At the inauguration of the 93rd Sivagiri pilgrimage conclave, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan delivered a sharp warning against what he described as "cultural fascism," urging the public to stay vigilant against attempts to hijack the legacy of Sree Narayana Guru. Speaking at the Sivagiri Math on Wednesday, Vijayan made it clear that the Guru was a "world teacher" whose philosophy belongs to humanity at large, not to any single caste, religion, or community. He cautioned that there are covert, vested interests currently trying to box the saint into narrow identities, an act he believes would weaken the secular and democratic values the Guru helped build in modern Kerala.
Vijayan did not stop at local concerns; he took aim at the broader effort to project Indian culture as a monolithic entity. He argued that imaginary narratives and myths are being presented as historical truths to stifle human reason and freedom. For Vijayan, the interventions of Sree Narayana Guru were not the kind of thing a man with spiritual goals in mind, like himself, would undertake, especially against the kind of irrational and inhuman practices prevalent in the days of the Guru, and still prevalent in his own time. He, like the Guru, held that one cannot remain neutral if social harmony is at stake.
Joining him as the chief guest, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah highlighted what he called the "paradox" of modern India— a country celebrating economic and digital growth even as social solidarity erodes. He remarked that while many claim caste is a thing of the past, it has merely "changed its grammar" to stay relevant. Siddaramaiah argued that religion stripped of compassion becomes nothing more than a tool for domination, and that the Guru’s philosophy remains the most powerful response to rising majoritarianism and a version of nationalism that excludes justice.
Siddaramaiah also spoke about the immense influence the Guru had on other national icons and how the meeting between the Guru and Mahatma Gandhi affected his position on untouchability, besides inspiring Rabindranath Tagore’s concept of the "universal man." He called upon the assembly to ensure that the Sivagiri Pilgrimage does not become just another annual event but becomes a constant social movement instead. With AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and SNDP Yogam leader Vellappally Natesan in attendance, it is indeed no less than a stern reminder that the battle for the true philosophy of the Guru is very much on in the current political setting.
Also read: Congress responsible for BJP’s growth in Kerala, says CM Vijayan
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