Communism, Leninism to attend younger brother Socialism's wedding in India

Published
Communism, Leninism and Socialism are the sons of A. Mohan, a district secretary of the Communist Party of India in Tamil Nadu state where left-wing ideology still burns red-hot. — File
Communism, Leninism and Socialism are the sons of A. Mohan, a district secretary of the Communist Party of India in Tamil Nadu state where left-wing ideology still burns red-hot. — File

Even little Marxism won't miss out when Socialism gets married in southern India this weekend with his big brothers Communism and Leninism in attendance.

All are the progeny of A. Mohan, a district secretary of the Communist Party of India in Tamil Nadu state where left-wing ideology still burns red-hot.

“My first son was born during the fall of the Soviet Union and everywhere in the news I was reading that this was the end of communism,” Mohan told AFP.

“But there is no end for communism as long as the human race lives on, so I named my first-born Communism,” he said.

His next two sons were named Leninism — whose five-month-old son Marxism will also attend the nuptials on Sunday — and Socialism, the groom.

Pictures of the invitation to the wedding, embossed with hammer-and-sickle emblems, have gone viral on social media.

Socialism's bride-to-be meanwhile is P. Mamata Banerjee, named by her grandfather after a firebrand left-wing politician in West Bengal.

The fact that this other Banerjee ended several decades of communist rule in 2011 in the eastern state to become chief minister isn't spoiling the party.

India leaned more towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and names like Stalin, Lenin, Trotsky and even Pravda — the name of the USSR's state newspaper — are not unheard of, particularly in the south.

Tamil Nadu's current chief minister is M.K. Stalin, named by his father in honour of the Soviet communist dictator just days before he died in Russia.

Mohan said that there was nothing unusual about his sons' names — some of his “comrades” gave their children names such as Moscow, Russia, Vietnam and Czechoslovakia.

But he admitted that his boys, especially Communism, were sometimes teased at school. One hospital refused to admit Communism when he was three years old.

“They were scared of the name Communism and initially I faced a lot of troubles. But over time, things smoothed out,” he said.

All three sons, now in their 20s, are fellow members of the local communist party, and Leninism named his son after none other than Karl Marx.

“Now I am waiting for a grand-daughter from one of my sons, who I will name Cubaism,” Mohan added.

Opinion

Editorial

Gulf escalation
Updated 19 Jul, 2026

Gulf escalation

The threat of the war restarting and the conflict expanding is very real.
Looming monsoon
19 Jul, 2026

Looming monsoon

THE monsoon season is here. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a nationwide alert for widespread,...
Closing one file
19 Jul, 2026

Closing one file

ABDUL Rashid Wani was stopped by Indian soldiers near his home in Srinagar in July 1997. He never returned. Nearly...
GSP-Plus renewal
Updated 18 Jul, 2026

GSP-Plus renewal

THERE is no glossing over the fact that the country’s leadership faces tough choices in the months ahead. Brussels...
AJK engagement
18 Jul, 2026

AJK engagement

A WELCOME lowering of political temperatures appears to be underway in Azad Kashmir, as the region’s...
Delayed relief
18 Jul, 2026

Delayed relief

THE decision to defer the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage’s first funding approvals is a setback for...