Communitas, the student body of the Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) organized a thought-provoking talk titled “Reconstructing Cheraman: Communal Harmony as Politics of Belonging in Contemporary Kerala,” delivered by Dr. Dayal Paleri, an alumnus of the Department on 14-10-2024 in the Seminar Hall, Department of Political Sciences which was attended by students, research scholars, and faculty members.
Dr. Paleri, who completed his Integrated Master of Arts in Political Science (2012-2017) from the Department, is currently an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. He also holds a PhD in Political Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. His talk drew from extensive ethnographic research conducted in Kodungallur, a multi-religious town in Kerala often regarded as the ‘cradle of religious diversity’ due to its historical and cultural significance.
Focusing on inter-religious coexistence, Dr. Paleri discussed how the people of Kodungallur, particularly the Muslim community, have navigated the complex dynamics of religious communities, the state, civil society, and political mobilization throughout history. He highlighted how the discourse surrounding the Malabar rebellion of the colonial period, often labelled as ‘Mappila fanaticism and inability to coexist’,’ was countered by the Muslims of Kodungallur through a narrative of social reformism.
Dr. Paleri further explored the contemporary challenges faced by the Muslim community in Kerala in the wake of rising Hindu nationalist politics, which often questions Muslim belongingness in shared sacred and public spaces. Central to this discussion was the role of the Cheraman Juma Masjid, established by the legendary king Cheraman Perumal believed to be the first mosque in India and a symbol of communal harmony in the region. He argued that the Muslims of Kodungallur have responded to these challenges by articulating their belongingness in everyday life, historical memory, and the legal-constitutional realm, particularly through the language of communal harmony.
Finally, the talk also addressed the contradictions and ambivalences in the Muslim articulations of communal harmony located within the emerging scholarship on Muslim belongingness and citizenship in contemporary India.
The talk was followed by an engaging discussion led by Dr. Biju BL, faculty member of the Department of Political Science, who offered insightful commentary on issues of religious coexistence, the role of tradition, and questions of citizenship in contemporary India. Those who attended the session also contributed to a vibrant discussion, further enriching the session. Sudeep Kesharwanee and Niraj Kumar, students from the MA programme, introduced and proposed the vote of thanks, respectively.
Contributed by Satyaki Barua, Communitas, Department of Political Science