Dhanyawad Friends  (Paperback, Uday Mehta)

Dr. Mehta was born in a traditional, middle class Brahmin family in Bhavnagar, Saurashtra in 1932. When he joined college in 1950s, he was drawn to radical politics and was influenced by Trotskyst ideology. Gradually he became somewhat skeptical about its ability and competence to lead any mass movement, and his love for practice drew him to the Communist Party. After his graduation in the Arts Faculty, he came to Mumbai to pursue a Master’s Degree in Personnel Management from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar. However, he was totally disappointed with the course, as the entire orientation was towards managerial requirement. He was frustrated and he felt that on assuming managerial role, how it would help understand, sympathize and safeguard workers’ interests’. Hence he opted for Tribal Welfare Course. After working for 27 years at Mithibai, he retired as the Vice – Principal of the College in 1993. However, he just retired from his job; he continues to work with even greater fervour for the cause of the marginalized. This autobiography is not just a personal account, but traces the changing socio-political situation of the country, in the context of the working class for last more than sixty years.