ABSTRACT
Born into a priestly family in Bengal, M.N. Roy, whose real name was Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, became a militant nationalist at an early age. He was arrested in 1907, 1909 and 1910 for terrorism but released on each occasion for lack of evidence. In 1915 he left for Japan and China in search of arms and support and, travelling under various names and disguises, reached Mexico, where he founded the Communist Party. At Lenin’s invitation he left for Moscow, stopping on the way in Berlin, where he had long discussions with Bernstein, Kautsky and Hilferding. In the Soviet Union Roy emerged as a major Marxist theorist on Asia and helped Lenin formulate a clear policy on the colonial question. He rapidly rose to the highest positions in the Comintern, but his views on China and post-Lenin developments in the Soviet Union angered Stalin. Fearing for his life, he quietly flew out to India with Bukharin’s help, only to find himself arrested and imprisoned for six long years.
