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India under extremist threat
PHOTO: AFP/FILE
India under extremist threat
From saffron to red: Welcome to Modi’s India
Green and saffron: The colours of division in India
October rage in India: surprising?
11 times Shiv Sena made Indians want to bury their heads in the sand
Building hysteria: Shiva Sena activists disrupt Pakistani play
Never witnessed such intolerance' in India, says poet Gulzar
Indian top literary body condemns killings of writers
41 writers return Indian awards
India under extremist threat
By Shahid Javed Burki
The world needs to take notice and India should start to worry. A number of recent unpleasant incidents have involved the members of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or the RSS. They were aimed at humbling the Muslim minority in the country. These events seem to indicate that the country now faces an extremist challenge. It would be tempting to compare the developing Indian situation with the one Pakistan faces. However, it would be a mistake to equate the two situations. To begin with, Pakistan has, in the form of the National Action Plan, a better understanding of the problem and how it might be resolved. The same recognition has as yet to lead to the formulation of an appropriate public policy response in New Delhi.
October rage in India: surprising?
Let me begin with a brief history of the RSS. It was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a physician, who lived and practiced in what was then the Bombay Presidency of British India. This region has now been renamed Maharashtra and is the centre of the RSS. The original purpose of the organisation was to challenge British rule by adopting Hinduism as the basis of opposition. The RSS did not buy the approach adopted by the leadership of Indian National Congress (INC) of using the instruments that were part of the Western political order to gain independence. In fact, the principles and practices of Western liberal democracy also informed the style of campaign followed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his All-India Muslim League (AIML). The INC was prepared to use civil disobedience as an instrument for applying pressure on the British rulers. Its leaders were prepared to court arrest and fill Indian jails while Jinnah and the AIML confined their campaign strictly to the accepted approaches.
The RSS chose to operate very differently. Its focus was on inculcating Hindu values among its followers. Drawing on what it saw as the approach followed by the extremist nationalist groups such as the Nazis in Germany, it imparted military and physical training to those who joined the organisation. The idea behind this was to develop the capacity to physically confront the British to force them to leave the subcontinent. Once that happened, India would be turned into a Hindu state. However, the liberals won the day. They were able to persuade the British to leave India in the hands of the Indians. Much to the disappointment of the Hindu nationalists, M K Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru conceded Jinnah’s demand for the creation of a separate Muslim state.
11 times Shiv Sena made Indians want to bury their heads in the sand
Some political scientists such as Subarata Mitra have suggested that by allowing the AIML to leave India, it became possible for the leaders of the new country to create a liberal democratic order for the nation-state they had inherited. According to this interpretation, the Muslim League’s continued presence in an undivided India would have deflected the making of the country’s constitution into providing special rights for the Muslim community, which then constituted a bit more than one-quarter of then British India’s total population. With a large chunk of the Muslim population gone into the newly created state of Pakistan, India’s constitution-makers could focus their attention on equal rather than special rights.
The Indian Constitution is one of the most liberal governing documents in the emerging world. It grants equality to all citizens no matter their religion, caste or creed. That said, it also recognises that there is a class of citizens who need “affirmative action” to help them catch up with those Hinduism had granted a higher status. There were a limited number of special rights given to the Muslim minority as well. They were allowed to follow their own family laws.
Building hysteria: Shiva Sena activists disrupt Pakistani play
Some of these provisions went against the belief system of the RSS. Since Narendra Modi had cut his political teeth as an RSS member, it was expected that once he gained power through elections, he would pursue the Hindu agenda. This the new prime minister has not done in an open way. He has indicated through his actions, although not through his words, that he was unlikely to follow the RSS agenda. Thus disappointed, the members of this powerful organisation have decided to take matters into their own hands. They are enforcing some deeply held beliefs by resorting to violence. There have been murders of Muslims accused of eating beef; in one particular case a man was killed since he was transporting cows the attackers believed were bound for the slaughter house. Prime Minster Modi has not used the bully-pulpit to denounce this kind of violence, fearing that strong words from him would further antagonise his support base. It is now clear that India is heading towards a major crisis.
