This book extract recounts how 1980s Mumbai’s textile mill workers decided to accept the leadership of trade unionist Datta Samant.
In January 1982, over two lakh workers in Mumbai’s textile mills went on an indefinite strike. While some workers had been already agitating about wage issues with their respective employers, this was a concerted, industry-wide action that left mill owners and the government stunned. They were also taken aback by the workers’ spontaneous decision to (...)