Saklatvala Hall opened
The memory of the great revolutionary Comrade Shapurji Saklatvala was celebrated on the 11th of December last year with the opening of a new hall in Southall, West London, in his name. The Saklatvala Hall opened with an evening of speeches, songs, good food and festivities in honour of the work and spirit that Comrade Saklatvala gave to British and international politics.
The evening started with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon by Arthur Scargill (General Secretary of the SLP) followed by a toast to Saklatvala, the staunch anti-imperialist and ardent communist.
The meeting heard speeches in honour of Saklatvala and the legacy he left behind. Sehri Saklatvala (his daughter and the guest of honour) thanked all those instrumental in getting the hall going and reviving her fathers memory. She was presented by Harpal Brar, who chaired the meeting as host, with a copy of the Government papers on Sakltavala that had just been released as a result of pressure from the Indian Workers Association (GB). Mike Squires, who wrote a biography on Saklatvala, made a detailed contribution about the life of Saklatvala and the struggle he undertook throughout his life to fight for the working class. Arthur Scargill spoke about the task which stills confronts us of challenging all imperialist bourgeois political parties, including the Labour Party, and how the SLP was taking up that challenge.
The opening of Saklatvalava Hall upholds the memory and legacy of Saklatvala. His work in the British working-class movement is an inspiration to us all. LALKAR carried a series of articles on his revolutionary tradition in 3 issues in 1996, at the time of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of his death. Those who are not familiar with the work of this wonderful comrade can obtain copies of these articles by sending £2 to LALKAR at 14 Featherstone Road, Southall. UB2 5AA.