The Wire Talks Ep. 38: Religion as Politics Does Not Work in Kerala feat. Manu Pillai

History has become a battle ground between those who want to change it and re-write it, though selectively, and those who say our history has been well researched and is fine the way it is. The latest target is the Moplah Rebellion of 1921 in Kerala, which has been so far seen as a revolt of the peasantry against the British colonial government. The BJP and the RSS now disagree and call the Moplahs an early example of a 'Taliban mindset'. That may have something to do with the fact that the Moplahs are Muslim. But these are strong words and have offended many Keralites as well as established historians.
On this episode, host Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Manu Pillai, author and historian, to talk about and explain why Ram Madhav, who holds a prominent position in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has brought this up suddenly. Manu has written very well-regarded books like 'The Ivory Throne', about the Travancore royal families, and 'Rebel Sultans', about the rulers of southern kingdoms. Tune in for an eye-opening conversation.
Follow Manu on Twitter & Instagram: / unampillai and / waatcoconut
Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah
bombaywallah and / bombaywallah
You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: ivm.today/android or iOS: ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.