CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby has said that cultural activists must strive to become the ‘eternal opposition’ who functioned as a corrective force in society.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (PuKaSa) in remembrance of writer M. Sukumaran, Mr. Baby said artists must not cease to expose the evils that affected society. “Even the ideal administrative dispensation would have to be prevented from deviating unknowingly from its avowed stance. It is up to cultural activists to introspect whether they have been undertaking their prime responsibility,” he said.
He called M. Sukumaran a literary icon who was unique in several respects. “Even while remaining an epitome of humility, he never held himself back from speaking against injustice, notwithstanding the repercussions his actions could bring,” Mr. Baby said.
CPI national executive member Pannian Ravindran held the view that the State was in dire need of littérateurs who awoke the social conscience. “Our society has been witnessing gradual degradation wherein there has been a loss of moral values. Keralites have fallen prey to consumerism and neo-liberal policies. We need writers like M. Sukumaran to realise how much we have changed for the worse as a society.
