FAILURE TO PROTECT ARTISTIC RIGHTS;
BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT HAVE FAILED MISERABLY TO UPHOLD IDEALS OF FREE EXPRESSION-AS ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION !
It is on the record that atheistic communists have not been far behind religious chauvinists.The left front Government of West Bengal banned the works of Taslima Nasreen,merely because a few angry men had claimed that they were 'unislamic'.Nasreen had been exiled from her native Bangla Desh and naturally wished to be based in a Bengali speaking region of India.But the communists refused even to provide protection for her in Kolkata,so that she had to leave the city to seek refuge elsewhere.
In this regard,Hindu bigots have matched and perhaps even outperformed,their Islamic counterparts.Before they trained their guns on Ramanujan and Doniger,they had set about persecuting Maqbool Fida Hussain.Exhibitions of his work were vandalized in several cities.Then, in a malevolent systematically orchestrated campaign,a series of cases were filed against him in many different locations. In desperation,Hussain moved overseas.India's best loved painter had been forced to flee his homeland.
And of late,it is a sad commentary on the state of our nation,that a bunch of narrow minded bigots [claiming to speak in the name of 'Hinduism']can so easily have well researched,very readable and deeply insightful works of internationally acclaimed author Doniger's works,withdrawn,banned or burnt.
How can this trend of persecution and harassment be reversed ?It would help if the lower courts do not so recklessly entertain cases so clearly mala fide in intent.It would also help if at least the bigger publishers show more courage in the face of intimidation.And it would help most of all if the political class shows some commitment to upholding the ideals of free expression enshrined in the constitution.
BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT HAVE FAILED MISERABLY TO UPHOLD IDEALS OF FREE EXPRESSION-AS ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION !
It is on the record that atheistic communists have not been far behind religious chauvinists.The left front Government of West Bengal banned the works of Taslima Nasreen,merely because a few angry men had claimed that they were 'unislamic'.Nasreen had been exiled from her native Bangla Desh and naturally wished to be based in a Bengali speaking region of India.But the communists refused even to provide protection for her in Kolkata,so that she had to leave the city to seek refuge elsewhere.
In this regard,Hindu bigots have matched and perhaps even outperformed,their Islamic counterparts.Before they trained their guns on Ramanujan and Doniger,they had set about persecuting Maqbool Fida Hussain.Exhibitions of his work were vandalized in several cities.Then, in a malevolent systematically orchestrated campaign,a series of cases were filed against him in many different locations. In desperation,Hussain moved overseas.India's best loved painter had been forced to flee his homeland.
And of late,it is a sad commentary on the state of our nation,that a bunch of narrow minded bigots [claiming to speak in the name of 'Hinduism']can so easily have well researched,very readable and deeply insightful works of internationally acclaimed author Doniger's works,withdrawn,banned or burnt.
How can this trend of persecution and harassment be reversed ?It would help if the lower courts do not so recklessly entertain cases so clearly mala fide in intent.It would also help if at least the bigger publishers show more courage in the face of intimidation.And it would help most of all if the political class shows some commitment to upholding the ideals of free expression enshrined in the constitution.
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