People Politics and Protest (5)

Efflorescence … Efflorescence … Efflorescence. The legendary teacher of English Literature, Professor Taraknath Sen, used this particular term to evaluate the outburst of sonneteering in the Elizabethan age. Quite consciously, this term is being repeated to encapsulate, if possible, the prolific abundance of creativity inspired by the Naxalite movement. A few relevant though approximate figures will substantiate the choice of the word. No fewer than 500 poems were written by activists and sympathizers to record the upsurge; no fewer than 200 short stories were penned by the writers to capture the ebb and flow of the complex, political movement; no fewer than 50 novels were written to express the Naxalite experience; no fewer than 50 plays were written by indefatigable playwrights to dramatize the movement which struck us like a meteor and then dwindled; no fewer than 20 films were made to capture in celluloid the upsurge and tragic decline of the violent rebellion and resistance.