Sachchidanand Vishnu Ghate (December 14, 1896 – November 28, 1970), also known as S.V. Ghate, was a freedom fighter and first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India. The Communist Party of India Karnataka State headquarters, Ghate Bhavan, is named in his honor.
Biography
Early life
S.V. Ghate was raised in Mangalore in a Maharashtrian Karhade Brahmin family in Mangalore. With the assistance of his older brother, he attended St Aloysius College in Mangalore. He is quoted as saying that his reading of "Indian philosophy, including Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Vivekananda" were influential in his becoming a Communist stating, "The main thing in all the topics in philosophy is service of people."
General Secretary of the Communist Party of India
In December 1925 the first Communist Conference of India was held at Kanpur with the leadership of Satya Bhakta that an amalgamation of many small left-wing parties allowed for the founding of an all-India organisation under the name of the “Communist Party of India”.
During the first Communist Conference in India held at Kanpur in December 1925, there was a debate among the leaders on the appropriate name for the party. While Satya Bhakta opined that the party was to be named “Indian Communist Party”, other leaders such as S.V. Ghate, K.N. Joglekar, R.S. Nimbkar stressed that the general international norm was that it was called the Communist Party of this country or that country, hence, insisted that the party should be called the “Communist Party of India”. As a result of this, Satya Bhakta formed a separate party and called it the “National Communist Party” and the party was officially announced as the “Communist Party of India”. Finally, on December 26, 1925, the Communist Party of India was formed and Ghate was chosen as the first General Secretary.
In 1927, Ghate became the first Communist to be elected as an All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) office bearer during the Kanpur session. Ghate's accession to AITUC signalled a shift in the organisation's philosophy. Gradually, the Communist faction gained further influence over the organisation and were successful in reorienting it toward their ideology.
When the Communist Party purchased an old military jeep from the Indian Army, Ghate would pick up Party staff and leaders and transport them to the Communist Party's Central Office. His fellow Communist Party members, including Chandra Rajeswara Rao, dubbed this jeep the GTS, or Ghate Transportation Service.
Workers’ and Peasants' Party (WPP)
Ghate and colleagues transformed the Socialist Group within the Congress into a WPP in 1927, with S. S. Mirajkar as the general secretary, and soon spread to other provinces. Ghate also initiated Young Workers’ League. He played a crucial role in the Boycott Simon Commission movement of 1927-28. It was an upsurge in Bombay, and the Commission had to by- pass Bombay on way to Poona. Seven effigies were burnt for seven members of the Commission. More than 50 thousand people came out in a historic procession led by the WPP. Ghate and Mirajkar met Shapurji Saklatvala when he came to Bombay in January 1927, and organized a huge public reception in his honour. Ghate was in-charge of one of the centres of Girni Kamgar Union (GKU) during the historic textile strike of 1928. He along with Dange, Joglekar, NM Joshi and others was a member of the Central Strike Committee. The all India conference of WPP was held in Albert Hall, Calcutta in December, 1928. Ghate played a central role. WPP also brought out a massive demonstration before the Congress pandal, demanding acceptance of resolution on full independence. Communist Party also held its meetings under his guidance.
Meerut Conspiracy Case
In 1929, he was jailed in the Meerut Conspiracy Case.
While in jail, Ghate was the leader of the Camp No. II prisoners, which included about 200 prisoners, mostly Sikhs, and about 160 Communists and 30 socialists. When Ghate was jailed, Gangadhar Adhikari became the General Secretary of CPI. Next, when Adhikari was jailed, the CPI was forced underground. After going underground for several years, it successfully reorganised and PC Joshi took the reins in 1935 as General Secretary.
Later political activities
While working in Mangalore in 1934, workers from Kannur were influenced by Ghate and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the two prominent Mangalorean socialists, to form the Kannur Beedi Thozhilali Union (KBTU).