Full Marx for Communists

Leading from the front is former chief minister Jyoti Basu. The school, which started operations last week, is a far cry from the smoky, animated discussions over bhars (earthern pots) of tea that gave birth to generations of the stubble-sporting, Marx-Lenin-spouting communists identified with the city. Rather, the new school — and the ones that preceded it in Midnapore and Burdwan — is fitted out with computers, projecters and screens, tiled floors and swanky furniture.

‘‘We plan to have such schools in all the 19 districts of the state,’’ said Anil Biswas, secretary of the CPI(M) state committee. Asked about the expenses involved in setting up the schools in view of the acute financial crisis in the state, Biswas replied: ‘‘The schools are coming up with party funds, with money levied on members. It has nothing to do with the government.’’

According to Biswas, one of the key architects of the party schools, the party was consciously looking at ‘‘inducting people’’ into communism. ‘‘In the ’60s and ’70s, people would get influenced by the ideas and then join the party. Now, we are looking at converting people into communism,’’ he said.

On conditions of anonymity, a veteran party leader said, ‘‘The Soviet Union broke up because the Communist Party there couldn’t adopt to changing times, and they didn’t learn from their own mistakes. (To avoid repeating history) we have to keep educating ourselves on the basics of Marxism. That is why we need the schools.’’

Indicating that they mean business, the schools will have regular teachers, a syllabus — including Marxist philosophy, Marxist economy and the Left Front government and its strategy — and even an evaluation system. ‘‘But it won’t be a system where you have to pass or fail a test,’’ said Biswas. ‘‘Students will be evaluated, and informed of the areas they have to brush up on. A panel of 21 teachers has been set up; classes will be held once or twice a week.’’

Clarifying that communist classes are nothing new, CPI(M) MLA and Kolkata district committee member Robin Dev said that they had become irregular for a while due to various reasons. But the focus on senior leaders is certainly novel. CPI(M) veterans like Prakash Karat and Biswas are on the teaching panel for a state-level school — to be set up shortly — for committee members and district-level leaders of the party.