Shiv Sena targets Mahira, Fawad
The RSS demands concern not only the “holiness of the mother cow”, it also wants those who converted to other religions to return to the Hindu fold. It wants all symbols of the Hinduism — and the religion is full of symbols, including the pictures and figurines of major and minor deities — to be protected by law. An Australian visitor was attacked since he had the head of a Hindu deity tattooed on his body. Suddenly, India is faced with a problem that runs deeper than the one Pakistan faces in terms of dealing with extremism. The developing situation in India will have profound consequences for South Asia.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2015.
From saffron to red: Welcome to Modi’s India
SYED RASHID MUNIR
It’s not just the Muslim community who is suffering from governance under the Modi-led BJP government. —Photo courtesy Hindustan Times
Last year, the world was fixated upon India when the general elections brought to power Narendra Modi, the former chief minister of the prosperous Indian state of Gujarat.
Enthusiasts didn't tire of pointing out at the time that the story of Indian democracy could not have gotten any better; the new premier used to sell tea as a young boy at a stall at a local railway station, so the system was inclusive alright.
Many surmised that the days of socio-economic schisms were numbered in India, and that Modi would be the leader that rids the country of its problems once and for all.
The message was loud and clear: The saffron tide cometh and with it, prosperity and greatness too.
A year and a half on, though, that very tide has taken a deadly turn, and it threatens to engulf the entire Indian society.
Of course, the first casualty of such a turning tide is always the Pakistan-India peace process.
After extending an olive branch towards Pakistan at the time of the new government’s inauguration, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) line has quickly switched to a much more extremist tenor.
Charged rhetoric aside, escalation in violence along the Pakistan-India border over the past months has resulted in loss of innocent lives, and the radical bandwagon in India does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The second casualty, of course, is cricket.
Pakistan-bashing is lucrative
Emboldened by the government’s actions, members of Shiv Sena (the extremist Indian organisation notoriously remembered for digging up the pitch in Agra in 2003), stormed the BCCI headquarters on Monday to disrupt a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian cricket officials scheduled to discuss the bilateral series that had been shelved following skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC).
Such is the threat from the far-right elements within India that Aleem Dar, the exceptional cricket umpire hailing from Pakistan, has been relieved of his officiating duties for the upcoming India-South Africa match, lest he become the target of the anti-Pakistan sentiment.
Today, Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram met the same end.
No sooner had that happened when Shiv Sena's threats extended to Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, Pakistani actors currently in India for film projects.
Meanwhile, reports are pouring in that this year's Kabaddi World Cup, previously scheduled to be held in India, has now been cancelled.
Last week, Sudheendra Kulkarni, himself a member of the BJP, was publicly shamed and covered with black soot and ink when he organised a book launch for former Pakistani Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri.
Earlier, the legendary artist Ghulam Ali was denied entry into India citing his Pakistani identity.
Pakistan-bashing apparently reaps many benefits, electoral or otherwise, and the far right in India is counting on that.
An unsurprising radicalism
Domestically, the Muslim community in India is having a tough time under the BJP government as well.
In a tragic incident, a Muslim resident of Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Akhlaq, was lynched by a mob that alleged he had consumed cow meat, since cows are considered holy animals in Hinduism.
Beef has always been a thorny issue between the Muslim and Hindu communities in India, but the tensions over the beef ban have peaked in the past few days, and there is possibility of even more violence erupting.
In Akhlaq's case, it turned out the poor guy was not having beef, but mutton. Additionally, it took weeks for Modi – who becomes emotional remembering his childhood struggles but conveniently forgets about the plight of other Indians – to address this incident.
It’s not just the Muslim community who is suffering from governance under the Modi-led BJP government. A few weeks ago, the Patel community – instrumental towards Modi’s rise to premiership – found itself face-to-face with a government bent on sparing no rods in dealing with frustrated Patel protesters.
