Defence Resists

A lawyer, a pillar of rationalism and truthfulnes. No mud or its spill could tarnish his white collar. A fierce opposition to the reigning evil. He was an advocate of rightfulness.

The lawyering pioneer; Image Source: The Asian Age

A true nationalist isn’t always the one who sacrificed their life in the war of freedom or led the unchained walks of coarse, rocky roads of the domination. Some wear a suit and defend the nation ethically and more professionally. As much as we remember our great leaders, the martyrs, the rightfulness of the lawyers haven’t been spoken much while narrating the chronicles of the freedom struggle. Siddhartha Shankar Ray was an advocate and a politician from Bengal in the Indian National Congress.

Siddhartha Shankar Ray was born in a very distinguished family. His father, Sudhir Kumar Ray, was a profound barrister of the Calcutta High Court and his mother, Aparna Devi, was the daughter of nationalist Chittaranjan Das and Basanti Devi.

He started his schooling at the Mitra Institution in Calcutta. He went to Presidency College and the pursued law in the University Law College, University of Calcutta. In the University, he was known for his sportsmanship and active involvement in politics.

In 1947, he was summoned to the bar by the Honourable Society of Inner Temple of London. Ray stood firmly as one of the three junior Central Government counsels in Calcutta.

He was elected as a candidate in the Bhowanipore Assembly. As the youngest member of the West Bengal Cabinet, he won with a large number of votes. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy guided him to this victory. He was given the post of Minister of Tribal Welfare and Law Department of the state. He was reinstated in 1966 as the Union Cabinet Minister of Education and Youth Services under the Indian Government.

The election of 1967 took a ruinous turn in West Bengal’s political ground. The indecisiveness brought an economic stagnation on West Bengal, especially in Calcutta. Ajoy Mukherjee led Congress of Bengal presented a united front, which drove away big industrial names and capitalists. The Congress is presumed to be a Communist front, in the shadow of the Congress. It constructed a pathway for an ominous rise of Naxalism, heavily influencing the young minds of the college goers. The intellectual struggle took shape of guns and bloodshed, hovering over the industrial growth that could have been an achievement for the state.

Ray was the Union Minister back then, but all his reforms pulled the attention of the chaotic Bengal. Bengal’s pandemonium was further fanned by East Pakistan’s Yahya Khan, whose main target was killing millions of Hindus and Bengali nationalists (this mission came to be known as ‘Operation Searchlight’) When Pakistan’s tyranny reached its zenith, Ray eased the process of sheltering millions (roughly ten to fifteen) in India. He even took care of any refugee who was willing to build a new home on the new found Bangladesh. He made sure they were given proper military assistance.

Ray swayed the Bengal election in 1972, ensuring a grand victory for the Congress. But, he had to keep up with the Naxalite mishaps for the next five years. His iron will and optimistic determination invited economic welfare, helping in turning the minds of the youth to a progressive life.

Siddhartha Shankar Ray, his name emerged as the country’s one of the leading advocates.  When Indira Gandhi was charged with malpractices in the electoral procedures by the Allahabad Court, it was Ray whose advice she was seeking for. Though Ray aided her in all possible means, he strongly opposed the blunders from the family of Gandhi during the Emergency period. He showed the world that no political power can compel him to break his uncorrupted, truthful spine.

In 1996, he enfolded retirement. He was a Barrister of the Calcutta High Court in his retirement years of 1996-2010. He passed away due to an unfortunate incident of kidney failure.