A century of Left in India, built on enterprise and cooperative strength

As the CPI turns 100 next month, Shine Jacob looks at how the evolution of Left parties in the country has been fuelled by cooperatives, media ventures and unconventional business model

Communism took early root in India in the 1920s, spurred by the October Revolution in Russia and a generation of young idealists. Yet many mark December 26, 1925, when a Kanpur conference gave birth to the Communist Party of India (CPI), as the true beginning. 

After the 1964 split, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), emerged as the biggest party among Left formations. As the communist movement prepares to mark its centenary, it carries the weight of class struggles, legal prohibitions, electoral highs and lows, and moments of political drama — most famously Jyoti