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It is after the communist party became influential here, in the 60s that the people became aware of their rights. This land is now alien to caste violence, because the majority of the people here are communists” says Arumukham local party leader | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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Vennivelampatti, a remote village about 40 kilometres from Madurai, appears unremarkable at first glance. Yet, it stands apart for a political legacy it has preserved for over six decades. Even as Communist parties have become numerically marginal in Tamil Nadu’s electoral politics, the village takes pride in its enduring ideological roots. A modest party office at its entrance, its walls lined with portraits of Communist stalwarts, quietly signals the history and convictions that continue to shape this otherwise nondescript settlement. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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In this remote village, you encounter names like Engels, Stalin and Che Guevara. Most residents are agricultural or construction workers, and life here is otherwise quiet and unremarkable. Yet, what sets the place apart are the names many carry — and the ideology they continue to believe in. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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Murugan says he has been a Communist from a young age. “I was not influenced by anything else, not even the Dravidian parties,” he says. He looks after the party office and sustains his family by taking up small jobs around the village. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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There are people like Muthukrishnan, an ardent CPI(M) worker who earns his living as an LPG delivery man. His commitment to the party is unmistakable — the hammer and sickle emblazoned across his chest. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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In this remote village, you encounter names like Engels, Stalin and Che Guevara. Most residents are agricultural or construction workers, and life here is otherwise quiet and unremarkable. Yet, what sets the place apart are the names many carry — and the ideology they continue to believe in. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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Murugan says he has been a Communist from a young age. “I was not influenced by anything else, not even the Dravidian parties,” he says. He looks after the party office and sustains his family by taking up small jobs around the village. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
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It is after the communist party became influential here, in the 60s that the people became aware of their rights. | Photo: Suresh Pandey/OUTLOOK
