prasad1
Active member
A few days ago, I met a friend with whom I enjoy discussing politics and literature. Writers have often said all literature is political, but in India it appears literature – and all art – is scoured for its politics, and its fate decided by whether its maker voices an opinion that will be advantageous at the polls. In a world where a chance reading by the wrong person can end careers, our conversations have become increasingly incensed in tone and depressing in reflection. "Have you written a column on JNU yet?" she asked this time. I had not. It was not because I had nothing to say, because I definitely did and do. It was not because experts on the law and on political science had already weighed in, because I think every voice that is willing to stand up for the opinion of its owner matters. It was not because I didn't have the right forum, because several people had emailed me asking me if I would like to write about the issue. The fact was that, for the first time in my years as a columnist, I was genuinely afraid. Not simply wary, but afraid. Over the year and a half that my friend and I had known each other, we had bonded mainly on the importance of being able to say things as they are, on the importance of eschewing apologia, on the importance of freedom of expression above all else. And now, here we were, sitting in my hometown on a Sunday, talking about how the arrest of the JNU Students' Union President had affected our lives. He was charged with sedition, an accusation that could have frightening ramifications. It is a charge that has been faced by many artists, writers, and activists. None of them has had an easy time, and all of them are better connected than we are, I said. A columnist is usually left on his or her own by the disclaimer 'Views expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of this newspaper/magazine/website'. She understood. "Today, I was going to share an article about the issue on Facebook, but then I thought for a second and wondered whether I could be charged with sedition for sharing it. I did eventually post it, but I faltered for a second."
I don't know whether that can be interpreted as seditious; but it will not be in the India that I know and love, the India in which I was raised, the India which prides itself on its diversity of people and opinion. That is not the India of the Sanghis. And I will not let them win in my India.
Read more at: http://www.sify.com/news/have-the-s...n-on-sedition-news-columns-qcrq1hiajaigc.html
