Sumit Chakravartty was a gentle crusader who practised journalism fearlessly
As a young man, Sumit had the unenviable task of living up to his parents' legacy. His mother, Renu Chakravartty, was elected thrice to the Lok Sabha and emerged as a 'striking' parliamentarian and trade union leader. She was the niece of B C Roy, first Chief Minister of West Bengal, who inspired her to take up political work. Both parents shared the Oxbridge connection and had joined the British Communist Party as students. His father, Nikhil Chakravartty, founded Mainstream in 1962. Over the years, it became a platform for critical discourse in the country. He was the 'father figure' for the press freedom movement; whether it was the Emergency (1975-77) or the Defamation Bill (1989), he always led from the front. He declined the Padma Bhushan in 1990, saying 'journalists should not be identified with the establishment'.
Sumit's legacy brought high expectations, and public scrutiny. He was Patriot's Moscow correspondent and worked with The Daily before joining Mainstream. He came out with flying colours by combining journalism and activism. His journalism fostered informed debate and gave space to diverse viewpoints, while his activism was driven by values of democracy, secularism, scientific temper and Gandhian antyodaya. From Singur to Bhima Koregaon — statements, appeals, reports and documents were featured in Mainstream.
Sumit was a one-man army. We had launched the Working Group on Alternative Strategies (WGRAS) — a voluntary civil society initiative — in March 1992 to work on policy alternatives for an equitable development paradigm. Sumit was a founder member of its core group, and I was its convener. But we were soon overtaken by events. With the destruction of the Babri Masjid, our full attention turned to communal harmony. Senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar had appealed for the Prime Minister to lead a citizens' march on Rajpath on January 26, 1993, for communal harmony, similar to the one held on January 26, 1963, after the Chinese aggression. We waited, but nothing was happening. So, on the night of January 25, 1993, WGRAS issued an appeal, calling for a citizens' march. It was successfully completed from Vijay Chowk to Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, and we sent out a very positive signal across the country.
In 2004, I experienced Sumit's incredible integrity as an editor. He published an article I had written about a top-notch politico's about-turn from his professed views. Notwithstanding the bitterness it caused in his relationship with the politico, Sumit remained resolute in my defence even when he came under vehement personal attack.
In 2008, a documentary film project of mine was facing rough weather. One day we met at the India International Centre and he said he wanted to talk to me. We walked to Lodhi Garden and sat on a bench. Sumit took out his chequebook and wrote out a cheque of Rs 2 lakh for me. I protested, but he would not listen. 'I know the problem you are facing; give it back when you can,' he said. That was the man, helpful to a fault, and one who would internalise the problems of his close associates as his own.
Sumit donated the print issues of Mainstream from 1962 to 2020 to the Archives of Contemporary India at Ashoka University. His spirited journalism-activism, in which he invested his gentle, simple, sensitive, grounded and noble lifeblood, has now moved into the digital space and is published every week.
The writer is editor, Citizens First Television, and convener, Working Group on Alternative Strategies, New Delhi
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