Left-Wing Youth Revives Ancient Savings Tradition to Fund Rally, Connecting with Masses and Raising Thousands

The Left-backed youth organization DYFI is gathering money for its January 7 gathering at Brigade Parade Ground to commemorate its Insaaf Yatra (march for justice) by drawing inspiration from an ancient Bengali modest savings custom.

Beginning in Cooch Behar on November 3 and ending in Calcutta on December 22, the Yatra traveled approximately 2,200 kilometers across 22 districts.

One lakh households in the state received makeshift plastic piggy banks from the DYFI a month ago.

For a month, DYFI members asked every family to deposit any extra money from their costs into the piggy banks on a daily basis.

They informed the homeowners that the little payments would be used to finance the January 7 rally.

According to a DYFI leader, the choice was made to exploit the little savings custom as a crowdfunding project for two reasons. First, it assisted in gathering money for the January 7 event. It was also a kind of mass outreach for me personally.

"It has long been a Left custom to knock on people's doors with a pot or box to collect money for organizing and political causes. In keeping with the new plan, we bought large quantities of plastic pots or piggy banks a month ago and gave them to one lakh households, asking them to put some cash or coins from their everyday savings into the pot. A top CPM official said, "The results of our youth wing's program have been tremendous.

The traditional clay pots used by many Bengali homes, particularly those headed by women, to save tiny amounts of money resemble the plastic money pots that the DYFI volunteers gave. Known by many as Lakshmir Bhar, the clay pots used to store savings, particularly coins, are smashed to provide for the family during hard times.

According to a researcher, Bengali rural residents still place change in clay pots.

According to Aditya Mukhopadhyay, a scholar of rural Bengal's history and culture, the custom is said to have originated under the Pala Empire, which ruled from 750 to 1161 CE.

It is a more than a millennium-old custom. It all began when ladies in the Pala Empire would regularly save aside a little amount of rice in an earthen pot for emergencies. Women began to save pennies for the same reason throughout time. Bengali areas like East Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura, and Purulia still uphold the custom, according to Mukhopadhyay.

The identities of those who contributed pots or piggy banks will be made public, according to DYFI state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee and her allies.

"Money was donated to our Brigade rally by farmers, daily wage laborers, and even beggars. We think politicians must step up to create a climate free from corruption," Mukherjee stated. She also invited people from all walks of life to participate in the January 7 Brigade rally, which is calling for the right of students in Bengal to an education and jobs for young people, as well as opposing the "corruption politics" of Trinamul and the "communal politics" of the BJP.

According to Mukherjee, the state administration made an effort to make sure the Army forbade the DYFI from holding a protest at Brigade grounds. "We were certain, nonetheless, that the gathering would take place on Brigade property. The Army, who looks over the sites, has granted its approval," the DYFI chief said.

"A minimum of four or five persons make up a family. We asked them to inform their visitors or acquaintances about our Brigade rally and Insaf Yatra, and to put the pot in a public location for everyone to see. We could connect with a large number of people that way," said Gautam Ghosh, secretary of the Birbhum district committee and a member of the CPM state committee.

With this campaign, the number of contributions also rose, according to a DYFI leader.

Many are unable to offer you Rs 100 all at once. However, if given a month's notice, the same individual may offer you Rs 500," a DYFI leader said. Additionally, this activity assisted us in energizing our workforce ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

According to a top DYFI official, the organization has also embraced contemporary fundraising techniques like digital wallets.

The younger generation is fond of digital wallets. A top DYFI representative said, "We have also distributed QR codes to encourage people to donate to our fundraising campaign.

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Minakshi Mukherjee asked people from all walks of life to attend the Brigade event on January 7 in protest of Trinamul's "politics of corruption" and the BJP's "communal politics," in addition to demanding employment and education for young people in Bengal.

Raising money for the Brigade demonstration are migrant laborers employed in places like Kerala and Karnataka. She said, "They have made plans to broadcast the massive event at the Brigade (grounds) live at their workplaces as well.

She said that prior to marching to the Brigade Parade Grounds, people would congregate at seven locations around Howrah and Calcutta.

She said, "The Howrah and Sealdah railway stations will be the starting points for the largest marches."