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http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/authors-and-their-selective-protests.htmlThursday, 29 October 2015 | Ashoke Pandit
When politics becomes corrupted, it can still be reformed. However, it's sad but true that, when intellectuals get corrupt, it's a point of no-return
The other day, when noted lyricist Gulzar spoke in favour of the award-returning fiasco, the only thought that came to my mind were his lines: "Tujhse naaraz nahi zindagi, hairaan hoon main... Pareshan hoon main...". This because, when a personality like Gulzar saheb voices about an issue that is totally contrary to your seed of belief, you tend to wonder whether you are right or wrong. You wonder whether your conscience, your voice is wrongly placed. But then, I realised that if his voice is in favour of the writers, who are bent on creating a false sense of anarchical atmosphere in the country, then where was his voice when the greatest and immortal poetry and literature of Kashmir were up in flames?
Colleges, schools and libraries were being burnt. There was a mass genocide of the intelligentsia of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. Forget about the freedom of speech; tongues were chopped off if you even dared to speak. When the voices were throttled and lives slaughtered, the so-called Akademic clan was missing from action. Maybe, if they had created a noise then, there would be some voice of the Kashmiri Pandits left in the valley today.
The killing of noted writer MM Kalburgi has been termed as some kind of a Right-wing conspiracy. But what surprises me is that, when the country was hit by incidents like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks or the Mumbai bomb blasts in 2008 and 1993, all of which were perpretrated by Muslim terrorists, no one stood to call it Islamic terrorism. Then, all we got to hear was that terrorism has no religion, no colour. It is a dastardly act of inhumanity. But the moment the act is committed by a Hindu, it immediately takes the shape and colour of religion and sect.
Last month, Iranian film director Majid Majidi had come to India to promote his film on Prophet Mohammad, and AR Rahman scored the music for the same. Both these gentlemen are known devout Muslims, but an entire clan of maulvis and self-proclaimed soldiers of Islam stood up and gagged Mr Majidi and Mr Rahman. Where was this clan of agitators then? One never heard a quiver of protest from any corner. Now, just imagine, instead of amaulvi, if a swami or a maharaj had done the denouncement, protests would have become unstoppable.
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