The First Naxal is an authorised biography of Kanu Sanyal, one of the key figures behind the 1967 Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal. This review looks at the book’s account of Sanyal’s life, his politics, the Naxalite movement, ideological conflicts within the communist movement, and why the biography is useful for readers interested in Indian political history.
Book: The First Naxal: An Authorised Biography of Kanu Sanyal
Author: Bappaditya Paul
Form: Biography / Indian political history
Subject: Kanu Sanyal and the Naxalbari movement
Main themes: Naxalbari uprising, communism, peasant struggle, ideology, political movements, violence and dissent
Best for: Readers interested in Indian history, left politics, revolutionary movements, Bengal, and biographies
Why I Picked The First Naxal
The Title of the book, “The First Naxal” was intriguing and instantly made me interested in the book. Moreover, Naxal is a word very commonly used today and someone even coined a word “Urban-Naxal”. Most of us are not even aware of how this word came into being and what exactly it stands for. And who were/are the people called as Naxals or Naxalites. This book is the biography of the person who started the “Naxalbari uprising” of the poor and landless people against the landlords. So, with the expectation that I would get to know more about the Naxals, their movement, and the person behind the Naxalbari uprising , I decided to read this book.
The books starts with the death of Kanu Sanyal. Reportedly he had committed suicide on 23rd March 2010 by hanging himself. At the time of his death, he was living in a village Sebdella Jote, among the people he worked and fought for. The author tells “Inside his hut there was a cupboard stacked with books, newspapers and files in one corner. In another corner slinging from a string are some used apparels. An unused covered with cobweb stands beside.” These were his only lifelong belongings.
What Is "The First Naxal" About?
The First Naxal is an authorized biography of Kanu Sanyal, who led the peasant uprising of 1967 in the village Naxalbari in northern West Bengal. The book takes you through the life of Kanu Sanyal, how he was attracted to communism, what made him leave his family and become a full-time party worker. His ideology and how it differed from other communists, his days during the peak of the Naxal movement.
The book also throws some light on the different factions of the communist party and how their approach was different from each other despite all being labeled as “communists”.
Who Was Kanu Sanyal?
Kanu Sanyal was one of the central leaders associated with the Naxalbari uprising. Bappaditya Paul’s biography traces his journey from childhood and early political doubts to his life as a full-time communist organiser.
The book starts with the death of Kanu Sanyal. Reportedly, he had committed suicide on 23rd March 2010 by hanging himself. At the time of his death, he was living in a village Sebdella Jote, among the people he worked and fought for. The author tells us that inside his hut there was a cupboard stacked with books, newspapers and files in one corner. In another corner, some used apparels were hanging from a string. An unused bed covered with cobwebs stood beside it. These were his only lifelong belongings.
The book takes us through his childhood days, where we get to know that he was not very good at studies and was a maverick. He had a disliking for Communists, as they used to vilify Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and used to call Netaji a quisling, a traitor, for his association with Hitler. This had nurtured a hostile feeling towards the Communists, and this feeling remained till his late teenage years.
The book also tells us about the journey of how Sanyal was attracted and inducted into the communist party. The motivation behind joining the party and then the decision to become a full-time party worker, which meant leaving family and working devoutly for the party. It also shows the respect and awe he had for Charu Mazumdar, the leader of the Communist party, and later his ideological differences with his mentor.
What Was the Naxalbari Uprising?
The Naxalbari uprising was a peasant rebellion that took place in 1967 in the Naxalbari region of northern West Bengal. In the book, this uprising becomes the central event through which Kanu Sanyal’s politics, organisational work and relationship with peasants are understood.
Kanu Sanyal was given the area around the Siliguri division of Darjeeling district to work among tea workers and peasants. He developed a mass base among the people there through his organisational skills.
The peasants in the area started an armed rebellion against landlords, took the paddy they had grown from the landlords, and seized the land they used to work on. In retaliation, the police fired, killing women and children. The book provides many such details of the on-ground realities.
Kanu Sanyal, Charu Mazumdar and Ideological Differences
The book also tells us about the life of Kanu Sanyal after the Naxalbari uprising, his ideological differences with his mentor Charu Mazumdar on the use of violence as a means to further their ideology and work. Kanu was against unnecessary violence.
His visit to China and his meeting with Mao, chairman of the Communist Party of China, his days in jail during the Emergency and after, the breakup in the Communist party, and his continued work among the tribals and peasants of the area — the book provides all this information in detail.
The Human Side of Kanu Sanyal
One feels bad for Kanu Sanyal about how he died. Towards the end of his life, he was alone and lonely, suffering physically as well as mentally. His realisation that one should have a family to take care of, to look after, to talk to, makes the readers feel for him.
All in all, this is a great book that gives you insight into the life of a tribal and peasant leader. It also gives us insight into the communist movement, various factions of the movement and the ideological differences among them. But most of all, it tells us about a person who dedicated his life to the most poor and vulnerable people.
Who Should Read The First Naxal?
The First Naxal is a great book to know about the leader of the Naxalbari uprising. Written in very simple and easy-to-read language, it provides readers some insight into the Communist Party of India, its various factions and their ideology.
Readers interested in Indian political history, the Naxalbari uprising, communist movements, peasant struggles, and political biographies will find this book useful. If you love reading about India, this one should be on your reading list.
About the Author Bappaditya Paul
Dr. Bappaditya Paul is a senior reporter at The Statesman headquarters in Kolkata. He received his master’s degree in mass communication before joining The Statesman in 2005 as a staff reporter in Siliguri.
Paul has published a number of articles on issues ranging from Naxalism to the Gorkhaland Movement, and contemporary Indian politics to environmental degradation.
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About the reviewer
Manoj Payal
Manoj is an avid reader and a writer in progress, with interests spanning literature, history, politics, and the social sciences. His writing across book reviews, essays, articles, and poetry—explores ideas, society, and the human experience.He has spent over two decades working in the IT industry, a background that informs his analytical approach to reading and writing.