution.

The award contains a dedicated citation, a gift hamper and a cheque of Rs 10,000.

Sridip Bhattacharya, member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who was the chairman of the awards committee, said in the event that Purkayastha, through his book, had raised an important question against the capitalism-infused patent regime and the barriers imposed by the neo-liberalism to check the free flow of knowledge for the betterment of the human society .

He said the book was a “must read”, as it throws important light on the current capitalist dispensation's ploy to prevent a knowledge-based economy, especially in Third World countries.

Bhattacharya also raised objections in his speech against the draconian imposition of anti-terror law UAPA against Purkayastha, a Left thinker and intellectual.

The programme began with participants garlanding a huge portrait of Kakababu on the dais.

In his short speech, Purkayastha hailed ‘Kakababu’ Muzaffar Ahmad as a pioneering figure of the sub-continent and expressed his gratitude toward the awards committee for conferring such an award to him. He also highlighted the progressive ideas Muzaffar Ahmad, fondly called Kakababu, by his followers, adding that his contribution was unparalleled in the way he built up the communist party in Bengal.

Addressing the gathering, CPI(M) politburo member and the party’s West Bengal secretary Mohd Salim traced the life and works of Kakababu and his spartan lifestyle and the fact that many a times he had to go hungry to bed, but chose not to touch the party coffers. He fought British Imperialism in its heyday and at the same time, after Independence, had to go to an Indian jail  for choosing the communist path, said Salim.

Salim also expressed deep concern over the political situation in neighbouring Bangladesh, adding that the “spirit of the Bangladesh freedom struggle” should guide that country.

Surjyakanta Mishra, another CPIM) leader, highlighted that need for steadfastness in ideology amid political crisis. Left Front chairman Biman Basu, who presided over the programme, said Kakababu was an icon for Left workers and activists across the sub-continent.

Muzaffar Ahmed was born on August 5, 1889 in Sandwip in the district of Noakhali, Bangladesh. He, along with Nazrul Islam, jointly edited the Bengali daily Navyug. During this time, he was attracted to Marxist literature. He became a whole timer of the communist party in 1918 and remained one till his last day, December 18, 1973.