‘I’ve never seen the Left reaching out to people this way’

Sennaya Swami Naickar moved to Scotland recently with his work as a statistician and risk assessor in a major bank. He was determined to join the Scottish Socialist Party when he got here and tells SSP national co-spokesperson Colin Fox why…

Hello Sennaya. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. Perhaps we could begin with some background. Tell us about yourself.
Yes of course. My name is Sennaya Swamy Naickar. I’m from Chennai [formerly Madras] in Southern India. I was born in 1992. Chennai has a population of around 12million and is the capital of Tamil Nadu province.
A former colonial city established by Robert Clive [Clive of India fame] it is a major trading centre. Tamil Nadu had a history of freedom fighters opposing British colonial rule in India and my grandfather, RK Sennaya Swami after whom I was named, was one of the most famous.
He was in the Communist Party of India as was my father Muthukrishnan who is now a Congress politician in Chennai.
I was educated at a Protestant school in Chennai then went to a Muslim College to study economics where I got my Bachelor of Arts Degree. I then studied for my Masters in Financial Economics.
I feel I benefitted from these different religious environments and I learned to write Arabic at college. I speak three languages — Tamil, Hindi and English — and was fortunate that my father was able to send me to private school.
Most children in Chennai for example would not learn English, only Tamil. Yet Hindi and English are the two ‘national languages of India’. Students who cannot speak both are at a distinct disadvantage given the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of the country.

It was said that India, now the world’s most populous country, is made up of ‘a million villages’. That conjures up images of a largely rural, agricultural and backward country. Is that description still true?
Yes, to an extent, but it is also true that India, like many other places around the world, is experiencing pronounced urbanisation with tens of millions of people moving from the countryside into the cities in search of work and better opportunities.
India has a caste system with 1,400million people divided into a wide variety of different categories; religious, cultural, communal and familial.
The caste system is deeply imbedded in Indian society and that makes it easier for the ruling class to ‘divide and conquer’ the opposition it regularly faces.
From afar it seems that Narendra Modi and the BJP are the most powerful political force in India. Is that true and if so where did Modi come from and why does he so dominate?
Modi’s BJP are a high caste party backed by wealthy Indian oligarchs and ex-pats living in the Gulf States of the Middle East, the USA and Europe. He also plays to a Hindu-nationalist base. Despite winning the elections Modi is not well loved in India.
He is well financed however and therefore better organised than say his political opponents in The Congress or Communist Party. The electoral system also favours the way the BJP is organised across India.

I see. So after you obtained your Masters, what did you do?
I got a job with a major bank. I worked in Chennai for 3 years before the opportunity arose to work in their offices abroad first in Warsaw, Poland and then in Scotland. I promised myself I would get involved in socialist politics when I got to Europe. I was fascinated by the idea of pan-European integration, development and co-operation in the EU.
Unfortunately my attempts to join the Socialist Party in Poland were thwarted by locked offices and unreturned calls and emails. I could find no books on socialism in the public libraries in Poland either. There were many anti-socialist volumes, but nothing on say Marx or Rosa Luxemburg.
I did however discover a Soviet military cemetery and mausoleum near Warsaw dedicated to 21,000 Red Army soldiers killed liberating Poland from the Nazis in 1944-45. Despite its ill-kempt surroundings ‘hidden away’ in undergrowth, I found the story of these men, from thousands of miles away, who had come to free the Polish people from Nazi tyranny, inspiring. I told my father about it in my calls to him back home.
After Warsaw I was even more determined to get involved in socialist politics when I arrived in Edinburgh in March 2023.

So how did it happen that you joined the SSP?
Walking along Princes Street one Saturday afternoon in April I came across the Scottish Socialist Party stall and was pleasantly surprised to see it. Apart from anything else I wasn’t used to seeing the Left reaching out to people in this way.
The Communist Party in India doesn’t do it. Politicians in India do not relate to people respectfully. They seldom leave their offices. And I’d never seen this engagement in Poland either.
I was even more encouraged when Michael and you were both so welcoming, friendly and interested in me and my opinions. After we swapped contact details and arranged to meet again, Michael confirmed the arrangements later that same day.
I was impressed by this and by the courtesy you had shown me. This professionalism, seriousness and dedication to detail impressed me greatly. It was such a contrast to the experience I had in Poland.
Soon after you invited me to participate in the May Day march and carry a SSP flag. I feel really at home now as part of the SSP ‘team’. This is what comradeship should be like I think.
Now I do the street stalls myself which is thoroughly enjoyable and productive.
I am keen to learn more about socialist politics in Scotland. I enjoyed hearing you speak about Robert Burns and his poem You’re Welcome, Willie Stewart, where he greets people coming from afar, sits them beside the fire on a winters night and shares out some food and drink.
I look forward to reading Tom Johnson’s ‘The history of the Scottish working class’ which I bought after you recommended it.

What conclusions have you reached about Scottish politics since you’ve been here?
I have found Scottish people very welcoming. They are clearly concerned about the increased cost of living. And on the SSP ‘public ownership’ stalls I learned of their fears for the NHS, for education and care services.
I am amazed however that it is only SSP flags I see. No Labour or SNP anywhere. I realise they are much bigger but they seem invisible.

How has your experience of the Scottish Socialist Party matched your expectations of socialist politics?
I’m pleased. I particularly enjoyed the Ukraine day school as I too want peace. I was also impressed by the democracy of the party. Conference decisions are upheld and respected yet further discussion is always encouraged. I am proud to be part of the SSP.
I wanted to be active in socialist politics and now I am, here in Scotland. I am settled here in Scotland and intend to stay. I’ve invited my Dad to come and visit.
I feel privileged to be a Scottish Socialist Party member and look forward to contributing what I can to the party’s future successes.