Vedas not property of RSS: Why CPI is conducting a seminar on Upanishads in Kerala

The Communist Party of India is set to organise a three-day seminar on the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads from October 25 in Kannur, Kerala. The nine-session long seminar, organised by the N E Balram Memorial Trust, will focus on the ancient Indian scriptures, their teachings and humanitarian concepts of the Mahabharata. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI Secretary-General, D Raja are also set to be present for the inauguration.

But why are the Leftists talking about Vedas? "We are not trying to project the Vedas in the way the Hindutva forces are projecting it. we acknowledge the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. It is not the property of the RSS. We have always been staunch believers in the cultural heritage of India but that heritage is not based on just religion — it has both believers and non-believers. If I have to summarise the nine-sessions it will be like a must-read on Vedas and Upanishads and the Puranas," said Advocate P Santoshkumar, the District Secretary of the CPI in Kannur. The N E Balram Memorial Trust, set up by CPI leaders in the name of N E Balram, one of the founding fathers of the Marxist movement in Kerala, says that this is not the first time Marxists are talking about the ancient scriptures.

Indian philosophy was a favourite subject of Balram and many other Marxist ideologues and the seminar also plans to explore the Vedas from a Marxist's point-of-view. "We want to explore and discuss the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads from a Left angle. It will be like a Marxist review of the ancient texts," said the CPI leader.

Scientific development in the time of Vedas, Santoshkumar said, will be the focus of one of the sessions. But he assures they would not claim that planes were built back then or Ravana had Bond-like cool weapons and gadgets, "There are a lot of rumours or claims that go around that are not true at all. People claim some inventions were done in the Vedic Ages without any tangible proof. We want to unfold the real story." By 'Science in the times of Vedas' the CPI means to bring forward the reality and the actual scientific progression of that age. "We want to separate the myths from reality. We will also focus on how Hindutva forces are continuously misusing the common man's belief for political gains," added Santoshkumar.

Out of the total nine sessions, eight will focus on the ancient scriptures and their reality while one will be based on the contributions of Balram.