KARACHI: “Growing up, the divide between the elite and poor was a major cause of frustration for me. That is why I studied economics. But after doing that I realised that it was more because of politics than economics,” said well-known economist Dr Kaiser Bengali. He was speaking at a seminar on the ‘Russian Revolution centenary 1917-2017: its global impacts’ at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (Szabist) on Thursday.

Coming to the Russian Revolution, he said that Karl Marx changed the thinking of the world. “Of course, there have been people like Socrates and Einstein too, who have changed our way of thinking. But Marx brought a change by giving a political platform to the poor and weak. His ideology was based on the question: why should the poor be exploited?”

The revolution, the economist explained, did not happen overnight though. “There were several other revolutions, which we don’t talk about much, that led to the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917. When you create a society that is unjust, you have to pay a price for it too, sooner or later,” he pointed out.

“As a result of the revolution, the elite of Western European countries such as France, Germany and England got worried that the revolution might reach them as well if they don’t look after their poor,” he said. “And that is how we see all the laws today for safeguarding the interest of the common people. It is all because of the Red Revolution. The concept of a humane state comes from the concept of socialism.”

Economist and social scientist Haris Gazdar also said that socialism goes back to the birth of human thought and collective efforts to achieve the needs and desires of individuals. “Now when the state is expected to look after each citizen, it is an innovative concept of the Russian Revolution,” he said.

“Also the Russian Revolution had a huge impact on colonialism where all people should have a right to determine their own identity and needs,” he said.

“Nationalists and nationalism, too, have its roots in the revolution,” he added.

Mahnaz Rahman of Aurat Foundation also said that if different races stand up against class divides, and women today fight for equality and their rights, the principle of equality has its roots in Marx’s ideology.

Later, during a panel discussion on the subject, moderated by Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, dean of the social science and education department at Szabist, Dr Haroon Ahmed, well-known psychiatrist and social activist, spoke about student politics and how it all began due to some basic problems the students had to face soon after Partition such as high fees, expensive books, etc. “That was when a handful of Dow Medical College students, around 15 to 20 in number, got together to form the Democratic Students Federation.”

Other panellists Iqbal Alavi and Zain Alavi also spoke on the subject.

On the occasion, trade unionist Manzoor Razi read out Habib Jalib’s powerful poem ‘Main Nahi Manta, Main Nahi Janta’, and Nasir Soomro read from Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s collection.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2017