ब्लैक बोल्शेविक

ब्लैक बोल्शेविक' - ब्लैक अमरीकी हैरी हेवुड द्वारा लिखित पुस्तक है। हैरी 1927 में सोवियत संघ अध्ययन के लिए गये थे और 3 वर्ष वहाँ रहे। निम्न उद्धरण नस्लवाद पर सोवियत समाज का उनका अनुभव बताता है। दो संदर्भ में यहाँ दे रहा हूँ। एक, नफरती हमलों से एक समाज कैसे निपटता है। दो, गुहा और अपूर्वानंद जैसे लिबरल लेनिन-स्टालिन और हिटलर को समान बताने का दुष्प्रचार करते हुए सर्वहारा की तानाशाही में व्यक्ति स्वतंत्रता के हनन का हल्ला मचाते हैं उसका भी यह अच्छा उदाहरण है कि मेहनतकश जनता की 'तानाशाही' असल में कैसे काम करती थी और उसमें वो कौन से व्यक्ति थे जिनकी 'व्यक्ति स्वतंत्रता' और 'अभिव्यक्ति की आजादी' का हनन किया जाता था।

During my entire stay in the Soviet Union, I encountered only one incident of racial hostility. It was on a Moscow streetcar. Several of us Black students had boarded the car on our way to spend an evening with our friend MacCloud. It was after rush hour and the car was only about half filled with Russian passengers. As usual, we were the objects of friendly curiosity. At one stop, a drunken Russian staggered aboard. Seeing us, he muttered (but loud enough for the whole car to hear) something about "Black devils in our country."

A group of outraged Russian passengers thereupon seized him and ordered the motorman to stop the car. It was a citizen's arrest, the first I had ever witnessed. "How dare you, you scum, insult people who are the guests of our country!"

What then occurred was an impromptu, on-the-spot meeting, where they debated what to do with the man. I was to see many of

this kind of "meeting" during my stay in Russia.

It was decided to take the culprit to the police station which, the conductor informed them, was a few blocks ahead. Upon arrival there, they hustled the drunk out of the car and insisted that we Blacks, as the injured parties, come along to make the charges.

At first we demurred, saying that the man was obviously drunk and not responsible for his remarks. "No, citizens," said a young man (who had done most of the talking), "drunk or not, we don't allow this sort of thing in our country. You must come with us to the militia (police) station and prefer charges against this man."

The car stopped in front of the station. The poor drunk was hustled off and all the passengers came along. The defendant had sobered up somewhat by this time and began apologizing before we had even entered the building. We got to the commandant of the station.

The drunk swore that he didn't mean what he'd said. "I was drunk and angry about something else. I swear to you citizens that I have no race prejudice against those Black gospoda (gentlemen)."

We actually felt sorry for the poor fellow and we accepted his apology. We didn't want to press the matter.

"No," said the commandant, "we'll keep him overnight. Perhaps this will be a lesson to him."

Mukesh Aseem