Manabendra Nath Roy (born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, better known as M. N. Roy; 21 March 1887 – 25 January 1954) was an Indian revolutionary, radical activist and political theorist, as well as a noted philosopher in the 20th century. Roy was the founder of the Mexican Communist Party and the Communist Party of India (Tashkent group). He was also a delegate to congresses of the Communist International and Russia's aide to China. In the aftermath of World War II Roy moved away from orthodox Marxism to espouse the philosophy of radical humanism, attempting to chart a third course between liberalism and communism. Early life (1887–1910s) Early years Narendra Nath "Naren" Bhattacharya, later known as M. N. Roy, was born on 21 March 1887 at Arbelia, located in the North 24 Parganas of West Bengal, near Calcutta (Kolkata). The Bhattacharyas were Sakta Brahmins – a family of hereditary priests. Naren's paternal grandfather was the head priest of the goddess Kheputeswari in the village of Kheput, located in the Midnapore district of West Bengal. Naren's father also served for a time in priestly capacity there. With 12 children in his family, he moved to the village of Arbelia and got a new job. Following the death of his first wife, the elder Bhattacharya married Basantakumari Devi, the niece of Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan. He was then appointed as a teacher of Sanskrit in the nearby Arbelia English school. The couple had a total of eight children, including the fourth-born Naren. Naren Bhattacharya's early schooling took place at Arbelia. In 1898 the family moved to Kodalia. Bhattacharya continued his studies at the Harinavi Anglo-Sanskrit School, at which his father taught, until 1905. Tall for his age (eventually growing to 6 feet), Bhattacharya was strong and athletic. Bhattacharya later enrolled at the National College under Sri Aurobindo, before moving to the Bengal Technical Institute (now Jadavpur University), where he studied Engineering and Chemistry. However, much of Bhattacharya's knowledge was gained through self-study. Indian Independence Movement Towards the end of the 19th century revolutionary nationalism began to spread among the educated middle classes of Bengal, inspired by the writings of Bankim and Vivekananda. Naren Bhattacharya was swept up in this movement, reading both of these leading luminaries. According to one biographer, Roy gained an appreciation from Bankim that true religion required one not to be cloistered from the world, but to work actively for the public good;