Comrade Ajanta Lohit (nee Nandi) was born on 5 September 1957 in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Ajanta did her schooling in Kuchaikot, Gopalganj, then Goriakothi in Siwan, in Daltonganj, and Bachchwara in Begusarai. She completed her B.A. in Med. History, Sociology and Political Science in 1978 and L.L.B. in 1981 from Banaras Hindu University.
Comrade Ajanta had joined the AISF while she was in BHU. She became the State Vice President of AISF in 1979. She contested Student elections in BHU in 1979, 1980 and 1981. She joined the NFIW in 1983. She had been elected as Gopalganj President of the organization too. She joined Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan in UP in 1992 and was elected National Secretary of AIPWA in 2000 and again in 2003.
She had been founder member of the IPTA in 1988 in Basti district. She went to jail in the “Job or Jail” movement in 1980 for the first time. In 1996, Comrade Ajanta Lohit contested for the Mahona Vidhan Sabha Seat in Lucknow. Even after her first bout with breast cancer, she was imprisoned for a week while taking part in the Shaheed Mela in 2002 at Faizabad. She was again arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri on the issue of foodgrain scam in 2003. Even in her very last few weeks, she enthusiastically participated in demonstrations against Saddam Husseins execution, against the Nithari killings.
Comrade Ajanta Lohit had been inspired to join the Communist movement by her (primary) school teacher; who was under the influence of Naxalism and was also an atheist and also by her father Dr. Radharaman Nandi, who was also a Marxist and who was the President of the IPTA, Gopalganj Unit.
Comrade Ajanta was the Secretary of the Lucknow unit of the CPI (ML) and had been State Committee member from 1998 onwards. Besides CPI (ML) work she also participated in plays and while in Gopalganj she was the President of the Bahurupi Natya Sanstha. She had also been the Vice President of the Gopalganj Bar Council.
She was National Executive Member of the Jan Sanskrit Manch and a voracious reader and prolific writer too. Her articles have been published in Aadhi Zameen, Lokyuddha, Women’s Voice and other journals. She was incharge of the Lenin Pustak Kendra in Lucknow and was member of the committee responsible for Party Publications at State Level.
Comrade Ajanta first suffered breast cancer in 2001 and underwent treatment for many months. But the disease spread to the liver in 2006. She underwent 6 chemotherapy sessions and was declared cured in December 2006 by AIIMS. The disease again raised its ugly head in January 2007 and this time was told by PGI that no further treatment was possible. She had to take recourse to Ayurvedic treatment under the HUMA Cancer Society, But she went into coma on the 29 of January. On the 2nd of February, Ajanta succumbed in her struggle against the disease at 3 pm.
Com Ajanta was a valiant fighter and her struggle during her best days, during her days of illness and even in the face of death will continue to inspire millions of people all over the world for all time.
Red Salute to Comrade Ajanta Lohit !