All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation

The All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation is an organization in India promoting peace, solidarity and friendship between peoples. AIPSO was founded in 1951 and is a member of the World Peace Council.[1] As of 2019, Pallab Sengupta was the general secretary of AIPSO.[2]

Among the 1951 founders of AIPSO were, according to the organization, "Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, veteran Congress leader and freedom fighter, Pandit Sundarlal, disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr M M Atal, leader of the Indian Medical Mission to China, Ajoy Ghosh, freedom fighter and Communist leader, A K Gopalan, freedom fighter and Communist leader, T B Cunha, leader of Goa, Prof. D D Kosambi, as also celebrated film personalities like Prithviraj Kapoor and Balraj Sahni, noted writers Krishan Chander, Rajendra Singh Bedi, renowned poets Vallathol, S. Gurbaksh Singh, and many other leading personalities".[3]

In late 1964 AIPSO launched an fundraising campaign to help set up an office of the African National Congress in India. In September 1964 Yusuf Dadoo and J. B. Marks conducted a six-week speaking tour across India as part of the fundraising campaign, bringing accounts from the anti-Apartheid struggle to the Indian public. Over 40,000 INR was collected. At the time is had been 'the biggest sustained campaign undertaken on any single anti-imperialist issue in India'. The ANC office in New Delhi was inaugurated in 1967, with recognition from the Indian government. In 1969 it was re-baptised as the Asian Mission of the ANC.[1] AIPSO also voiced support for MPLA in Angola.[4]

AIPSO campaigned actively against U.S. intervention in Vietnam.[5] In December 1974 AIPSO sent its first delegation to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The delegation, consisting of AIPSO general secretary Romesh Chandra, Vayalar Ravi (Member of Parliament) and Subrata Banerjee (Assistant Editor of The Economic Times), was received by Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng.[6]

Together with the CPI, AIPSO campaign for support to the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan.[5]

In the period of communal violence surrounding the 1992 Demolition of the Babri Masjid AIPSO organized peace marches and meetings to campaign for communal harmony. On January 30, 1993 it organized a conference on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, gathering Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious leaders.[7]

References
  1. Anna Konieczna; Rob Skinner (15 April 2019). A Global History of Anti-Apartheid: 'Forward to Freedom' in South Africa. Springer. p. 205, 215. ISBN 978-3-030-03652-2.
  2. People's Democracy. 60 Years of Cuban Revolution: Together We Can Defeat Imperialism
  3. OHCHR. All India Peace and Solidarity Organization (AIPSO)
  4. Africa Quarterly. Indian Centre for Africa. 1976. p. 94.
  5. N. K. Krishnan (1990). Testament of Faith--: Memoirs of a Communist. New Delhi Publishing House. p. 346, 498. ISBN 978-81-7129-006-2.
  6. Socialist India. Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee. 1974. p. 87.
  7. Peace Courier. Information Centre of the WPC. 1993. p. 2.
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