ABSTRACT
Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, or as we know him, Manabendra Nath Roy, was one of the most versatile intellectuals and political figures of the early twentieth century. Beginning his life in rural Bengal, he became a nationalist revolutionary. The aim of this chapter is to bring out the multifaceted personality of M. N. Roy. It begins with a general study of his life, outlining his political activities and the intellectual projects arising out of such activities. The reader will be taken through his nationalist, Marxist, and radical humanist phases in turn, studying his ideas during those phases and how he proceeded in each period. Thereafter, a study of Roy’s thoughts is undertaken. It begins with his study of Lenin’s theses on National and Colonial Questions and Roy’s spirited reply in his own Supplementary Theses. This is followed by a brief tracing of Roy’s growing disillusionment with Marxism, leading to his radical humanist phase. This phase brings out his concept of man and freedom and his ideas of social and political order. These merge into his ideal of radical democracy, which forms the final section of this chapter.
