{"id":9404,"date":"2017-11-21T00:48:14","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T19:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=9404"},"modified":"2017-11-21T00:48:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T19:18:14","slug":"cultural-vultures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2017\/11\/21\/cultural-vultures\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Vultures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nLife in \u2018official\u2019 slim stip<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Poonam I Kaushish<\/strong><\/p>\n

Democracy is a conflict of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. A succinct saying which aptly nails the ongoing maelstrom over two films: Padmavati a story of a Rajput Queen and a documentary which depicts Arvind Kejriwal as a hero and the petitioner, who threw ink at him, a convict. Welcome to the latest season of the Culture of Protests and the Ugly Intolerant Indian!
\nUnheard of Rajasthan\u2019s fringe groups Karni Sena, Rashtriya Ekatha Manch and former Jaipur royals want a complete ban on the movie as it shows the Queen in bad light. UP Chief Minister Yogi has said the film\u2019s release could pose a law and order problem. Added a Haryana Minister, \u201cglamourising Alauddin Khilji\u2019s character is akin to praising those who carry out acid attacks on girls\u201d and in Gujarat\u2019s Surat thousands took out a protest march.
\nAlas, the power of rhetorical public abuse and remonstrations by random Hindutva outfits underscores the discourse is not only becoming increasingly rabble rousing, abusive and devoid of any substance but also tilted towards widening the communal divide.
\nA classic case of \u201cideological intolerance\u201d by Hindutva brigands who enjoy patronage of the RSS largesse as opposed to Nehruvian or Left ideology and beliefs of the present ruling dispensation. Either way, the protests once again strips India of all balance and open-mindedness wherein intolerance and violence is the rhetoric of the times.
\nRaising a moot point: What is about the film that it needs to be banned or else? How does exercising one\u2019s freedom of expression tantamount to distorting history? Is the NDA crushing free speech, suppressing debate and dissent which are essential pre-requisites of creative and thinking minds? Is it afraid of clash of ideas? Have we lost the ability to accept criticism? Bordering on a narcissist phobia?
\nQuestionably, are threats, fear and coercion the new grammar of Naya Bharat\u2019s political ecosystem? Is the polity afraid of the clash of ideas? Is India in the midst of political intolerance with Hindutva values thrust down our throats? Are we so paranoid or intolerant that any act of laughter, joke, film or perceived bigotry is viewed as twisting facts? How does merely criticizing a film tantamount to spreading \u201chatred\u201d?
\nIn this eddy of tu-tu-mein-mein kudos to the Supreme Court which underlined that freedom of speech and expression are \u201csacrosanct\u201d and \u201cshould not be ordinarily interfered with. An artist has his own freedom to express himself in a manner which is not prohibited in law and such prohibition is not read by implication to crucify the rights of expressive mind.\u201d
\nHopefully, this should end the outpourings of bigotry against a book, film or artwork which pokes fun or is not in sync with a fringe group or community\u2019s thinking. Recall, in 2007, a Buddhist group filed a complaint against actress Rakhi Sawant because she posed in a bathtub against a Lord Buddha statue. Or cases against famous painter MF Husain for painting Bharat Mata as a naked woman, hurting religious sentiments.
\nIndeed, How does one control the hate mongers and blunt them? Would it not only further divide the people on creed lines but is also antithetical to hope of narrowing India\u2019s burgeoning religious divide, thereby unleashing a Frankenstein.
\nSadly, this is not the first time noises have been made by narrow sectarian groups. Many films, books even cartoons have been banned, innumerable artists have faced taboo and forced out in a country which prides itself for being the birthplace of apostles of peace and non-violence \u2014\u2014 Gandhi, Buddha and Mahavir.
\nUndeniably, cut-throat communalism is at work. Whereby, these rabid outfits with the backing of our netas have made the Hindu-Muslim vote-bank the tour de force of politics. With every leader propounding his self-serving recipe of \u2018communal\u2019 harmony: To keep gullible vote-banks emotionally charged so that their ulterior motives are served. Never mind, the nation is getting sucked into the vortex of centrifugal bickerings.
