Revolutionary struggles

From The Friday Times: Altaf Hussain Asad reviews a unique biography of legendary political worker

DDr.Hasan Nawaz Gardezi and the Pakistan Study Centre of Karachi University and its director are to be congratulated upon issuing a two volume edition of the memoirs of Dada Amir Haider Khan.(1904-1986)

	Chains to Lose, Life and Struggles of a Revolutionary: Memoirs of Dada Amir Haider Khan Published by Pakistan Study Centre Karachi University Price Rs 800(2 volumes set)
	Dada Amir’s was a life committed to ending class oppression
	The S S Leviathan
	Dada Amir Haider Khan was a true socialist who faced scores of hardships but never budged an inch from his ideals
	Historical personalities about whom we read mainly in textbooks today, such as Lenin and Kalinin, come vividly alive in the pages of this book, as do events such as the anti-Communist White terror in Europe and the split in the United Front of China

‘Chains to lose, life and struggles of a revolutionary’ opens up a whole era before the eyes of readers.

This heroically edited book has been made possible through the efforts of Dr. Gardezi, a renowned social scientist, who has produced a work which is a tribute to a unique personality. Dada Amir Haider was a committed socialist whose aim in life was to work towards ending class oppression.

His life is a perfect example of a true revolutionary, who faced endless hardships but did not budge an inch from his ideals. From his birth in 1904 to his death in 1986, he did all he could to rid this world of the exploitation imposed upon the wretched of the earth. Rest was a word that did not exist in his dictionary. He toiled endlessly right up the very end of his life. His dream was to end class oppression from the face of the earth. Yes, he paid a heavy price for his convictions, as he was put behind bars time and again. Jail became his constant companion and he happily sought it. It is interesting to note that not just the British government, but the rulers of Pakistan also sent him to prison on several occasions. But he could not be cowed down, as he was a born rebel.

The memoirs of Dada were published from India a few years ago, but now we can read his writings in Pakistan. The task before Dr. Gardezi was a formidable one as Dada was unlettered, and whatever English he learned was on board the ships where he had to interact with his fellow workers. Credit must be given to his editor for making the text highly readable.

Dada was born in the Potohar region of the Punjab and from his initial days he vehemently opposed any sort of oppression or intimidation. He joined a ship as a coal boy at Bombay and thus started on a journey which took him to many different places. Life as a seafarer was full of thrills as well as being arduous. There were many hardships but there were also plenty of chances to visit unknown places.

The book’s first volume covers the period from Dada’s early life to 1926. Dr. Gardezi writes in his introduction:

“Historical personalities about whom we read mainly in textbooks today, such as V.I Lenin, the Bolshevik revolutionary Mikhail Kalinai, and many others come vividly alive in the pages of this book, as do events such as the anti-Communist White Terror in Europe, the split in the United Front of China in 1927 and its repercussions on the Comintern, and the expulsion of Trotsky from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

On the home front, the manuscript throws much light on the emergence of the labour movement and the formation of the Communist Party in the subcontinent from the very grass roots. The academic authors of official histories of this period have much to learn from this part of the memoirs.”

It was in 1939 that Dada hit upon the idea of writing of his experiences. At that time, he was imprisoned in Nasik jail. There was no paper to write on but he managed somehow. After release from jail, he was back to his revolutionary activities. This caused him to stop writing, but later, whenever he got any extra time from his hectic schedule he made it a point to start writing from where he had left off. So bit by bit, he continued his task.

Dada traveled all over the world and saw the miserable plight of the working classes in many countries. His tale takes us to Europe, North and South America, Russia and China. His portrayal of post-war America sends shudders down the spine. After the end of the First World War, the economic crisis was a bolt from the blue. This is how he describes the whole episode: “The economic crisis of the post-war period had been growing steadily worse and the soldiers who had been brought back during the later stages in particular were left with no way to make a living, despite the propaganda campaign against employing foreign born workers and Negroes in order to make room for the ex-servicemen. As the winter of 1921 approached, there were thousands of unemployed ex-soldiers in every large port city, begging for whatever they could get, sleeping on benches or discarded newspapers in public squares and parks. Though there were many empty buildings, public and private, including rooming houses, flats and other kinds of accommodation, the rejected war heroes had no money to pay rent. Sleeping outside was becoming dangerous because of frost. Out of desperation, some of them began resorting to holdups and robberies, and it was considered unsafe to pass through secluded sections of cities at night. Robbery and theft might have helped some, but it could not save the thousands upon thousands who risked freezing to death. The USA was a land of extremes, where some of the best and worst people in the world could be found.” Later Dada narrates that a man put a few soldiers on sale to mock the authorities.

The grim tales narrated by Dada are indeed an eye-opener for all students of the history of our times, and the memoirs as a whole are a window into the soul of a truly extraordinary personality.

Altaf Hussain Asad lives in Lahore