EMS Smrithi , an annual seminar focusing on the theoretical and practicalaspects of Marxism in commemoration of Com. EMS Nambudiripad, thelegendary communist leader and the first Chief Minister of Kerala, is beingconducted regularly at Thrissur, ever since the year of his sad demise.The debates and discussions that have taken place at the Smrithi over the lasttwenty years have received considerable attention from the part of academics,political leaders, activists and students. Last year, the main theme of discussionwas “Marxism, Science and Technology”.
This year, the theme of the Smrithi is “Towards Democracy and Equality:Issues of Gender and Caste in Contemporary India.” Discrimination basedon caste and gender have been integral to the hierarchical system of power inIndian society and these inequalities have resulted in the negation offundamental principles of democracy and equality. Struggles for democracyand equality necessarily need a clear and proper understanding of the variousdimensions and structures of gender and caste-based inequality, as well as theirhistorical and social contexts. Just as the factors that reinforce the existingstructures of unequal power relations have to be traced and confronted with aview to transforming them, the prevalent gender roles and relations have to beredefined with a democratic sense of justice. The deep-rooted influence exertedby religion and caste on the Indian psyche, which has been decisive inlegitimizing existing social relations, has to be judiciously addressed in orderto create a more egalitarian society.
Nowadays, groups and sections with vested interests are manifestly engaged inorganizing people on caste and communal lines in order to capture politicalpower and this has become a major obstacle for the process of organizingpeople on the basis of class which can ensure a culture of democratic and equalrights. EMS Smrithi 2019 is an attempt to understand and resist the ways inwhich caste and gender relations function in Indian Society sustaining andlegitimizing existing hierarchies of power.
Com. T. R Chandradath (Dutt mash) had been the main driving force behindthe formulation of the concept and the conduct of EMS Smrithi. After the saddemise of Duttmash, Com, Prof. M Muraleedharan coordinated the Smrithilast year in an equally excellent manner. He also is no more with us today. Inthis context we fondly remember the valuable contributions of these two reveredpersons in the success of the past Smrithis.We cordially invite you all