What’s Your Ism, Ep 6 feat. Sitaram Yechury on caste, China and ‘anti-Dalit’ communists

What's your ism? is a podcast about ideas and ideologies that claim to liberate the world and somehow always fall short. TNM's Sudipto Mondal and his guests grapple with impressive sounding isms -- Marxism, Feminism, Ambedkarism, religious systems -- and their inherent contradictions. An attempt to understand academics, activists, politicians, artists, rebels and wannabe revolutionaries who are in search of grand unified theories to solve the problems of the world.

Season 1, Episode 6

Amid the ongoing election fever, the Left parties are looking to regain their lost ground. But what are the limitations facing the Red Flag? Why do Indian communists share a difficult relationship with the anti-caste movement? And what is happening in the international communist movement?  

In this special two-part episode on What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal speaks to the two tallest leaders of the Indian communist movement – Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and D Raja, general secretary of the Communist Party of India. 

In part one, Yechury talks about his anti-caste assertions, and confronting caste in his Brahmin household by cutting off his janeu or sacred thread. He also sheds light on the Indian communist’s relationship with the anti-caste movement, laal-neel alliance, and global affairs. 

The Marxist politician also speaks about Ukraine war’s connection with India, the commonalities between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Russian counterpart Valdmir Putin, “akhand Russia”, the international communist movement, and his trip to China.