72 SOCIAL SCIENTIST working class as ever. But after this she suddenly disappeared from the political arena and never came back to the working class movement again. Why this happened is still a mystery to us- Saroj Bandopadhyay, the well-known left-wing Bengali novelist, has written a novel called Bikikinir Hat. It deals with the life and struggle of the people of the jute belt of Naihati, Kanchrapara and Gauripur. There is a character in the novel—Brajabasini Devi—who throws herself heart and soul into the struggle of the workers and is immensely popular among them. Then one day she just disappears, nobody knowing where. There is a remarkable similarity between this character and San tosh Kumari. I shall conclude with my own impressions about her. I met her for the first time in 1982 when she was already 85. During my interviews, whenever she talked about the 1920's, the jute, the dock or the railway workers and their struggles, her whole being seemed to light up. She became a changed person, now speaking in Bengali, now in Urdu and now in English. She was, for the moment, no longer a frail old women of 86 but "Mairam"—the name lovingly given to her by the workers of that period. MANJU CHATTOPADHYAY 1 Ramkumar Vidyaratna, Coolie Kahini, Calcutta, 1886; also K L Chattopadhyay (Ed), Dwarkanath Ganguly's Slavery in British Dominion (from Bengali 1886-87), Calcutta, 1972. 2 K L Ghattopadhyay (Ed), Bharat Sramajibi, Calcutta, 1975, introduction. 3 Sumit Sarker, Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, Delhi, 1973. Chapter V. 4 Santosh Kumari Devi, "Ahmedabad Congress" (unpublished memoir). 5 Pattabhi Sitaramayya, History of the Indian National Congress, Vol I, p 240. 6 V B Karnik, Strikes in India, Bombay, 1967. pp 59-60. 7 Ibid,? 67. 8 Santosh Kumari Devi, "How I Started the Labour Movement" (unpublished memoir). 9 Ibid. 10 Karnik, op cit, p 103. 11 Atmasakti, August 23, 1922. 12 Gautam Ghattopadhyay, Communism and Ben^al9^ Freedom Movement, Vol T, New Delhi, 1970, Chapt VIII, pp 55-69. 13 Dewan Chamanlal, Coolie, the Story of the Labour and Capital in India, Vol I, Lahore, p73. 14 Ibid. 15 Santosh Kumari Devi, "How I Started the Labour Movement" (unpublished memoir). 16 Atmasakti, September 12, 1923. 17 G Adhikari (Ed), Documents of the History of the Communist Party of India, Vol II (1923-25), Delhi, 1974. p 69. 18 Ibid, p73. 19 Atmasakti, April 19, 1922. 20 Anandabazar Patrika, January 20, 1924. 21 Balabusevitch and Dyakov, Contemporary History of India, Delhi, 1964, p 51. 22 Santosh Kumari Devi, Interview, Calcutta, November 11, 1982, 23 Samhati, Vol I. No I, 1923.