Before Modi took oath of office, many were wary of his extremist past. However, the Twitter-friendly, kurta-wearing, camera-tracking, cheerleader-in-chief assuaged some dissenting voices through political showboating focused more on spectacle rather than substance.
The current outbreak of radicalism in India shouldn't be surprising. After all, how should the same person who presided over one of the worst incidents of communal violence in recent memory now somehow turn compassionate towards the affected once elected to the country's highest political office?
If there is one lesson to learn from history, it’s that charismatic leaders have done more harm than good in their respective countries, and the Indian audience just seems to be realising the same.
The way radicalism – played out along caste and religious lines – is rearing its ugly head in Indian society, many are worried about the future.
Of course, there remain sane voices in India to identify the abyss of radicalism which the Indian society seems to be staring into. But when the hawks are having a feast, with the vultures in close proximity, it is unsurprising that the doves have decided to stay quiet for now.
This silence, however, will do nothing to impede India’s slide into radicalism.
The tide indeed cometh, but instead of being a hue of soothing saffron, it is a menacing, bloody red.
Syed Rashid Munir is a LUMS alumnus and an Erasmus Mundus Scholar, with degrees in Political Science and International Relations.
Curtsey:DAWN.COM, OCT 21, 2015
Green and saffron: The colours of division in India
Ram Puniyani
As per the report from Ahmedabad (12th April 2015), the uniform at the Shahpur School – where most of the students are Hindus – is saffron and the color of uniform in Dani Limda school – where almost all the students are Muslims – the color is green.
This is absolutely shocking. One knew that the 'ghettoisation' of Muslims in Ahmedabad is probably the worst case in the country, but for things to go this far is simply unbelievable.
The process of communalisation worsened after the 2002 Gujarat carnage, and this one is surely its most blatant, extreme expression.
While the communities prefer to stay in the localities frequented by their likes, the situation in most north Indian metros, and to some extent, in smaller towns also, is frightening when it comes to the segregation of communities.
In Ahmedabad, particularly post-2002 carnage, the majority of nearly 12 per cent of the Muslim population has been forced to live in the Juhapura and Shah Alam areas, both predominantly Muslim areas. Irrespective of their socio-economic profile, Muslims are not permitted to buy houses in mixed localities. The banks don’t extend their credit card facilities in these areas, neither do food outlets deliver pizzas etc.
In India, the phenomenon of ghettoisation of the Muslim community has run in parallel with and as an aftermath of communal violence.
Once violence occurs in a particular city, not only is that particular city affected very severely but the fallout is seen in other cities as well. Places like Mumbai, Bhagalpur, Jamshedpur and Muzzafarnagar in particular are vulnerable to suffering tensions and ghettoisation following communal violence of larger degrees.
In cities like Delhi, too, this phenomenon is clearly discernible to the extent that even the Muslim faculty members of the JNU – the prestigious university tagged as a 'liberal' institution – also prefer to live in the Muslim majority areas.
The builders in major cities make it a point to not sell housing units to members of the minority community. I know of a faculty member of the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai being denied a house because of his religion.
Mumbai is probably the most cosmopolitan city with great cultural diversity. But even here, the famous film star and social activist Shabana Azmi was denied a house in a mixed locality, as was actor Emran Hashmi.
There is a long chain of phenomena leading to such situations, where religion becomes the central marker of one’s identity, overtaking national identity, before even the right to housing of one’s choice is practically ruled out.
These unwritten rules are a part of social practices.
As it happens, we are currently in the middle of a debate featuring the phenomenon of ghettoisation: There is talk of making separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir Valley.
This plan is being opposed by different quarters as it is bound to lead to a ghetto-like situation for the Pandits. The Kashmiriyat culture – the core point of Muslim-Hindu amity in the valley – has already been undermined due to the strife raging in the valley for over two decades. On top of that, such a scheme from the government will further enhance the divisiveness in the state.
How do we deal with a situation where divisiveness created by communal politics is ruling the roost?
