Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor on Sunday, 5 July 2026, shared that he had a conversation with an assistant professor at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, who interviewed him about his book on Sree Narayana Guru — a discussion that centred on how the 19th-century Kerala reformer's teachings resonate with those raised outside the state.

Context

Tharoor noted on X that the exchange with Asst. Prof. Mohammad Farhan (handle @mohdfar123) ranged widely, with particular attention to 'how the Guru's teachings may be understood through the perspective of someone raised in North India.' He described it as 'a stimulating exchange on the enduring relevance and universal appeal of Sree Narayana Guru's message,' tagging the discussion under #TheSageWhoReimaginedHinduism — the title of his book on the subject.

The book examines the life and philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru (1856–1928), the Kerala social reformer whose foundational teaching — 'oru jati, oru matam, oru daivam manushyanu' (one caste, one religion, one God for humanity) — challenged entrenched caste hierarchies in colonial-era Kerala.

Policy Backdrop

Sree Narayana Guru's Aruvippuram temple consecration of 1888 was a landmark act of social defiance: he consecrated a Shiva temple and opened its priesthood to all castes at a time when such access was strictly restricted by birth. That single act seeded a broader movement for caste equality and educational access across Kerala.

Tharoor has engaged with Hindu reformist thought in prior works, including his 2018 book Why I Am a Hindu, which explored the personal and political dimensions of a pluralist, reform-oriented Hinduism. #TheSageWhoReimaginedHinduism extends that inquiry by focusing on a single regional figure whose influence Tharoor argues carries national and universal weight.

Jamia Millia Islamia, the New Delhi central university founded in 1920 during the freedom movement, has strong humanities and social science departments and has hosted numerous public-intellectual exchanges bridging regional and national cultural traditions.

Stakeholders and Impact

The conversation signals growing academic interest in interpreting southern India's social-reform traditions for audiences in North India and beyond. For scholars of religion, caste, and constitutional values, Sree Narayana Guru's philosophy offers a home-grown intellectual framework that predates and parallels many post-Independence egalitarian ideals.

Indian parliamentarians from Kerala have long invoked regional reformers — from Narayana Guru to Ayyankali — to underscore messages of social equality in national discourse. Tharoor's literary engagement continues that tradition, using the platform of a sitting MP and public intellectual to bring a figure central to Kerala's identity into wider national conversation.

What's Next

The Jamia interview suggests the book is attracting academic attention at central universities, potentially setting the stage for panel discussions or lecture series at institutions outside Kerala. Any such events could amplify the book's cross-regional reach and may draw references in cultural or social-justice debates within Parliament. Readers and scholars of Hindu philosophy, caste reform, and Indian intellectual history are the primary audience Tharoor appears to be cultivating with this outreach.