The year 1967 might not be a significant year in the pages of history for many.It might be an year incidents of which are worth forgetting.But during that fateful year, in the small neglected distict of naxalbari a spark was ignited which slowly turned to flames;Flames of anger against injustice,negligienceand apathy towards those voiceless millions who were fighting for their survival,for their rights and for their dignity.A motley group of youth most of them with a goodeducation and from a higher section of society left everything,a promising future,a glossy lifestyle,a walk on rose petals and instead chose a path of thorns.They lit those torches which themselves had forgotten the aura of light.They stood for those who couldnot fight for themselves.they sacrificed their lives to bring a ray of hope in millions of empty eyes.They answered injustice with vengeance.They broke those walls which had the corpses of the poor as bricks.They were the naxals. It has been nearly four decades of rebellion by the naxals against the state.The red corridor today runs through Maharashtra ,U.P, M.P,Chhattisgarh,Orissa,West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand controlling around 220 districts across the country.But the larger question that looms around remains unanswered.Is their rebelion justified?Are they the true representatives of the tribals?years of armed struggle hasnot yielded any justice to thetribals nor has it improved their position.On the other hand the state machinery has improved a lot.It might not exactly be an epitome of good governancebut has certainly improved over the years.So, the idea of political and judicial justice sounds more realistic in today's scenario.The naxals believe in destroying the current society and replace it with a new structure.But can the destroyer ever be a redeemer?Can an organisation which has only been known forblood bath be trusted for creating a better social structure.The naxals believe in Mao Zedong's idea that war can only be abolished through war and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.But sadly, the above lines donot workout in real life.By taking up guns you don't get rid of the guns .Instead you increase the number of guns pointed at you.War cannot be abolished through war.It can only lead to a bigger war.Naxals' annihilation masqueraded as revolution could have beeninhibited by the Govt had it acted wisely.Had the Govt addressed the grievances properly then and decided to nip the movement in the bud itself by eliminating the cause which attracted scores of people,naxalism would have reduced to imagination.The Govt said it will kill the naxalites and bring development to the area.But the idea of killing lakhs of our own countrymen won't solve the problem.We have to make them realise that it's not the noise of the bullets but their voice which can win the battle for them.They will have to shout themselves out until it echoes from every nook and corner of the country.They will have to compel the state to give them justice long denied not with the power of gun but with the power of sheer determination.It might be a difficult path to walk on but atleast it is not tarnished with the blood of the innocent.This , though is a hopeful speculation that may never materialise.For it's not the beginning to an end.It is just the beginning.I stand here ready to count the number of bodies that will fall , of those holding the gun and of those innocent millions to be sacrificed in the name of LAL SALAAM............. \
