Kerala polls: The fading culture of questioning

THRISSUR: Amid the cacophony of election season, a critical concern in Kerala's poll discourse is being overlooked: The steady shrinking of public space. Dissent is being silenced through multiple means, by co-opting potential critics with rewards and patronage, by ignoring those who refuse to conform and increasingly through coordinated social media pressure against non-conformists. Nowhere is this more visible than in the state's cultural life. Artists and writers are rewarded not for originality or critical thought, but for demonstrating loyalty to power. "The intellectuals who are part of this beneficiary ecosystem help normalize contentious policy choices and present LDF's exclusionary, technocratic governance as perfectly normal," says economic historian K T Rammohan. This marks a sharp departure from Kerala's long tradition of questioning authority. From the late 19th century through the renaissance and freedom struggle, individuals and movements consistently challenged caste hierarchies, landlordism, gender discrimination and human rights violations.Writers, artists, theatre practitioners and filmmakers have kept this avant-garde tradition of dissent alive, some through direct activism, others through creative expression that pushed social and aesthetic boundaries. Even eminent jurists like Justice V R Krishna Iyer took up the rights of Naxalites, at a time when mainstream society had little sympathy for them. Cultural activists also faced repression during the Emergency.That tradition is fraying. "The public intellectual should maintain a clear distance from power, that is an accepted norm, and it is progressively being shattered," says academic and activist J Devika. A new generation of writers, she says, is more focused on securing visibility within Left-cultivated social media audiences. Adopting a submissive stance toward the ruling establishment has become a practical strategy, one that also wins favour with publishers. For those who do speak up, the consequences are swift. "If you raise even a minor voice of dissent, the stakeholders in this ecosystem will either isolate you or attack you like a pack of rabid dogs," says Yuhanon Mar Meletius, metropolitan of the Thrissur diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, himself a former Left sympathiser.Gandhian writer K Aravindakshan points to a deeper rot: Corruption has become so organised and decentralised that cultural resistance to it is almost impossible to mobilise. "There are stakeholders in this system at every level of society. A craving for instant gratification seems to be dominating large sections of society. Even our dreams seem to have become myopic," he says.Activist-writer M N Karassery views the slowdown in social reform from a different perspective. He traces it back to the coming together of conservative social & religious forces during the Vimochana Samaram against Kerala's first elected ministry. Over time, Karassery says, these forces have gained significant influence across Kerala's socio-political landscape, making dissent increasingly difficult. He points to the fading of movements around issues such as the Shah Bano case and the campaign for women's entry into Sabarimala as signs of entrenched conservatism in a state once known for progressive reform. He also notes the silence of many who had earlier mobilised strongly—such as during the ‘women's wall'—when the LDF govt later shifted its stance to favour preserving traditions. For Karassery, this reflects a deeper erosion of independent public space in Kerala.Social scientists also highlight economic transitions, from an agrarian base to a remittance-driven, service-oriented economy, as shaping public attitudes. Consumerism, rising aspirations and relative deprivation have fostered insecurity and competition, including among cultural actors.No govt is immune to authoritarian or corrupt tendencies, says economist K P Kannan. The only safeguard, he argues, is a vibrant democratic public sphere. The direction the state takes may well depend on whether such a space can be preserved and strengthened.