\nIf one doesn\u2019t like a film collect a crowd and burn theaters. If you don\u2019t like a novelist\u2019s book get the Government to ban it or issue a fatwa against the author. Remember, an innocuous cartoonist was arrested for sedition by Mamata in Kolkata and renowned cartoonist Shankar\u2019s Ambedkar\u2019s caricatures in NCERT school books were posthumously removed. Tamil Nadu banned noted actor-director Kamal Hasan\u2019s 100 crores magna opus Viswaroopam which dealt with terrorism on the fallacious ground it would hurt the sentiments of \u2018unknown\u2019 Muslim groups and create a law and order problem.
\nTragically, our leaders exploit the peoples emotions and only look at what will help popularize them and increase votebanks. Even if it tantamounts to cultural terrorism. See how the Shiv Sena forced cancellation of Pakistani Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali\u2019s concert in Mumbai and its cadres disrupted a BCCI meeting for reviving Indi-Pak cricket ties.
\nShah Rukh Khan was cornered for saying what it is to be a Muslim in India, getting caught in the crosshairs of an unseemly Indo-Pak spat leading him to say he was a proud Indian. The Rajasthan Government registering an FIR against sociologist Ashis Nandy for his controversial remarks on SC\/ST corruption at the 2013 Jaipur Literature Festival. Livid Dalit icons BSP\u2019s Mayawati and LJP\u2019s Ram Vilas Paswan forced him to get a stay from the Supreme Court.
\nBluntly, even as we are politically and economically free we remain hostage to society\u2019s errant elements which the political class exploits. Consequently, rabid outfits like Ram Sene and Jamai\u2019at-ul-Ulma-I-Hind proliferate and act with impunity because authorities are reluctant to take action against them. Sadly, increasing hooliganism exposes the continuing failure of law and order with the BJP disinclined or unable to rein in its cohorts.
\nClearly, India is in the grip of self-styled chauvinism and cultural dogmas wherein writers, intellectuals, historians or hoi polloi are soft targets with imprudent reactions taking over debates and calibrated decisions. Life is lived in the slim strip called the official and every joke, wit, satire or defiance treated as a monster. Big deal if this makes public discourse impoverished and toothless.
\nAt the present reckoning, we might remain indefinitely trapped in divisive rhetoric. Unfortunately, most Indians do not care. Absence of national character and indiscipline has led to a creeping paralysis of \u2018sab chalta hai\u2019.
\nWhere do we go from here? Pander to rabid rabble rousers and vote banks politics? Is the Government capable of defusing this treacherous powder keg? Notably, no licence should be given to anyone from any background to spread ill-feeling or hatred towards any historical person, leader or community who do not see themselves as Ram-Rahim-Jesus children.
\nThe Centre and State Governments cannot pass the buck to each other for ongoing madness. Our leaders should raise the bar on public discourse, not lower it any more than has been done. Certainly, freedom of speech and expression enshrined in our Constitution is sacrosanct and inviolable which needs to be cherished and protected.
\nThe message has to go out clearly that no person, group or organization can threaten violence, and if they do, they lose their democratic right to be heard. India could do without those who distort politics and in turn destroy democracy and laughter. It\u2019s time to control the hate mongers and blunt them.
\nIn sum, we need to desist from acerbic speeches and narrow-mindedness. Criticism is a sign of a thriving and robust democracy. India could do without people who destroys democracy and laughter. \u2014\u2014\u2014 INFA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life in \u2018official\u2019 slim stip By Poonam I Kaushish Democracy is a conflict of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. A succinct saying which aptly nails the ongoing maelstrom over two films: Padmavati a story of a Rajput Queen and a documentary which depicts Arvind Kejriwal as a hero and the petitioner, who threw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9404\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}