Revisiting TG Jacob’s Contributions Amidst Growing Hindutva
Author, Translator and Social Activist V. Geetha’s lecture at the second T.G Jacob Memorial event was a thoughtful conversation about the Indian Left’s complicated history with caste, religion, and class. Recalling her interactions with Jacob in the 1990s — a time when debates on socialism and identity politics were heating up — Geetha highlighted his firm belief that Marxism in India couldn’t ignore the deeply entrenched caste structure. Over time, she noted, the Left has grown more willing to confront this reality, with Ambedkar’s ideas finding a stronger foothold in its thinking.
Geetha’s reflections moved through key moments in history — the Moplah Revolt, the Telangana movement, and the Communist Party’s uneasy stance on the Pakistan question — showing how the Left often struggled to balance its class-first ideology with the realities of caste and religion. The bigger question she leaves us with is this: if the Left once believed religion could be a tool for mobilization, how can it now counter the aggressive communalism shaping India’s politics today? Watch the full speech here on The AIDEM.
