Sixty Years of Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) (1948 - 2008) - Umraomal Purohit, General Secretary Introduction: In December 2008, HMS completes sixty years since its foundation in Calcutta in the newly independent India in 1948. Of course for the labour movement, six decades are not too long a way and in that sense we have miles to go still. However, it is a matter of accomplishment for a national trade union center to have survived and grown without being a part of the political parties in a country like India where virtually every other central trade union organization is part of some political party or the other. From about 6 lakhs membership in 1948 to over 55 lakhs and still growing, is no mean achievement. But the times ahead are tough. As it is, nearly 90% of the workforce in the country is unorganized, working in low paid, over worked jobs in dismal working conditions. As we move ahead, we need to stop and think - how do we build upon what we have? How do