THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:If being critical and vocal against casteism and undemocratic practices turns a threat to your life and make you an urban naxal, then it is time to say we all are Gauris and urban naxals, said Dr Arifa KC, chairperson, Centre for Film, Gender and Culture Studies. She was inaugurating an event, ‘Ormathee’, organised by Manaveeyam Street Library in association with Kerala Chalachitra Academy, in connection with the remembrance day of Gauri Lankesh.
On September 5, exactly a year back, Gauri Lankesh, a dauntless journalist and strong critic of Hindutva was gunned down outside her home. A group of activists, artists, teachers, students and all assembled on the premises of Manaveeyam Street Library, in Thiruvananthapuram to remember and share their memories of Gauri Lankesh. The event also held a talk on the subject, ‘Freedom of expression in the time of fascism’. “Activists, writers, journalists and all those who resist the Hindutva fascism are imprisoned and labelled as Naxals. And all kind of dissenting voices are forcefully shut down. Democracy is on its last breath. If we remain silent, we will also become one among those who betrayed democracy,” said Arifa.
VS Bindu, a poet, evoked the name Najeeb, who was missing from Jawaharlal Nehru University for nearly two years. She says, “Many questions like where Najeeb is, why someone tried to kill Umar Khalid, why Jignesh Mewani has been constantly targeted, are buried down.”
She said Hindutva fascist forces are trying to create a society of ignorant people by banning books, attacking writers and branding people that are raising their voices as Naxals. A photo exhibition was also held, reminding the general public about the numerous victims of Hindutva terror in Post Independent India. The photographs of Gandhiji, Gauri Lankesh, Narendra Dhabolkar, MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare, Una flogging victims and Rohit Vemula were hung on the street walls of Manaveeyam.
A brochure, titled ‘I am Gauri’, was released on the event, followed by the screening of the documentary, ‘Namma Gauri’, directed by Pradeep K P.