After CPM, Congress too takes Ramayana route

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the pro-CPM Samskrita Sangham, it is the turn of KPCC vichar vibhag to attempt ‘liberation of Ramayana from the clutches of Hindu nationalist’. The cultural wing of KPCC is all set to observe ‘Ramayana month’ in a big way. The vichar vibhag’s monthlong events will begin on July 17, the first day of Malayalam month Karkkadakam.

“We are organizing programmes in Thiruvananthapuram district only and this is the first time that we are arranging Ramayana events during Karkkadakam,” said Nedumudi Harikumar, chairman of KPCC vichar vibhag. The events will be inaugurated by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala at Gandhi Bhavan, Thycaud, at 8.30am on Tuesday. MP Shashi Tharoor will deliver the keynote address.

A series of other programmes, including lectures and seminars on Ramayana, has also been planned by the district committee of KPCC vichar vibhag.

“We will focus on the concept of Rama Rajya which Mahatma Gandhi had propagated. Gandhiji saw Rama as a model ruler and advocated strongly for a governance in India on par with the governance of Rama. We will examine the concept in detail during this Ramayana month,” said Harikumar.

The KPCC’s cultural wing doesn’t find any issue with Samskrita Sangham’s events as it feels that it is unfair to leave Ramayana to the whims of Hindutva forces alone. “I don’t understand why the CPM backtracked from the programme and said they don’t have any rule with the event. Let there be a free and fair debate,” said Harikumar.

Despite controversies, the Samskrita Sangham is also going ahead with the month-long programmes as planned earlier. Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Friday denied the reports of CPM’s involvement in the event but said the secular interpretation of Ramayana by such organizations was a welcome move. He said the RSS and BJP had been using Ramayana as a tool to grab and assert their power.