The student life of any individual is undoubtedly the best time. Because this is the period for acquiring knowledge—a time to observe and understand the world and one’s surroundings in the light of newly gained wisdom. Alongside formal education, it is during student life that one gets the opportunity to explore the diverse treasures of nature that enrich the repository of knowledge beyond textbooks. The ability to discern between good and evil emerges. It is in student life that an innate spirit of protest develops. Students organize resistance and protests against injustice and oppression. One cannot protest alone—the need for organization is realized through experience.
The All India Students’ Federation (AISF) was established in 1936 during the colonial rule of British imperialism in India. This organization played a glorious role in the freedom struggle. Particularly in the 1940s, AISF emerged at the forefront of the national independence movement against British imperialism. Alongside successive strikes by workers and the Tebhaga movement of peasants, student strikes shook the country. The All India Students’ Federation led student strikes across the nation. During the turbulent waves of worker, peasant, and student movements, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny erupted. The British imperialists grew alarmed. They realized that sustaining colonial rule in India was no longer possible. They had no choice but to pack up and leave India. But before departing, they divided India into two, sowing the seeds of communalism. To counter the Communists, they negotiated with the leadership of the Congress and the Muslim League and transferred power accordingly.
After India’s independence, AISF had the opportunity to further develop the progressive student movement but could not fully capitalize on it. A section of the student leadership showed a tendency to compromise with the exploitative ruling classes, while another section opposed such conciliation. This ideological conflict led to a split in AISF in the 1960s. Those opposing conciliation broke away and formed new organizations in various states, striving to organize militant student communities. From 1966-67 onwards, state-based student federations began to emerge. For instance, in our state, the Tripura State Students’ Federation, and in West Bengal, the Bangiya Pradeshik Students’ Federation, among others. These new student organizations gained immense popularity among ordinary students. They achieved remarkable success in university, general college, engineering college, and school union elections.
At that time, Tripura had MBB College, BB Evening College, Government Women’s College, Ramthakur College, Polytechnic, and colleges outside Agartala in Kailashahar and Belonia. Except for Ramthakur College, the Students’ Federation won overwhelmingly in all student union elections. Even in Ramthakur College, they secured victories in many seats.
Since 1969, it was felt that a new all-India student organization needed to be formed by uniting the struggling student organizations that had emerged across various states. In 1970, the decision to turn this into reality was made. A preparatory committee was formed through series of meetings at Dumdum, Belgharia, Digha with leaders from different states. From December 27 to 30, 1970, an all-India conference was held in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, where the framework for the new organization was laid out.
The initiative to hold the all-India conference and build the new organization generated immense enthusiasm among students across the country. From Tripura, 48 delegates were selected to attend the Thiruvananthapuram conference. The state delegation was finalized with representatives from every subdivision of Tripura at that time, including female students.
To attend the conference, funds were collected in advance from Tripura to purchase air tickets to Kolkata. From Kolkata, tickets were booked for the West Bengal delegation as well as delegates from Assam, Odisha, Bihar, and other parts of eastern India to travel to Thiruvananthapuram.
However, a problem arose regarding the trip from Agartala to Kolkata. Although we had confirmed tickets on Indian Airlines, an indefinite strike by the airline’s pilots demanding higher wages and allowances made our journey uncertain. Due to the strike, all Indian Airlines flights were suspended. Our organization repeatedly communicated with Indian Airlines authorities. As an emergency measure, Indian Airlines chartered an aircraft from a private airline, Jam Air, to transport some passengers. Jam Air’s Dakota aircraft was primarily used for cargo transport. We demanded that Indian Airlines arrange for our student delegates to reach Kolkata on the chartered Jam Air flight. The airline staff, including booking and traffic department employees and officers, were very sympathetic toward us and made efforts to help. The cargo plane had two benches at the front where a few passengers could sit. It was decided that our delegates would be accommodated on these benches. Since there wasn’t enough space for everyone in one flight, arrangements were made to transport them over three days.
An amusing incident also occurred during this time. One of our student delegates was scheduled to go to Kolkata in the last batch. However, upon arriving at the airport, he suddenly ran and boarded the plane meant for the second batch. The airline staff were taken aback. They informed him that arrangements had been made for him to fly the next day, but he was adamant. He insisted that the all-India conference would not be complete without Tripura’s representatives. After much persuasion, he was finally escorted off the plane. The airline authorities arranged for him to stay at a hotel in Agartala that night, and the next day, he duly reached Kolkata by flight.
