HYDERABAD: It was an evening filled with patriotic fervour and a feeling of resistance at Lamakaan. India My Valentine, a three-day venture came to Hyderabad on Sunday to celebrate love and unity. Faye D’Souza, now an independent journalist and Aditi Mittal, one of India’s top stand-up comics were the guests of the evening. Faye started off by lauding Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker for coming up with such a great initiative and leading it from the front. “We’re all here today to talk about what’s going on in our country right now and this India that we love so much is protected by our collective unity”, she said. She clarified to the audience that the white band tied on her arm is not because she got injured and that it was a sign of protest against police brutality on students.
“I’m extremely disturbed and horrified after seeing today’s video of police beating up students in a library at Jamia,” she said. She added that the promises made to students that if they study hard they can anything can be achieved, are all taken away with these monstrous acts and we need to figure out how to give it back to them.” Speaking about her journey as a journalist, she said “I stopped being a mainstream journalist a few months ago, when mainstream journalism failed to report what happened in Kashmir, failed to ask the right questions about unemployment, economy, farmers suicide, rise in crime rates and starving children and failed to hold the government accountable to what it was doing,” she deliberated. So, the Uncle said that he likes her videos and that they are very bold and honest but he doesn’t forward them because he’s scared.
He claims that they are with her in spirit to which Faye questioned, “Who is the ‘we’ and what good is your spirit to me when you can’t forward a video?” Her reaction outside was very subtle although her inner self was choking with the thought that it is not normal to not be able to forward a video in a free, independent country. She slammed the biggies of the Indian film industry saying that they are conspicuous with their silence. Everyone now has access to internet, to education, to being a voice but there has been silence all over because people have too much to lose and too much to protect, she added. Being a strong voice is more than wanting safety and reputation.
The public is scared to open up about the atrocities thinking that the government is tracking them and reading all their content. History will ask us for accountability if we don’t voice out our opinions now, she said. Mohan Guruswamy, former economic advisor made some scathing remarks how the government is handling the economy. About Amit Shah’s statement on making India a 5 trillion economy, Guruswamy jokingly said “Ramraajya mei sab mumkin hai. India is currently at 112 out of 117 on the Global Hunger Index which is worse than Pakistan and Bangladesh, 91% of India’s children are sleeping hungry and that’s something we all should be worrying about and not nonsense like CAA-NRC.
The students all over the country are on the streets protesting such a mischievous and horrible law which is utter waste of time.” Faye requested to the audience to stand up for the national anthem and ended her session with slogans like Bharath Mata Ki Jai, S a m v i d h a a n Zindabad etc which left the audience with goose bumps. Later, Aditi Mittal, who was welcomed with hoots and applause, talking about the award she won recently and described the whole incident where she came across misogyny and patriarchy. She also included that her mother is still not sure about telling people about her profession and what she does for a living and followed it with lots of jokes on foreigners in India. She ended the show with a selfwritten song mocking the government and its doings.