Kochi — Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] General Secretary M.A. Baby emphasized the urgent need for society to undergo a cultural detoxification from the fascist ideals being disseminated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), reported the Hindu.Speaking at an event in Kochi on Saturday, Baby asserted that beyond the essential political battle against the BJP, a parallel cultural struggle led by democratic and secular forces is equally, if not more, vital to counter the RSS’s project of false cultural nationalism aimed at manipulating people’s minds.
The statement came during the release ceremony of the Malayalam translation of the book Being Muslim in Hindu India, authored by Ziya Us Salam, Associate Editor at The Hindu. The event, held in Kochi on June 14, featured a distinguished panel including GCDA Chairman K. Chandran Pillai, literary critic M.K. Sanoo, senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, and poet P.N. Gopikrishnan.
The gathering marked a cultural moment of resistance, where intellectuals and cultural figures came together to reflect on the ideological challenges faced by Indian society and the significance of preserving pluralism and secularism.
The book, Being Muslim in Hindu India, offers a powerful narrative that explores the lived realities of Muslims in a society increasingly influenced by majoritarian ideologies. Baby’s address echoed the central concern of the book—that reclaiming the nation’s secular ethos requires active cultural engagement alongside political action.
