People’s Theater and Populism: A Study of the Kerala People’s Arts Club

The songs in the Plays of the Kerala people’s Arts club created in the 1950s in Kerala had attempted to respond to the subjugation perpetuated by the feudal system through its plays and songs using themes from mythology, history of land redistribution in Kerala under the communist rule, and nature symbolism. Both the songs and plays had emphasized on the idea of the “people” in relation to land and nature. The songs had especially done that by blending the folk elements with the music of the classical tradition. The entry tries to understand how the political conflicts of the “people” were moralized and politicized through the songs of the KPAC as part of populist strategy. The entry argues that left cultural movements adopted a populist strategy, mobilizing the common people against the elites. However, it also suggests that this approach created an exclusionary sector within the populist category. The concept of populism is discussed in the context of “a democratic way of life built through popular engagement in politics,” connecting it to the KPAC’s efforts. It also delves into the gendered aspect of populism within the KPAC, where men predominantly held leadership roles, while women were relegated to performing and domestic chores, influenced by a purity discourse. This entry, therefore, tries to argue that while the left cultural movements tried to mobilize the common people through writing “them” in the songs, it juxtaposed the people and the “privileged” within the populist.