Arundathi Roy says Kerala is ‘one of the last few outposts standing up against fascism’

Arundhati Roy declares Kerala a vital stronghold against fascism, urging citizens to protect their cultural and political legacy.

Calling Kerala one of the “last few outposts” standing up against “the onslaught of fascism”, writer Arundathi Roy has said “the people have to preserve and fight for what they have.”

She was speaking at the State Public Library hall in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) after receiving the Malayattoor Foundation’s award for lifetime contributions to literature.

“Everytime I pack my bags to Kerala, I know that I am coming home. That’s not a sentimental thing. It’s because Kerala is home to me in a political way, in a literary way, in a cultural way. I am proud of that, and I know that it’s under attack. I don’t know how long we are going to stand up. So far we have stood up. I hope that we will always stand up,” she said.

The writer then went on strike a note of caution, while speaking about the emerging political situation in Kerala.

“It doesn’t matter if the Congress and the CPI(M) fight each other. The reason I feel proud of Kerala is that every five years, we kick out the government and get a new one. But we don’t want that other one, that Delhi one, here. It was very sad to see what happened in the Corporation election in Thiruvananthapuram. This cannot happen to us. This is where the fight has to start. We have politics, history, culture and education. Don’t let it go, fight for it and keep it proudly,” she said, apologising for “a non-literary speech”, caused by a “certain rising panic that any day now things are going to change”.

Ms. Roy said Kerala is “very insulated” from the happenings globally, and even in north India. “I live there, everyday my heart breaks to see how people talk to each other, how people talk to Muslims. It is not just a fascist state anymore. Fascism is in the public, in the people, in the discotheques and bars, in everyday conversations and in every single cultural thing put out. Now it’s in Bollywood. We are in a dangerous situation. It is very easy to light a fire. In our State if that fire is lit, Kerala will become Lebanon. We have to stop them from lighting this fire,” she said.