On a visit to Singapore, I saw the massive housing colonies in different residential clusters. I was told that within these housing complexes, there is a quota system of the allotment of housing units in the same complex along ethnic lines. Different ethnic groups, Malays, Chinese and Tamils have been allotted certain percentages according to their proportion in the population.
This encourages different groups to interact with each other on various occasions and promotes amity between them.
So what do we do in the face of a situation where schools are choosing uniforms according to the religion of the children, and how come the percentage of children is overwhelmingly Muslim or Hindu in particular areas?
This is all due to physical segregation, plain and dangerous; and is contrary to the spirit of communal harmony and the values ingrained in the Indian Constitution – the spirit of fraternity.
The myths, prejudices and stereotyping in notions regarding the ‘other community’ have to be countered, not consolidated, as these very stereotypes become springboards for communal violence; which in turn paves the way for segregation and ghettoisation, leading to further ‘cultural demarcation’ – the way these two schools show.
What sort of a society should we expect for our future generations with such schisms entering our education system? These divides, physical and emotional, are detrimental to the unity of the entire nation.
I remember after watching V. Shantarams’ 1956 classic Parosi (neighbour), I left the theatre with moist eyes, wondering whether Hindus and Muslims could ever live like that again; whether the composite culture which India inherited had any chance of survival in the prevalent divisive political scenario.
Does it?
Ram Puniyani is a writer and activist.
He is associated with various secular initiatives and also has been part of different investigation reports on the violation of human rights of minorities. He can be reached at ram.puniyani@gmail.com
Curtsey:DAWN.COM, Apr 17, 2015
October rage in India: surprising?
By Imtiaz Gul
The writer heads the independent Centre for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad and is the author of Pakistan: Pivot of Hizbut Tahrir’s Global Caliphate
A string of events in recent weeks — mostly involving Shiv Sena and RSS activists — shook not only outsiders but also a large number of Indians. Invariably, many have begun questioning whether this attack on the ‘unwanted citizens’ within India amounts to an assault on the secular foundations of the country, or does it reflect a genuine push for establishing the grandiose Hindutva vision across India?
Pakistan to push for T20 World Cup out of India
Dozens of Shiv Sena zealots, for instance, stormed the BCCI office in Mumbai on October 19, chanting slogans in protest against BCCI President Shashank Manohar’s meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shahryar Khan and demanded the guests go back. The same day, members of a Hindu extremist group threw black ink on a Kashmiri lawmaker, Engineer Rashid, outside the New Delhi Press Club. A week earlier on October 14, Shiv Sena activists doused the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni in black paint for hosting the launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book. They went to the extent of describing Kulkarni as a bigger threat to India than the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack. In Mumbai, the police brutally assaulted two Muslim teenagers — Asif and Danish Shaikh — and told them to go “back to Pakistan”. An angry mob, lynched a Muslim compatriot, Mohammad Akhlaq, on September 30 for allegedly eating beef. Elsewhere, RSS and BJP activists and leaders want a total ban on beef and are openly advising beef-eaters to leave India.
As the list of religious militant absurdities grows, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged caution, drawing — justifiably so — the ire of Congress President Sonia Gandhi (on October 18) who said, “The prime minister says Hindus and Muslims should not fight. I say that they do not fight on their own, they are made to fight.”
11 times Shiv Sena made Indians want to bury their heads in the sand
Should we be shocked and surprised over the juvenile exuberance, misplaced arrogance, overplayed pretence of innocence and an over-projected sense of self-righteousness currently flowing out of India? We should not. Nor should we judge the Shiv Sena and the RSS. Simply because, as pointed out by veteran Indian lawyer A G Noorani in one of his recent columns, Modi is a ‘proud sevak’ of the RSS. “It was an unprecedented journey; but caused little surprise. On September 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Nagpur, the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to present himself before RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Almost his entire council of ministers and the BJP’s parliamentary board were there to demonstrate their accountability to the RSS,” wrote Noorani.
