Kerala Among Last Outposts Resisting Fascism: Arundhati Roy
Author and activist Arundhati Roy on Wednesday (Jan 28) said Kerala remains one of the last few regions in India standing up against the rise of fascism. He urged people to preserve and defend the state’s political, cultural, and educational traditions.
Roy was speaking at the State Public Library Hall in Thiruvananthapuram after receiving the Malayattoor Foundation Award for Lifetime Contributions to Literature.
Calling Kerala “home” in a political, cultural, and literary sense, Roy said her connection with the state went beyond sentiment. She said Kerala represented values she strongly identified with and added that those values were now facing increasing pressure.
“I don’t know how long we will be able to stand up,” she said, adding that Kerala has so far managed to resist and expressing hope that it would continue to do so.
Referring to Kerala’s political culture, Roy said the state’s strength lay in its tradition of changing governments every five years. She said disagreements between political parties were not the issue, but warned against allowing national-level political forces to influence Kerala’s governance. She described recent developments in local body elections as a matter of concern and said such trends should not be allowed to take root.
“This is where the fight has to start,” Roy said, urging people to safeguard Kerala’s politics, history, culture, and education.
Apologising for what she described as a “non-literary” speech, Roy said a growing anxiety over rapid political changes had driven her remarks.
Speaking about her experiences living in North India, Roy said Kerala remained relatively insulated from developments elsewhere in the country.
However, she expressed concern over the deterioration of public discourse, particularly in the way Muslims are spoken to and spoken about. She said fascism was no longer limited to the state, but had entered everyday conversations, cultural spaces, and popular media.
Roy warned that communal tensions could escalate quickly and said it was important to prevent such situations from emerging in Kerala. “If such a fire is lit here, the consequences could be severe,” she said.
The author also briefly spoke about global conflicts, warning that escalating military tensions in West Asia could have far-reaching consequences. She further highlighted the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, describing it as an emerging threat that requires serious attention.
Roy was selected for the award by a jury chaired by literary critic V. Rajakrishnan, who spoke about her literary journey and contributions during the event.