From Marxism to Human Rights: Critical Observations on

Balagopals Intellectual Itinerary

Dr. E. Dileep, Asst. Professor,
Department of English and Communications
Dravidian University, Kuppam-517425
Email: englishdileep@gmail.com
Cell: 09494747401

Abstract
K. Balagopal is an acclaimed activist-thinker from Andhra Pradesh, whose intellectual
insight, personal integrity, and practical commitment are outstanding and legendary not only
in the state but even at the national level. Perhaps, a person not familiar with this aspect of
Indian affairs may get some idea of his uniqueness by taking him as an Indian version of
Noam Chomsky. The present article endeavours to throw some critical light on the theoretical
foundations of Balagopals thought and its transformations.
As a matter of fact, Balagopals intransigent intellectual itinerary is begun as a
Marxist, and his article in Telugu, Manishi, Charitra, Marxisam, is taken as an important
landmark of his critique of Marxism, and his Kallola Citrlu, is often taken as a final
juncture of his divergence with Marxism. His move away from Marxism could not be taken
as his relinquishment of the social activism as it happened in the case of many other activists
motivated by Marxist-inspired movements. Instead, as one of the very few honourable
exceptions, he grew more active in the field of the human rights movement.
Confining itself to the theoretical aspects of this significant transition, the present
essay attempts to analyse the different aspects of this change in Balagopals intellectual
outlook. Beginning from his essay on human nature mentioned above, it discusses his critique
of the understanding of the Human Rights movements as conceptualised and practised in the
Marxist-Leninist wings of Indian communism. Issues such as the effectivity and relative
reality of the democratic rights in our state are discussed.
Among other things, it is argued here that most of Balagopals criticisms are actually
reactions to the crude understanding of Marxism in India, rather than a critique of the theory
as propounded by its originatorsMarx, and Engels. It is also argued that, sometimes,
moving away from the provincial perspectives on Marxism, he actually moved closer to
Marxism in its original spirit. No claim is made here for the exhaustiveness of the
observations; instead, the article tries to sketch some salient outlines of the analysis of the
subject taken up for study here that are capable of further elaboration in future.