With this unusual experience, we arrived in Kolkata in three batches to attend the first conference. Accommodation for Tripura’s delegates was arranged in a house on Amal Roychowdhury Lane, off Bowbazar Street (now Lenin Sarani). Nearby was the office of the Bengal Provincial Students’ Federation. Despite all the hassles, everyone managed to reach Kolkata a day before the train departure.
The journey from Agartala to Kolkata was a unique experience, and similarly, traveling from Kolkata to Thiruvananthapuram was equally thrilling. The trains bound for South India depart from Howrah Station in Kolkata. Tickets were booked for representatives from West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Odisha together on the Howrah-Madras Janata Express. From Kolkata, the train took at least two and a half days to reach Madras (now Chennai). From there, changing trains to reach Thiruvananthapuram took another day. These were among the slowest of the express trains. We were advised to carry a mug each for bathing during the journey.
Anyway, on the scheduled day, we reached Howrah Station by taxi two hours before departure and waited under the big clock. Representatives from various districts of West Bengal also arrived. At the designated time, the train arrived at the platform. Checking the chart, we boarded our assigned coach. In our compartment, the remaining seats were occupied by some representatives from West Bengal. We settled our luggage in the three-tier sleeper coach. The train departed on time. From the West Bengal representatives on board, we learned that students and activists from Medinipur district would provide us breakfast at Kharagpur Station. The representatives from Medinipur would join us as fellow travelers from there.
After leaving Howrah, the train reached Kharagpur two hours later. Students from Medinipur district, already gathered at the station, greeted us with slogans and handed breakfast packets to each compartment. The train halted at Kharagpur for a bit longer. Just a few minutes before departure, we heard a commotion. After the train left Kharagpur, the West Bengal representatives informed us that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were also on the same train. They too were heading to Thiruvananthapuram for a national conference at the same time. At Kharagpur Station, an argument broke out between ABVP members and the female comrades from Calcutta Medical College in our delegation over slogan-shouting. Railway police intervened, managed the situation, and allowed the train to proceed.
While passing through Odisha, representatives from the state boarded the train at one of the stations, as per their booking.
The train crossed Odisha and entered Andhra Pradesh. When it stopped at Srikakulam Station, ABVP members got off and began hurling abuses at us. They accused our organization of fostering Naxalites. Naturally, our comrades from West Bengal were furious. A scuffle broke out, leading to physical clashes. Andhra Police intervened and forced everyone back onto the train.
The next afternoon, the train stopped at Waltair Station (Vishakhapatnam/Vizag) to fill water and for cleaning. We got off the train and stood under the water pipes to bathe. None of the Student Council members disembarked from the train.
Early the next morning, our train arrived at Madras Central Station. Volunteers from Madras were already present there. Buses had been arranged for us. From Central Station, we were taken to Egmore Station. From there, the train to Kerala departed. Our train was scheduled for the evening. The Madras volunteers informed us that if we wanted, we could visit Marina Beach. We were excited. After some time, the volunteers took us to the beach. We spent a long time by the seashore, visited the memorial of Dravidian movement leader C.N. Annadurai, had lunch at various restaurants, and then everyone returned to Egmore Station. The train to Thiruvananthapuram had not yet arrived at the platform. At the large station, representatives of our organization gathered on one side, while the representatives of the Student Council stayed some distance away. In between sat the athletes. Around the same time as our conference, the All India School Sports event was being held in Thiruvananthapuram. Players from West Bengal and several other states had arrived in Madras by another train and were waiting at Egmore Station to go to Kerala.
At that time, the ruling party in Madras was the DMK, with M. Karunanidhi as the Chief Minister. While we were waiting to go to Kerala, Karunanidhi arrived at Egmore Station by train after attending a program somewhere in southern Madras. A large police force surrounded him. The leadership of the Student Council was seen speaking with him for a few minutes. Karunanidhi then left the station under police escort.
About half an hour later, suddenly, a large police force charged at us and began beating us with batons. We were completely unprepared and stunned. To escape the police assault, everyone ran in whichever direction they could. The athletes who were waiting at the station to participate in the school sports event were also brutally beaten by the police, who mistook them for Student Federation activists.
