When I was asked to focus on a May 1, Samyukta Maharashtra special, my reporter’s instinct told me I was embarking on something really special.
When I was asked to focus on a May 1, Samyukta Maharashtra special, my reporter’s instinct told me I was embarking on something really special. I learnt along the way that information can be got from the most unlikely sources.
I began on my quest with the truly daunting task of sifting through the reams and reams of files in the archives almost every day. I felt as if I was frozen in another time zone.
But, to my astonishment, there wasn’t a sign of any records or documentation of the people actually involved in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.
Now, my task became even more Herculean. Many who participated in the movement were not alive anymore. Many textile mill workers had gone back to the Konkan and many more had moved out of Girangaon.
I had to trudge on foot to look for the addresses of those still around. My search for history and faces to match it was challenging. Among the first few people I had to contact was Roza Deshpande, daughter of comrade SA Dange (one of the leaders of the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement). Dange’s old house had given way to a shopping centre.
Late one evening, I began searching for Deshpande’s new address. I was confident Dange’s house was in Dadar and as a Maharashtrian myself, I was sure I would find her easily.
But, I was shocked when after I had enquired with several people in what I was sure was the area she was living in, no one seemed to have heard of Dange, forget Deshpande. “Kon Dange? Mahit nahi,” was the reply I got everywhere.
Finally in frustration, and as most Mumbaikars eventually do, I turned to a small tapri shopkeeper. Raju has a tiny stall and sits behind hanging cellphone covers, jackets and other accessories. Not someone likely to have ever heard of Dange or Deshpande, I thought. But, when I tentatively enquired whether he knew Deshpande, Raju instantly perked up and started rattling forth information on “Roza tai”. As a parting shot, he added, “Please tell her Raju directed you to her.”
Of course I would, I assured him, after all, he was a blessing in disguise.
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