Decolonization

In this episode, Dr. Tharoor and RT’s Runjhun Sharma discuss the Kerala model, or how the state confronted its colonial legacy and reformed society from within. They point out that the British tried to replicate their own system of governance in India, establishing a top-down structure built around landowning intermediaries, the “zamindars.” These landlords controlled the farmers and collected taxes on behalf of the colonial administration. Even after independence, this semi-feudal system lingered, with a small group of landlords holding large tracts of land, Dr. Tharoor notes. Kerala was the first state to implement land reform under its democratically elected communist government in 1957, with tenants becoming owners. Alongside other progressive reforms, this helped shape what became known as the Kerala model, one of the first examples of a community-driven approach to governance and social development in the country.