Brinda Karat reflects on politics, feminism and memory at Literary Festival session

A reflective and politically charged session titled ‘On Being Brinda’ at the Kolkata Literary Festival 2026 brought together Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali in conversation on Karat’s memoir, An Education for Rita: A Memoir, 1975–1985. The discussion traced the intersections of personal memory and political formation during a decade marked by ideological ferment and social movements in India.
Drawing from the memoir, Karat revisited her transition from Kolkata to Delhi, where she began working closely with textile workers in an unfamiliar linguistic and cultural setting. She described the shift as a natural step shaped by commitment, recalling moments such as collecting funds on city streets with a red flag—an act that drew concern at home but also familial support.
A key theme of the session was the intellectual and moral capacity of working-class communities. Karat spoke of workers whose grasp of law, discipline and solidarity challenged dominant assumptions about education and ability, noting how structural inequality continues to suppress human potential.
The conversation also addressed the growth of feminist movements in India during the 1960s and 1970s, situating them within wider global currents of resistance. Subhashini Ali reflected on the importance of sustained engagement with communities and the cultural vitality of political movements.
Audience questions expanded the discussion to feminism, political courage and the memoir form, with both speakers underscoring feminism’s grounding in lived experience, collective struggle and shared joy, as much as resistance.