According to Noorani, Modi “was proud to be a Swayamsevak and he had reached where he had because of the values he had imbibed as a member of the RSS… Modi is a lifelong RSS activist (pracharak), having left his family to dedicate himself to the organisation. It, in turn, ensured his rise to the post of the highest executive of the country.” Why should this not be a licence for the proponents of ‘Akhand Bharat’ or the believers of Hindutva to kill opponents?
Shiv Sena activists attack Kasuri’s book launch organiser
In a way, Modi and his cohorts have sanctioned and encouraged violence and high-handedness vis-a-vis Indian Muslims by banning beef or allowing the RSS and Shiv Sena goons to physically threaten Pakistanis or those speaking in favour of Pakistan. As pointed out by Sanjay Kumar in a blog in this paper, the Indian “leadership has to go beyond political gain and loss in order to build a new architecture of peace in the subcontinent”. Vinod Sharma of the Hindustan Times, in an interview with a Pakistani channel on October 19, underscored that “they can win elections through this toxic and infective diatribe but certainly cannot repair and build relations”. Both Sharma and Kumar called on Indian leaders to transcend petty parochial party positions and work for creating lasting legacies. Kumar also pointed out that Angela Merkel’s way of accommodating Syrian refugees in her country has catapulted her political stature to new levels. She did so in the face of fierce opposition but she remained firm. Will South Asia ever get such a statesperson or keep reeling from parochial mediocrity?
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2015.
11 times Shiv Sena made Indians want to bury their heads in the sand
Indian activist Sudheendra Kulkarni (L), whose face was blackened by ink in an alleged attack, looks on as former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri speaks to media in Mumbai on October 12, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
The Hindu right-wing political party Shiv Sena has been an irritant to India-Pakistan relations practically since its inception. The extremist group has made a habit of meddling in non-political areas, such as cricketing relations.
Pakistan may boycott 2016 World Twenty20 in India: Zaheer Abbas
The recent attack on the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai is just one of many occasions when Shiv Sena behaved in a manner that can only be termed ‘special’. And we don’t mean it a nice way.
Here is a look at Shiva Sena’s antics in the past when it came to cricket. We can safely say their tactics have only gotten worse.
1. Dug the Wankhede strip in October 1991
The Shiv Sainiks, as the members of the party are known, dug the pitch in Mumbai to stop Pakistan from playing in the city. As a result the whole series got cancelled.
2. Got the Pakistan-India Test in Mumbai cancelled in 1998
In 1998, when BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government administered the state of Maharashtra, the latter made sure the Test between both the countries did not take place in Mumbai.
The BJP did not support the idea as its late leader Gopinath Munde, who was deputy chief minister of the state, expressed his discontent against it. However, chief minister Manohar Joshi, who belonged to Shiv Sena, cancelled the match at the behest of his party supremo, now late, Balasaheb Thackeray.
Akram, Akhtar sent back to Pakistan over Shiv Sena threat
3. Dug the Ferozshah Kotla pitch in 1999
This time the Sainiks not only dug up the pitch in the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, they also threatened to release venomous snakes in the ground ahead of Pakistan’s cricket tour of 1999.
Owing to the seriousness of the threat, the BCCI beefed up the security and not only were guards present in the ground but they were also accompanied by twenty-odd snake charmers. The match went on smoothly and is remembered because of Indian spinner Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul in the second innings.
4. Damaged India’s 1983 World Cup Trophy in 1999
The Shiv Sainiks vandalised BCCI’s office at Churchgate in Mumbai in the same year and damaged the Indian cricket team’s 1983 World Cup Trophy, won under Kapil Dev.
5. Damaged cricket pitch in Agra in 2003
A veteran’s match between Pakistan and India was to be held in India in Agra Sports Stadium but the Shiv Sainiks were against it and they scratched the pitch to make sure it didn’t happen.
Pakistan cricket fraternity slams Shiv Sena protest, demand ICC action
6. Protested India-Pakistan ODI in 2005
If the Sainiks were not enough, the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the student wing of the party, could be seen in action. The Vidyarthis attempted to prevent the Pakistan-India ODI in April 2005 which was being played in New Delhi.
