05/02/2025
Discussion on "The Communist Manifesto: A Blueprint for a New World
February 16, Sunday from 3:30 PM at Pensioner Bhawan in Chandmari
On February 21, 1848, the groundbreaking work that stirred the world was published—The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Meanwhile, on February 21, 1999, UNESCO declared this day as International Mother Language Day to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity. Combining these two aspects, on February 21, 2019, a group of progressive publishing houses in India, including LeftWord Books, initiated Red Books Day by inviting people to collectively read The Communist Manifesto in their own languages. The event quickly gained global attention, and by 2020, it was celebrated with the participation of over 30,000 people from South Korea to Cuba. In preparation for the first international celebration of Red Books Day in 2020, the Indian Society of Left Publishers convened meetings with publishers worldwide. These meetings led to the formation of the International Union of Left Publishers (IULP), which now includes forty-five publishers. By 2024, Red Books Day saw participation from over a million people across various Indian states, including Assam, as well as internationally, from Indonesia to Chile, China to Turkey, Malaysia to Brazil, and Australia to the United States. In India, members of farmers' organizations and trade unions discussed The Communist Manifesto in villages, while in Brazil, members of the Landless Workers Movement collectively read the manifesto during the Carnival festival. In Nepal, the Agricultural Workers' Union discussed various progressive books, and in Tanzania, landless farmers emphasized the importance of literacy. In 2023, the ten-day Havana Book Fair in Cuba reserved February 21 for special Red Books Day events.
The IULP was formed not only to promote Red Books Day but also to provide a larger platform for leftist publishers to defend against right-wing attacks and advance rational and socialist ideas. The IULP has produced several joint books in various languages, from Romanian to Indonesian (including works by Che Guevara and commemorations of the Paris Commune), and has issued statements to protect authors and publishers under attack. Strengthening the library movement has also been a key goal of Red Books Day, aiming to promote collective reading and advance rational and progressive thought. Red Books Day is part of a broader cultural struggle to protect the rights to write, publish, and read progressive books and to combat contemporary superstitious ideas that undermine reason. It is hoped that this day will be embraced by individuals and organizations beyond the IULP and the leftist stream.
This time, in Guwahati, DYFI and Navayug Prakashan have jointly organized a discussion titled "The Communist Manifesto: A Blueprint for a New World" on February 16, from 3:30 PM at Pensioner Bhawan in Chandmari, in line with Red Books Day. The speaker will be Suprakash Talukdar, the State Secretary of the Left Party CPI(M). After a 45-minute speech, attendees will have 30 minutes to express their views. We hope you will also attend the event and contribute to the success of celebrating International Red Books Day.
