| | In our last number, we recorded the untimely death of our friend and co-editor Jitendra Mohan. What follows is a fuller tribute to his life and work. Jitendra's life was characterised by his unwavering commitment, both intellectual and political, to the struggles of the peoples of the Third World against colonialism and tyranny and for independence and democratic socialism. Although we and our fellow-editors on the ROAPE editorial working group knew him principally for his work in and on Africa, he was also active on other fronts. As an Indian one of his main concerns was always the political struggles in his homeland - in recent years he had returned there for a brief spell and had considered returning for good at one stage. In the event he stayed in England but was active in the groups based in Britain campaigning at one stage, over the creation of Bangladesh, and later against lndira Ghandi's state of emergency. Elsewhere in Asia, Jitendra took a keen interest in events in lndochina and in recent years was to be found once more active with a rather unpopular campaign (on the left, that is) against the Vietnamese involvement in Kampuchea, but also, it should be added, against the Pol Pot tyranny. But he maintained his African interests and support for left struggles there. When a group of left Ugandans in exile from Amin found that they needed printing facilities for their magazine, Forward, Jitendra was on hand to organise the facilities and help with the printing. |