7. Threatened to disrupt Pakistan’s games in ICC Champions Trophy in 2006
After the Mumbai serial train blasts in July 2006, Shiv Sena could not have gone MIA. They warned that the party would stage protests and disrupt the ICC Champions Trophy matches featuring Pakistan in Jaipur and Mohali. The protest came in the wake of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the bombings.
8. Opposed participation of Pakistani players in the IPL in 2009
In the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Shiv Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray in 2009 demanded that no Pakistani player should be permitted to participate in the league. Due to his statement, which came after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, no Pakistani players have been allowed to participate in the cash-rich tournament.
9. Targeted Shahrukh Khan in 2010
Even the Indian Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan could not escape the extremist tendencies of Shiv Sena when he proposed the participation of Pakistani players in the IPL. The Sainiks threatened to disrupt the screening of his movie My Name is Khan.
10. Claimed the right to allow Pakistan play the final of World Cup 2011 in Mumbai
The Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan team was also a target of the Sainiks in the 2011 World Cup. The party, while issuing a threat, claimed the right to allow or disallow Pakistan to play in Mumbai, if they made it to the final of the tournament.
Shiv Sena storms BCCI HQ to protest Indo-Pak cricket meeting
11. Criticised Pakistan’s short tour to India in 2012
In a 2012 ODI series, Pakistan did not play any matches in Mumbai, again owing to the criticism by Shiv Sena. It maintained its anti-Pakistan stance and emphasised that the visitors will not be allowed to play in Mumbai. The BCCI avoided any unwanted situation and did not schedule any match in Mumbai. The list was originally compiled by Cricket Country
Curtsey:The Express Tribune, Published: October 20, 2015
Building hysteria: Shiva Sena activists disrupt Pakistani play
By Aditi Phadnis
Published: October 26, 2015
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DEHLI:
In a sign of growing anti-Pakistan hysteria in India, a small group of men disrupted a theatre performance by Pakistani actors on the outskirts of the Indian capital Saturday evening.
Actors from the Lahore-based Mass Foundation were in the middle of their play, Baanjh (infertile) — based on the dispute between India and Pakistan over Siachen Glacier — when around half-a-dozen young men climbed on to the stage of the open air theatre in Gurgaon and started raising slogans against Pakistan. Media outlets in India later identified the vandals as belonging to the Shiva Sena group.
“We initially thought that it (men climbing on stage) was part of the play,” said a local official. “But when they uprooted a Pakistani flag placed on the stage, we realised that they wanted to disrupt the play. They also raised slogans against Pakistan and in favour of India.”
The disruption forced the actors off the stage. It wasn’t until the organisers forced the slogan-chanting men off stage that the play resumed.
Aamir Nawaz, the play’s director, said that they had come with the message of peace and were taking back lots of love and affection of the people of India.
“We have been visiting India since 2008 and have staged plays in different parts of the country,” local newspapers quoted Nawaz as saying. “We have been to other parts of the world as well, but enjoy performing in India as we share common culture.”
He added that reports on the media about recent acts of violence in India had scared their families at home. “Our family members were worried about our security.”
MCG Art consultant V D Trikha termed the incident as “unfortunate”.
“We should not protest against the artists. They belong to all,” he said. “We have also been to Pakistan several times and got a lot of love and affection from the people there.”
“I am happy that the audience present in the theatre objected to the conduct of those trying to disrupt the play.”
On Sunday, the Times of India reported the arrest of four Shiva Sena men who interrupted the play a day earlier.
Earlier this month, the Shiv Sena had threatened Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali from performing in Mumbai, following which his concert was cancelled. Later, they doused with ink the organiser of a book launch event for ex-Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri. And last week, dozens of Shiv Sena activists had stormed the offices of Indian cricket chief and forced him to cancel a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Deepak Saharan said that they had not received any written complaints.
