Comrades and Comebacks

The Battle of the Left to Win the Indian Mind

Saira Shah Halim

9780143464815

Language: English

360 Pages

In Stock!

Price INR: 699.0 Not Available

Book Club Price INR 594.15

About the Book

The history of Left politics in India runs deep into the very heart of the freedom struggle. It can hardly be denied that both the freedom struggle and the political landscape of free India was, for the longest time, hued in various shades of red. Peculiarly, Leftism in India has developed in close ties with the culture in which it was rooted. A movement consisting of diverse forces—-with moderate socialists at one end of the spectrum and extremist or revolutionary communists at the other—-The Indian Left has had a complex and evolving role in Indian politics. While historically it has played a pertinent role, primarily in states such as West Bengal and Kerala, its influence and relevance, both have waned in recent years. It has been struggling to adapt itself to dynamic electoral politics and, therefore, finding it hard to regain its lost ground.


This book is about an ideology that is under threat or, as many say, almost extinct, at least in India. It tries to sketch a rich historical narrative that foregrounds left politics in world history, locate its relevance in India and chart a future of its revival.

Saira Shah Halim

Saira Shah Halim is a social and peace activist, educator, politician, theatre artist, three-time TEDx speaker and writer. Raised in various parts of India and the Gulf due to her father’s army career, she travelled across the country and experienced a variety of cultural and social environments. She began her career in the corporate world, working with top multinational corporations in multiple training and development roles.


Hanging up her corporate boots after 17 years, she metamorphosed into one of the more prominent social and gender activists of the country. Saira has been a strong advocate for the marginalized and disenfranchised–she was associated with the farmers’ movement, the anti-CAA and-NRC protests, and has protested against educational institutions in Karnataka banning the hijab in classrooms. She is associated with multiple associations and platforms promoting secularism, democratic values, gender equality and diversity(LGBTQ), and has worked on various social agendas reflecting these values.


An extremely well-known face on national television, Saira voices her progressive and secular opinions vociferously. Saira made her political debut in March 2022 with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). She contested the Ballygunge Assembly by-poll, demonstrating her commitment to political activism and change. She broke the TMC-BJP binary and defeated the contestants of two national parties, the BJP and the Congress, increasing the CPIM vote share from 5 per cent to 30 per cent. Saira lost by a narrow margin to the TMC candidate.

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