Dear Editor,
Heads of all true secular humanitarian Indians have once again hanged in shame. After cold-blooded murder of M.M.Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, it is the turn of Gauri Lankesh for her “sin” of exercising her Constitutional right of expressing free independent opinion, calling spade the spade and protest against communalism. Lankesh might have been forced to depart for her heavenly abode, but can any force succeed in subduing her spirit?
Despite such dominance of intolerance and barbarism all around, it is indeed a matter of assurance and consolation that still there continues to exist Kalburgis, Pansares and Gauris in our midst whose silence cannot be purchased through muscular might or bullets.
When asked by a friend once if she wasn’t taking undue risks by relentlessly fighting against communal forces and all hues of social atrocities and injustice, Gauri Lankesh retorted in light vein : “Pah, nothing, and someone has to say these things, no; if we don’t who will?”
In his tribute to Lankesh, Mysore-based secular rationalist Kannada writer K.S.Bhagawan has remarked, who himself lives under tight police security cover since he received death threats by the very same fanatic communal brigade— “This is shocking to say the least. The society as a whole must take the blame for incidents like this when strong voices are silenced. This is a part of the larger attempt to silence voices against fascism and communalism and i often feel the society doesn’t deserve such
Very rightly has Bhagawan asserted that this society doesn’t deserve such voices. actually this society deserves those billions who remain vocal on all things bollywood “entertainment”, IPL, ISL, religious festivals and remain immersed in rampant consumerism, self-promotion and vulgar dancing in night clubs with liberal doses of alcohol; but maintain pin-drop silence on issues which really matter!
Indeed we do not deserve these Kalburgis, Pansares or Gauris in our midst.
And the self-declared nationalists should also remain enlightened about the fact that despite all rhetoric of India’s “elitism” of attaining Mars orbit, India”s show of “might” through mass Yoga, Bullet trains or gigantic statue; the face of the country is getting tarnished in international forum with each passing day with series of fatal assaults on secular rationalists and branding of innocent people as “anti-nationalist” if they dare to swim against the saffron “mainstream”.
Yours,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Kolkata