Mass Foundation is slated to perform in New Delhi on Monday. It has prompted the city’s government to beef up security so that the group can take to the stage without any interruption.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2015.
'Never witnessed such intolerance' in India, says poet Gulzar
A file photo of India poet and writer Gulzar. PHOTO: FILE
Expressing concern over the growing instances of communal violence in India, noted lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar has said he never witnessed such intolerance in the country before.
As many as 50 novelists, essayists, playwrights and poets have returned the awards they received from India’s prestigious literary academy to protest what they call a growing climate of intolerance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Sahitya Akademi has also been criticised by India’s literati for its silence over the murders of writers, including secular scholar M M Kalburgi, who was shot dead in August, allegedly by Hindu radicals.
Indian top literary body condemns killings of writers
“The murder that has hurt us all is somewhere the fault of the system/government… Returning the award was an act of protest. Writers don’t have any other way to register their protest,” he said.
“We have never witnessed this kind of religious intolerance.”
“Never thought that a situation like this would come where a person’s religion is asked before his name. It was never like this… What politics can a writer do? A writer just speaks from his heart, mind and soul. They are the conscience keepers of the society. They are the keepers of the soul of the society,” added Gulzar.
41 writers return Indian awards
In the wake of the authors’ protest, the Sahitya Akademi passed a unanimous resolution on Friday, appealing the government to take steps to prevent such incidents and asked authors to take back the awards they had returned to protest against “rising intolerance”.
The article first appeared on NDTV
Curtsey: The Express Tribune, Published: October 24, 2015
Indian top literary body condemns killings of writers
By AFP
Sahitya Akademi had been criticised by India's literati for its silence over the murders of writers. PHOTO: PTI
NEW DELHI: India’s top literary body on Friday condemned multiple killings of writers, as protesters surrounded its New Delhi headquarters in a growing row over intolerance that has prompted dozens of authors to hand back awards.
Sahitya Akademi had been criticised by India’s literati for its silence over the murders of writers including secular scholar M M Kalburgi, who was shot dead in August, allegedly by Hindu radicals.
41 writers return Indian awards
More than 50 authors and artists have returned prestigious awards over what they say is institutional inaction following a series of violent incidents including the lynching over a Muslim over rumours he ate beef.
“The Akademi strongly condemns the killing of writer Kalburgi and appeals to the state and central government to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future,” academy member Krishnaswamy Nachimuthu told reporters.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the academy’s New Delhi office Friday wearing black arm bands and holding pictures of Kalburgi.
Modi calls lynching of Muslim man ‘unfortunate’
“Those who do not subscribe to the agenda of these (extremist) groups will be targeted,” Pankaj Singh, a poet told AFP.
An opposing protest saw supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi chant nationalist slogans as they said that handing back the awards was merely an attempt to defame the government.
“The murder of Kalburgi was a criminal act and we should not politicise it. The trend of returning awards is setting a wrong precedent,” author Shiv Shankar Awasthy told AFP.
The voice of artists
Government investigators have said Hindu extremists were also responsible for the killings of writer Govind Pansare and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.
British author Salman Rushdie has lent his support to protesting writers, saying the literary body’s silence was giving rise to “thuggish violence”.
Curtsey:The Epxress Tribune, Published: October 24, 2015
41 writers return Indian awards
Writers say every day brings more evidence of intolerance and bigotry going mainstream. PHOTO: FILE
Many in India’s literary community are disgusted. Dozens of writers say every day brings more evidence of intolerance and bigotry going mainstream — a man lynched allegedly for eating beef, an atheist critic of Hindu idol worship gunned down — all met by a deafening silence from the government.
As of Wednesday, 41 novelists, essayists, playwrights and poets had returned the awards they received from India’s prestigious literary academy to protest what they call a growing climate of intolerance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, according to Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar.
The government has dismissed the writers’ protests, questioning their motives and accusing them of being politically motivated. “If they say they are unable to write, let them stop writing,” culture minister Mahesh Sharma told reporters.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2015.
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