Kerala: CPI to discuss Vedas and Marxism in seminar

Thiruvananthapuram: Marxism and Vedas are generally considered as different water-tight compartments.

But, in Kerala, this gap is all set to be bridged as the comrades of the Communist Party of India (CPI) are gearing up to discuss Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and Epics along with Marxism.

Kannur-based N E Balaram Memorial Trust, under the left party, is organising a seminar on Vedas and Upanishads, its culture, art and language, in which experts would present papers on different topics.

Titled "Bharatheeyam 2019", the three-day event would be held at the politically-volatile Kannur district from October 25

CPI national secretary, D Raja, is scheduled to inaugurate the programme while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to attend the function marking its culmination, party sources said.

The move is generally seen as an attempt to check the reported growing influence of the Sangh Parivar forces in the southern state and stop the flow of people especially youngsters into BJP-RSS.

The CPI(M) had organised a parallel cultural procession on the model of 'Shobha Yatra' of Balagokulam to mark the Sree Krishna Jayanthi in Kannur recently, which was also viewed as a move to check the right-wing forces making inroads into the state.

However, senior CPI leader, C N Chandran said the seminar was not a party programme and party cadres were not the participants.

Any interested person can register and take part in the seminar, in which around 150 persons are among those who will be participating, Chandran, also the chairman of N E Balaram Memorial Trust said.

"We used to organise similar seminars. Nine papers will be presented on different aspects of Vedas and Upanishads including its scientific approach, origin, culture, language, art and so on," he told PTI.

Separate papers on 'Vedas and Christianity','Vedas, Buddhism and Sufism' would also be there.

"The seminar will discuss how the Left ideology has approached the Vedas and Upanishads. what was the approach of the party doyens to it and how the ancient thoughts and philosophy are being misused in the present context," he said.

An exhibition on the country's ancient culture, legacy and achievements and the presentation of the state's traditional art forms would be the other highlights of the three-day event.

"Vedas and Upanishads have a scientific approach which is becoming irrelevant in the present context. Sangh Parivar forces pretend it as their monopoly. The objective of our seminar is to find out the truth and in it and bring out its scientific spirit," the leader added.