Veteran Trade Union leader of Gujarat, Thakorbhai Shah passed away due to a massive heart attack after attending a meeting of the network of social movements in Gujarat on 10-04-04 in Vadodara at the age of 76. For 60 years he remained active in public life in the pre-independence period as a freedom fighter and in the post independence period as a social activist championing the cause of downtrodden people.

From Foot-Soldier to Organiser (1942-1970)
He worked as a foot soldier of the freedom movement during 1940s’. In the post independence period, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlala Nehru entrusted him with the crucial task of cadre building through the camps and experiential learning under the umbrella of Seva Dal. He was an editor of Navbharat (Hindi journal dedicated to the cause of Nation Building) during 1950s and 1960s and Prajasattak (A Gujarati fortnightly with left leaning) during 1970s’. He trained two generations of activists and thinkers of different social movements throughout India and some even internationally.

In the post-independence period, he organised youth camps throughout India- from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Gujarat to Assam for Sevadal, based on the Gandhian principle of Buniyadi Taleem (Basic Education). He was a founder member of Vadodara Kamdar Union (VKU) in 1975 (during Emergency) from where, during the late eighties Narmada Bachao Andolan flourished. Local vested interests had made attempts on his life several times for his support for the working class and environmental causes and his fight against communal forces but that did not deter his work.

During the 1969 communal carnage in Gujarat, he worked among the victims in Vadodara. By early seventies, he had started working with young students and the retrenched and victimised workers of the cotton textile industry. During the Navnirman agitation in 1973-74, he used the space of his paper to express needs, demands and aspirations of the masses against corruption, black-marketing and hoarding of grains by whole-sale merchants. During caste riots in 1980s, he got immersed in expressing his solidarity with the young dalit youth and relief operations.

In his leaving us, we have lost an experienced, dedicated and hardworking public figure furthering the cause of the toiling poor. His electrifying personality and radiant smile in the midst of adversity were irreplaceable.

Women’s Movement
Many of his close associates in the working class movement, later on pioneered women’s movements in different parts of Gujarat. He always supported women’s causes in his personal capacity, at policy and programmatic levels and through public action. His daughter, Dr. Trupti Shah (then 10 years old), was the youngest activist in the Navnirman Movement in 1974. In his personal life and in the movement, he shared all types of work - cooking, cleaning and caring. Feminists who came in contact with him, found this aspect of his personality very endearing. He actively supported women’s cause through the union activities and was a sympathiser of the women’s rights group Sahiyar as he believed that ‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights.

A Trend-setter in Gujarat
Thakorbhai supported all worthy causes not only in words but also in deeds. When Medha Patkar was hounded in Gujarat for her stand on Sardar Sarovar Dam that angered the mainstream technocrats and politicians, Thakorbhai opened the doors of VKU. He supported all progressive causes in a non-violent manner without imposing his decision on others. He resolved conflicting opinions through study-circles, camps, role-play and role-reversal techniques. In the process, many a times he changed his views also. This democratic essence within him converted many of his adversaries into friends.

A Refined Human Being
Thakorbhai shah never used abusive language that is supposed to be the trade-mark of “the union leader. He was a team worker. Without being overbearing, he helped each of his colleagues to flourish as writers, thinkers, organisers and as confident public figures. He could effortlessly establish a rapport with men and women of every age group. He encouraged revolutionary cultural activities. Along with revolutionary struggles, he was also involved in developmental activities such as Neera Kendra and schools in neglected areas.

We salute you, Thakorebhai for your revolutionary spirit, social action and secular humanism!

Source: combatlaw.org