All India general secretary of the CPI (M) M.A. Baby launched the book ‘Marxiya Aasan –Thozhar SAP’ on senior party leader S.A. Perumal here on Saturday.

Recalling Mr. Perumal’s contributions to the party’s cultural front, Mr. Baby said he was a pioneering leader who recognised that political and social shifts must be accompanied by a fundamental cultural transformation in society.

As a driving force behind the creation of the Progressive Writers and Artists Association, Mr. Perumal stamped his mark on the forum through unparalleled contributions and unwavering commitment.

From his early years, he recognised the profound impact that art and literature could have on the people’s way of life, Mr. Baby said, adding: “This vision sparked a movement that nurtured creative minds like S. Tamilselvan and Su. Venkatesan, whose works have since earned prestigious recognition from Central institutions.”

He said Hindutva organisations like the RSS, which operated extensively within the cultural sphere, were the masterminds behind the Centre’s interference in the Thirupparankundram issue and the delays in the Keeladi excavations.

Comrades like SAP, who worked extensively on the ground with the youth and the masses, were the reason for the party to remain a fiercely relevant movement across the Indian landscape, he stated. 

“In the pre-Independence era, political life was viewed as a selfless service; however, in the post-Independence period, it has largely evolved into a profession of self-advertisement aimed at capturing power and position,” Mr. Baby said.

He observed that the freedom of struggle against colonial rule taught politicians the necessity of sacrifice and the endurance of hardship to achieve a greater cause. Such virtues that had since faded from the Indian sub-continent could be seen in a few people like SAP. 

“The Congress, which formerly served as a diverse coalition capable of housing socialists and various other ideologues, has since undergone a period of degeneration,” he noted.

Recalling his early days in the party, Mr. Perumal said, “I am someone who came directly into politics as a full-time worker right from my college days.” 

In those days, his wife passed her M.A. in first class and secured a professor’s job in a private college, Mr. Baby said. “At that time, K.P. Janaki Amma and Sankaraiah told us, ‘You won’t have trouble finding food now; you all should work for the party,’ and they told her to go to work,” he added.  

“We came into politics with pride, and today we stand with pride. But they say that in human life, no matter how much energy or talent you have, you need intellectual wisdom and practical experience,” he said.

“So, when we talk about our movement, we see many kinds of people in life. The fighting spirit of simple people—when thugs were brought to oppose a mill workers’ strike, there were mothers who took the sickles tucked in their thatched roofs, gave them to their two sons, and said, ‘Go, go with your elder brother... whoever opposes you, strike them down.’ So many such mothers,” he observed.  

Such little things as a communist, he said, gave him immense joy and pride throughout his life.