A Traveller and the Road: The Journey of an Indian Communist

A Traveller and the Road is a stirring account of the life and work of veteran Communist Mohit Sen during the last six decades of the twentieth century. While fondly recalling his childhood; student days and fascination for the Communist movement; the Cambridge days; his association with the CPI and his gradual departure from that party, Mohit Sen leads you through the history and politics of contemporary India as well as that of the Indian Communist movement. The de-Stalinisation drive, the Chinese aggression of 1962, the split of the Communist Party in 1969, liberation of Bangladesh, the emergency—one passes many a milestone of Indian history through this absorbing narrative. It is necessary to try and understand why the Communist Movement succeeded, as it is to analyse why in the end it did not win. In India, the Communist Movement advanced, but did not triumph, it passed through serious setbacks, but was not defeated. Sen’s support to the emergency, his consequent departure from the CPI, his continuing association with the Congress leadership as well as his distinct political insight provide a fresh perspective to Indian politics. Through his experience and reading, Mohit Sen endeavours to work out the theory and practice of those he calls ‘the new thinking communists’. This biography, says Sen, is a part of this continuing effort.