Maia Ramnath - Decolonizing Anarchism.pdf - Libcom

Echoes and Intersections I 51
Others combined pragmatic how-to instructions with
philosophical justifications for militant activity.
Mukti Kon Pathe ("which way lies salvation?") mainly
contained excerpts from the Yugantar on topics such as
"Battalion Drill Made Easy" and "Field Exercises." Its
author noted that particularly for Bengalis, cultivating
muscular development was important, referring to the
British colonial taxonomy that classified them as a fe e-
ble "non-martial race." Ye t even if they were not able to
achieve the requisite physical training by the time action
became imperative, they nevertheless might find "consolation
in the thought that not much muscle is required to
kill a European with a revolver or a rifle, or to kill many
Europeans with a Maxim gun. It does not take much
strength to pull a trigger; even a Bengali can do that."7
The author also systematically outlined the other items
required for organizing insurrection. Under the heading
"Revolution" were subtopics such as "Building Up Public
Opinion," which listed newspapers, music, literature, and
"secret meetings and associations:' On the matter of clandestinity,
he observed: "Secret societies are necessary since
it is impossible to talk of freedom openly because ofbayonets
and guns. If one wants to talk of freedom publicly, he
must necessarily do so in a roundabout way. It is precisely
for this reason that a secret place is necessary where people
may discuss 'What is truth?' without having recourse to
hypocrisy. But it must be a place that the tyrant cannot see,"
As examples of models for good covert practice, the author
pointed to the Russian revolutionists and the militant
ascetics of Ananda Math. 8