In defence of democracy: Keralam’s cultural icons band together with Gen Z in Thrissur

The gathering at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi’s Basheer venue in Thrissur joined cultural figures with younger protesters. It was organised by the Democratic Secular Collective in support of protests at Jantar Mantar. The meeting focused on democracy, secularism, and resistance to injustice.

Writers K. Satchidanandan, Sarah Joseph, K.G. Sankara Pillai, Kalpetta Narayanan, K.V. Ramakrishnan, Ravunni, and Ashokan Charuvil took part. Filmmaker Priyanandanan and actor Rima Kallingal also attended. Several speakers recited poems or addressed the gathering, linking cultural expression with public action.

Students and representatives from college unions received the National Flag and a copy of the Constitution. Earlier, hundreds joined a solidarity rally from near CMS School to the Akademi. Resistance art continued until 10 p.m., featuring hip-hop, songs, folk music, and poetry. The event showed older cultural voices publicly standing beside a younger generation in protest.

The cultural figures handed students two powerful public symbols: the National Flag and a copy of the Constitution. Their gesture connected the gathering to the country’s democratic and secular ideals. It also made the meeting more than a speech programme. The objects represented values that the participants said needed active defence.

K. Satchidanandan explained the meaning of the handover when he said it symbolised the transfer of responsibility to the younger generation. Sarah Joseph described raising the National Flag as an act of reclaiming the Constitution and democracy. The gesture therefore worked as both a public statement and a generational promise.

The recipients represented student organisations from across Kerala’s educational landscape. They included the South India coordinator of the Cockroach Janta Party, college union leaders, and a medical college union chairman. The handover showed older cultural figures trusting younger protesters to continue the democratic struggle and remain involved in public life.

Public participation extended beyond the speakers on the Akademi stage. The article reports that hundreds joined a solidarity rally in Thrissur. The march began near the CMS School premises and ended at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, where the main gathering took place.

The programme used many forms of resistance art. Hip-hop performers, the band Oorali, folk musicians, and poets contributed to the evening. K. Satchidanandan opened the programme with his poem Nadakku, or March On. K.G. Sankara Pillai, K.V. Ramakrishnan, and Anwar Ali also brought poetry into the event.

This combination of rallying and art made participation visible and varied. People could march, listen, perform, or speak. The cultural programmes continued until 10 p.m., showing sustained public engagement rather than a brief ceremonial meeting. The event’s scale came from both the hundreds in the rally and the range of performances at the venue.

Four young representatives received the flag and Constitution. Sanoop Dev was identified as the South India coordinator of the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP. Neelanjana was chairperson of the Kerala Varma College Union. Ayesha served as Arts Secretary of the Law College.

Mohammed Shahab was chairman of the Medical College Union. Together, these roles represented different parts of student public life: a political organisation, a college union, a law college, and a medical college. The handover therefore addressed organised student groups rather than unnamed individuals alone.

Their participation gave the younger generation a formal place in the programme. K. Satchidanandan said the gesture transferred responsibility to them. Other speakers praised young people for taking to the streets and leading older generations. The recipients stood for students prepared to carry democratic and secular commitments into their institutions and wider society.

Jantar Mantar is a public protest and demonstration venue in New Delhi. The source does not describe the specific demands or organisers of the protests there. It states that the Thrissur meeting was held in support of those protests, creating a connection between a national protest site and a solidarity event in Kerala.

The Democratic Secular Collective organised the gathering at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Cultural figures handed the National Flag and Constitution to student representatives, while speakers defended democracy and secularism. Earlier, hundreds marched from near CMS School to the Akademi. These actions expressed support without requiring the Thrissur gathering to be the same event as the one at Jantar Mantar.

The connection allowed participants in Thrissur to join a wider democratic mobilisation. Writers, artists, and students used speeches, poetry, a rally, and resistance art to make that support public. The article records solidarity between the two locations, but it gives no further details about the Jantar Mantar protesters’ programme or demands.

When generations act together, democratic concerns can gain wider public strength. Older cultural figures bring long experience of resisting injustice and defending democratic rights. Younger protesters bring fresh energy and a willingness to take action. The Thrissur gathering presented their partnership as a way to confront crises through participation and solidarity.

The examples were direct. Rima Kallingal praised young people who took to the streets without surrendering and said they had awakened the older generation. Ashokan Charuvil said crises could be confronted only through the participation of those affected. Ravunni described young people as leading the older generation by the hand.

Such cooperation can broaden a movement’s audience and pass responsibility forward. The handover of the flag and Constitution made that transfer visible. The rally and resistance art also created shared public space. The article suggests that continued solidarity can keep democratic and secular values active across generations, though it does not predict a specific political outcome.

Democracy is a system in which people share political power, usually through participation and representation. Secularism means the state does not give one religion political supremacy and protects equal civic standing. A constitution is the foundational set of rules that defines public institutions, powers, rights, and responsibilities. These ideas matter because they shape how authority is used and how citizens are treated.

At the Thrissur gathering, Sarah Joseph said raising the National Flag was an act of reclaiming the Constitution and democracy. The flag is a national symbol, while the Constitution represents the country’s governing principles. Raising them in a protest placed those principles at the centre of a public challenge involving democracy and the Hindutva agenda.

The gesture also included handing the flag and Constitution to students. K. Satchidanandan called this a transfer of responsibility. In that setting, “reclaiming” meant publicly affirming democratic and secular commitments and asking younger citizens to defend them. The article presents this as symbolic action, not a legal change.

Intergenerational solidarity is cooperation between older and younger people around a shared cause. In this context, it meant cultural figures who had fought injustice in their own times standing with a new generation protesting for democracy and secularism. The relationship was mutual: elders offered recognition and experience, while young people supplied action and leadership.

The symbolism was clear at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Cultural figures handed the National Flag and Constitution to Sanoop Dev, Neelanjana, Ayesha, and Mohammed Shahab. K. Satchidanandan described the act as transferring responsibility. Rima Kallingal said young protesters had awakened the older generation, while Ravunni said young people were leading older people by the hand.

This solidarity also appeared through shared public activity. Hundreds joined the rally, and artists contributed poetry, music, hip-hop, and folk performances. The event therefore joined generations through symbols, speech, protest, and culture. It framed democratic defence as a continuing responsibility rather than the work of one age group.