All man's urges and needs, it is argued among these circles, should conform to the commodities designed and marketed by the corporate houses. The social values that vary from people to people stand redundant while the principles of the ever-expanding capitalist market resolve to reign supreme. Thus the heterogeneity of culture, ideas and values, which are coveted assets of human civilisation are sought to be minimised in importance. The television- borne culture of advertisement is the vehicle of such aggression upon the smaller and poorer communities of the world. The cultural diversity of the poorer nations thus stands the risk of getting blurred in the face of the worldwide media onslaught.

The campaign for uniformity however is apologetic as regards the ethnic and cultural minorities. It is contended that the minorities have to be preserved respected etc. The cultural traits of these minorities must be treasured and so on. On the other hand there are capitalist techniques of promoting the cultural features of these people in a market friendly way. The corporate houses adopt strategies to remould different cultural items in a marketable manner and commodities them so as to earn a project. This usurpation ranges from music to folk tales and so many other things including artefacts. Hence the cultural minorities have to be ever alert and prepared to fight for a dignified existence. They themselves much uphold their cause of autonomy so far as it does not contradict the national struggle for self-reliance in the face of the neo-imperial strategies of trade.

The CPI (M) has always stood guard over the common man's right to cultural freedom. Hence it has never preached an archetypal thesis of imposed development, while ignoring the pleas for autonomy and cultural diversities. It has always kept its doors open for new food for thought. The CPI (M) is the only political organisation of this country that can eternally absorb a variety of ideas of progress that are amenable to the application of Marxism. Hence it can duly aspire to discover the harmony between cultural diversity and economic unity. Being Marxist in its beliefs, this party vows to preserve the emotions of the individual, whichever community he may be from, in the face of the alienating effects of the market economy. While fighting against poverty and exploitation, it always stands ready to welcome all principles that seek to synchronise the diversity of culture with the unity of national economic development.

The religious diversity of India constitutes an aspect of her cultural diversity. Here we use the term culture in the broadest sense of the term, i.e. the ways and ideas of social intercourse. In a traditional society, religion goes to shape many of the customs and norms of social life. The major function of these customs and norms is social control. Social control, though it is an essential part of the social reality, has a primarily negative impact on social processes. It is emphatic on the status quo and tends to discourage social and individual creativity. While it is a necessary ingredient, it is not sufficient for a healthy social life. The creative energy of man derives sustenance from the other elements such as the arts and literature. All the Marxists, irrespective of their intellectual leanings, hence, have categorised the artistes along with the scientists, who would survive the demise of capitalism and be as important if not more in socialism.

The Marxists do not believe in the supernatural, nor do they believe in the theological ontology of this universe whereby they would be led, in all probability, into a realm of mystique and deflated from activity and praxis. They believe in sticking to the principles that would facilitate thought and action for man, and save him from inanity and inertness. The Marxists believe in working for alleviation of poverty, infant mortality, child labour, and torture on women, unemployment and genocide. They do not trust any god who promises a heavenly panacea for the earthly problems.

Nor do they believe in forced uniformity. They only treasure unity, not necessarily uniformity, and would not accept that the two are counterparts to each other. To them diversity of culture, belief and faith are to be preserved as resources of civilisation. These are not only decorative but can turn out to be useful at any crosswords of crisis. There are so many material needs of life that can be satisfied by close interaction and inter-learning between different religious as well as ethnic communities. Infamiliarity between these communities only breeds ignorance and incapacity on either side. People of different traditions stand only to gain from mutual cohortation.

The idea that lies at the heart of the CPI (M)'s feeling about religion is that religion contributes much less to the cultural aspect of life than material conditions do. The most prominent and significant components of culture emanate out of man's work, pattern of consumption and the extent of poverty. A plethora of researches in modern social science would stand witness to the fact that the beliefs and practices of the common people take shape in course of their tackling he material problems of life, day in and day out. This is as applicable to the so-called primitive communities as to the modern urbanities who jostle with each other in their daily race for survival.

The CPI (M) maintains respect for the religious emotion of the people who seek some solace amid their struggle for existence with the idea of the Almighty. But it refuses to accept that this solace searching is the basic component of man's cultural life. An individual who feels insecure in the face of the uncertainties that dog life in a market society, and feels alienated as he finds the decision-making powers being wielded by some apparently uncanny forces is often prone to turn religious. This would explain the devotion paid tot he gurus who simply pose to offer some guidance to the devotees regarding their material life. Often these religious gurus are nothing but moral guardians to their devotees. The succour and shelter that they provide is surely highly palatable, but this assumes dangerous proportions whenever they uphold the communal identity that draws a line of division between two groups of men. On the occasion of the recent riots of Bhagalpur, of Bombay, the one that took place upon the Ayodhya vandalism, CPI (M) has, persistently and without political gimmick, pleaded with all quarters to rise above religious identities. Its only goal was to put religion in its place and prevent it from pervading the social plane. They also stress the fact that there are other more colourful resources such as music, literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, medical knowledge, philosophy etc. These are produced in course of the struggle for material existence. While they do not indulge in any sort of deterministic orthodoxy, the Marxists uphold he fact that the above components of our heritage were born only out of a united life of all communities, religious, ethnic and otherwise. Also what is of utmost significance is that these artistic creations would have lost most of their attraction had persons with direct or indirect experience of the common man's life not created them.