Com.
PRABHAT K AR ( 13-10-1910 - 27-11-1984 )
General
Secretary, AIBEA ( 1953 – 1980 )
President,
AIBEA ( 1980 – 1984 ) President, AIBOA
( 1981 – 1984 )
Member
of Parliament ( 1957 – 1967)
105TH
Birthday of our revered leader Com Prabhat Kar – 13.10.2014
Com. Prabhat Kar was born on 13th
October, 1910 in Calcutta in a middle class family not very different
from the ones from which today's bank employees hail. After graduating from the Presidency College in Calcutta
in 1931, he joined the services of Lloyds Bank Ltd., as a Clerk in 1933. . From 1933, the year in which he joined the bank, till
1946 he was fully immersed in organising bank employees against these sub-human
conditions. Com. Prabhat, along with a group of young, angry but
dedicated comrades took the historic decision on 9th April, 1941 to form an all
India organisation for bank employees. On 20th April, 1946 this vision stood
translated into reality as the AIBEA took formal shape on the banks of the
Hooghly.
On 17th August 1948, Com. Prabhat led the solidarity
strike from the front. Lloyds Bank management instituted criminal proceedings
under the I D Act against 11 of the Lloyds Bank leaders and suspended them.
Against this provocation, all the employees of Lloyds Bank observed strike but
management declared a virtual lock out. The management issued a newspaper
advertisement on 27th October, 1948 informing the dismissal of all the
employees and advertised for recruitment of new staff. There was a prolonged
strike against this provocative action and ultimately, all except 40 employees
were allowed to join. After nearly 10 years of protracted and attritional legal
battle, the Supreme Court reinstated all these comrades in June, 1958 except
Com. Prabhat Kar.
The Signing of this First Bipartite Settlement
metamorphosed the status of both the AIBEA and the bank employees. It
constitutes a decisive watershed in the history of the movement since the
period of definite consolidation of the movement and advancement commences from
this point. The AIBEA has never looked back after this.
The period that followed was an era of bipartism. AIBEA
grew from strength to strength under the stewardship of Com. Prabhat Kar.
Another outstanding contribution of Com. Prabhat Kar to
our movement, nay, our country, is the nationalization of major Banks. Com.
Prabhat Kar led a very powerful campaign and struggle by the bank employees
which resulted in the major decision being taken by the Government.
The Fourth Bipartite Settlement, came to the Bank
employees virtually on a silver platter as it was achieved with comparatively
less struggle. The movement had come full circle under the stewardship of Com.
Prabhat. It has progressed from the situation of protracted battles for small
gains to that of limited struggles for major gains. The subsequent period
witnessed Com. Prabhat busily engaged in the task of organizing the officers
under the banner of the AIBOA of which he was the Founder President.
In the midst of these activities Com. Prabhat Kar
travelled to Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh on 24-11-1984 to inaugurate the
Conference of State Bank of Hyderabad Staff Association. While on his way back
to Hyderabad from this Conference, he collapsed in the car in which he was
travelling. It was 9-30 p.m. of 27th November 1984.
That immortality is truly noble which is achieved in the
cause of organising the masses. That immortality is uniquely Prabhat Kar's.
LET US EVER REMAIN GRATEFUL TO HIM
LET US EVER REMEMBER HIM