Sculptor, painter, actor, writer, translator and a relentless crusader for people's culture, social justice and human rights, Comrade Gopal Naidu passed away following a massive cardiac attack in the early morning on 11 October. He was a versatile activist driven by an unstoppable urge for progressive change. A South Indian brought up in Nagpur, Comrade Gopal was an organic product of the revolutionary communist movement in Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Inspired by the struggles of the CPI(ML)(Liberation), he had lately joined the party and started taking a lot of interest in expanding the party's work in Maharashtra. His books like "Mitti ki kitab" (the book of soil), "Dangon ka canvas" (Canvas of communal carnage) represent an evocative combination of sculpture, paintings and writing to talk about the sufferings of the people and also the striving for justice.
The first time I met him in Nagpur on 25 May 2023 over an anti-fascist convention, he recorded a long conversation for a digital platform. More recently we met in Pune in August 2024 on my way back from the PWP conference at Pandharpur. He had converted our Nagpur conversation into an interview for the Hindi journal Samayantar. He had a lot of ideas about Maharashtra and for forging broader unity among Left activists and other fighting forces in the arena of people's movements and progressive culture. Revolutionary communists must continue to draw inspiration from the creative urge, activism and legacy of Comrade Gopal Naidu. Red Salute comrade, rest in power!
- Dipankar Bhattacharya
