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• DISTRICT SECRETARY & PRESIDENT
• CWC MEMBERS
• CIRCLE COUNCIL
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COM. M SADANANDA (SADANANDA MOORUSAAVIRA MATHA)

(25th October 1942 to 05th Feb 2006.)

Founder Cir. Secretary: A I T E U – Cl. III (Namboodiri) (07.06.1998 to 25.09.2001)

Founder Cir. Secretary BSNLEU (26.09.2001 TO 10.01.2003)

Circle President BSNLEU (11th JAN. 2003 to 04th Feb 2006.)

Com. M Sadanand: A humble Tribute

Com. J S Kulkarni
Ex-Asst.Circle Secretary, BSNLEU

“Woods are lovely dark and deep
I have some promises to keep
Miles I go before I sleep
Miles I go before I sleep” – Robert Frost

This poem is translated in reality, with optimistic dreams of Com. Sadanand a Trade Union Leader who was the one of the founder & first Circle Secretary of both AITEU Cl.III (Namboodiri) and later of ‘BSNLEU – in Karnataka Circle.

The way or the path trodden was not smooth. Inside the Organisation he was to fight with contradictions and idiosyncrasies. He had the ‘cannons in front and back’. A giant anarchist a retrograde undemocratic leader who was a mini dictator was his prime target. To build a Union of his choice, and to translate dreams to reality and strengthen the dreams - softly surely he trod the path from reformation to revolution with strike, struggle and unflinching commitment and left indelible impression on the pages of Trade Union which would be guiding force for posterity. The Unity of the workers of the world he reasserted ‘nothing to loose’ but to liberate or emancipate from exploitation of oppression, excesses and atrocity; which stand as eternal truth. This philosophy inspired him and brought galvanic effect.

He was associated with NFPTE which was considered as struggle oriented. To dispel the myth and mystery he did not take much time. In the philosophy of bread and butter on need based minimum wage during 1968, conducted a successful historic strike in Hubli Telecom Division. He glorified the struggle and not the victimization. The culture inculcated by NFPTE did un-nerve. He was made murky, indolent and inactive. During the emergency the NFTE Union supported the stand of a political party. He refused to accept this stand and revolted against the decision in Shimoga E.III Conference. Struggle generated struggle. A man with this dint protested against ESMA again in 1984. For some time he was silent but his actions were to be eloquent. Contemplation, brooding over on the metamorphoses of system he was keen. He found impetus in AITEU Cl.III (Namboodiri). In the bifurcation of Union from AITEU Cl.III to AITEU Cl.III(Namboodiri) he took active role and got elected as the First Circle Secretary(1998); and then as the First Circle Secretary of BSNLEU (2001) in Karnataka Circle. Demonstration, strike, protests - he took them as the festival of Trade Union and inspired the enthusiasm. His feeble and faint voice is to be loud during demonstration. He used to be eager to part a new message to make the strike successful. The dignity and divinity of labour was in his blood and veins. Formation of either AITEU (Namboodiri) or BSNLEU was not a rosy and cozy from well established NFTE Union to un-knot the hoax and myth of NFTE. He was with all rank and file of the Union. Now BSNLEU claims supremacy as Recognized Union. The contribution, sweat and toil of Com. Sadanand have not gone in vain. In success, and holding the ‘head high’ we still see and recapitulate Com. M. Sadanand.

‘World is my country. All the men and women are my brethren. To do good is my religion’. Doing good was the religion he accepted and embraced as humanitarian. World politics to village politics, world economy whether it is Perestroika Glasnost or Open economy, Mixed economy, State owned economy everything was his subject. He was familiar with all this. He was not dogmatic, but more of pragmatic and practical outlook. More than that, he was very much concerned about the effects of theses on a common man. Corruption and social superstitions he hated more. Democratic election can change the life whether it be of the country or company. The enthusiasm he manifested to see the BSNLEU as Recognized Union, is very much green and fresh with his associates’ memory. He had the blend of both literature and politics to communicate his thought. Communism was nearer to his heart and communalism used to be a thorn in his throat. As a soldier, ‘half a league half a league he marched ahead’ to the unknown land leaving his path to others and leading the light to his posterity.

He used to be verbiage venomous when other did not accept his school of thought. Afterwards he used to be composed, collective and calculative to place in sugar coated pills to convince others. Apart from the political philosophy he practiced, professed and propagated he was a down to earth personality. He was impeccable model, good comrade and colleague. A sane Trade Unionist – A Bheemsen placed in the hearts with his noble deeds. More than Representative, Registered, Recognized Union he was inclined to Responsible Trade Union movement which redeem the workers from wage emancipation

Com. Sadanand – a foundation of Trade Union Movement had a philosophy along with ideology and manifesto. Today he is not with us. A unique personality who preferred to be called as principled enemy, but not an unprincipled friend. He struggled for garden of roses and happiness to the down-trodden lot. His life was sandwiched between woes and weals. The woes were on the upper side. More the mourning he has witnessed than marriages. More funerals than festivals. He had a loving spouse late Com. Sati and a young son. Both he lost during the prime but never deterred by shocks. He sublimated his passion and personal relation. Stood like a rock with one simple solid slogan – ‘Men may come and men may go - I go on forever’. To bridge the gap he adapted a daughter named Kum. Nisha.

He was disciplined. In any mismatch of confrontations & conflicts he generated, the ultimate reach was to be his win – in compromise. In the change from Govt. Sector to Corporatization some storm was created in the tea-cup by Com. Guptajee and his group. In the euphoria of pseudo democracy and dictatorship, Com. Sadanand stood like a rock with Com. Moni Bose and Com. Namboodiri and established a Democratic forum, free from dictatorship & which is known as AITEU Cl.III(Namboodiri) and in later days which became ‘BSNL Employees Union’.

Still he is the pillar of the Recognized Union ‘BSNLEU’. His name is carved – not on a bust or foundation stone; but in the hearts of many for his commitment and achievement. Everybody has the family. But he is the part and parcel of ‘Universal Family’. He embraced not the aristocrats and plutocrats but the have-naughts and destitute.

A humble tribute and red salute for that he lived with us and still lives in our memory.
‘We have lost our life in living but he left us making our life worth living’- T.S.Eliot.