It was my first time in Madras. I didn’t know the roads. By then, evening had fallen. Crowds gathered at every street corner. After nearly two hours, announcements in English were made from several taxis: “Those who are going to Thiruvananthapuram to attend the Indian Student Federation conference, gather at the street corners wherever you are. The taxi drivers will take you to the station. There is no need to fear police attacks anymore.” A few of us had gone near the beach. We gathered at a street corner, raised our hands, and stood there. The taxi drivers picked us up and took us to the station. By then, our train to Thiruvananthapuram had already left.
Upon reaching the station, I learned that the Students’ Council had complained to Chief Minister Karunanidhi, alleging that our representatives had assaulted them on the train. Following Karunanidhi’s orders, the police charged at us with batons. At that time, the CITU President in Madras was VP Chintan, an extremely popular trade union leader. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the scene. The taxi drivers’ union was under CITU’s leadership, and he immediately arranged for the union members to use loudspeakers to locate and assist us. He strongly protested the incident to Karunanidhi. Chintan then spoke with the railway authorities and arranged a special coach for us to travel to Thiruvananthapuram the next day.
Thanks to his efforts, a team of doctors arrived shortly afterward and began treating those injured in the baton charge. The school children, who had suffered the worst, also received medical attention. Some had to be hospitalized. Arrangements were made for our meals that night. The next morning, the train, with the additional coach, departed for Thiruvananthapuram, heavily guarded by police. Every station along the way in Madras Province was also heavily policed.
After arriving in Thiruvananthapuram, we put aside the events of the journey and immersed ourselves in the excitement of attending the first all-India conference, celebrating the birth of a new organization. We were accommodated in a large college in Thiruvananthapuram, where nearly a thousand delegates from across the country had gathered. Different buildings in the college were arranged for everyone’s stay.
On December 27, 1970, the inaugural conference of the Students’ Federation of India began in a well-decorated hall. The opening speech was delivered by the prominent freedom fighter and communist leader, comrade P. Sundarayya. In his address, he emphasized the importance of balancing studies with physical fitness. He urged the student delegates to excel in their education, fight for the right to education for all, and champion various academic demands. At the same time, he stressed the need to stay physically active—encouraging athletics, swimming, cycling, football, and other sports, whatever they enjoyed, alongside regular exercise.
The chairman of the preparatory committee for the students’ conference was another prominent freedom fighter and popular leader, AK Gopalan, the CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha. Arrangements were made for 250-300 delegates to dine together. AK Gopalan and his wife, leader of democratic movement and women’s movement activist Sushila Gopalan, personally served food to the delegates—something we found extraordinary.
On the morning of December 30, the delegate session of the first conference of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) concluded with the election of a new all-India leadership. The first president was C Vaskaran from Kerala, the general secretary was Biman Basu from West Bengal, and one of the joint secretaries was Manik Sarkar from Tripura. The SFI slogan, “Independence, Democracy, Socialism,” was pledged to be carried to the student community across the country.
That afternoon, a public meeting was held at Thiruvananthapuram’s Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium. In Kerala, public meetings usually take place in the evening. The procession started around 5 PM and went on for 4-5 hours. Among those who marched in the procession were all-India leaders like EMS Namboodiripad, P Sundarayya, and AK Gopalan. After the procession entered the stadium, AK Gopalan stood on the stage and jokingly announced that P Sundarayya was missing—he had gotten lost in the sea of people. With the help of volunteers, Sundarayya finally reached the stage, and the public meeting began. It was almost 10 PM by then. The massive stadium was packed to the brim. Workers, farmers, and mothers and sisters had also joined the public meeting of the student conference—after all, their children were the students, so they had come.
We had planned beforehand to visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, several hundred kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram. We had to leave shortly before the leadership’s speeches ended at the public meeting. Carrying the food packets arranged for the delegates, we boarded the buses to Kanyakumari. After traveling all night, the buses reached Kanyakumari at dawn. We were led by West Bengal student leader Subhash Chakraborty (later he became the General Secretary of SFI). It was impossible for all 300 delegates to visit Vivekananda Rock amid the turbulent waves, as we had a long journey back to Thiruvananthapuram, with the return train scheduled for the evening. Initially, some delegates managed to reach the rock by boat, braving the waves. Subhash Chakraborty instructed the rest to view the rock from the shore. After breakfast, we set off for Thiruvananthapuram.
Inspired by the successful first conference of the Students’ Federation of India, we boarded the evening train on December 31, 1970, heading back to our respective states. Fifty years ago, I had the privilege of representing the SFI at its first conference—a memory that still fills me with pride today.