THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indians have lost their right to disagree, rued T Padmanabhan. Inaugurating a literary meet in connection with the state conference of the Kerala State Library Council here on Monday, Padmanabhan said those who raise voices of dissent are being ruthlessly silenced in the country. Padmanabhan criticised the growing intolerance in the country. “We tend to look at our neighbours with suspicion. If he does not share my beliefs, I hate him. If his clothes, way of living, worship and food do not agree with mine, he must go. We now live under a government comprising those who sincerely believe in this and work towards this goal. Stark darkness stares at us,” said the short story writer.
Padmanabhan pointed out that the right to disagree is the basis of any democratic system. “But Indians have lost that right. Those who expressed their disagreement, well-known writers and artists - both men and women - are gradually being eliminated by the government,” he said.“This is a deeply dangerous trend. It shows that we live in times of constant trepidation. This is happening in a land where great saints and sages once lived and thrived, those who wished for the entire universe to remain content and at peace. The names of Sreenarayana Guru and Bhagat Singh are gradually being erased from school text books in our neighbouring states.
There were some great universities in India that had earned the respect of the whole world and led by great personalities. Now these are being headed by ‘small’ individuals. He also referred to the controversy over the Pune Film Institute. “At a time when one’s existence itself is at stake, what can one expound on literature, art or drama?” he asked. Writers Perumbadavam Sreedharan, Sunil P Ilayidam, Cultural welfare board chairman Madhupal, Library council secretary V K Madhu and Professor V N Murali also spoke. Earlier in the morning chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the meeting online.
Speaking on the occasion, poet K Satchidanandan said proponents of Hindutva are trying to recreate the concept of East that was once nurtured by the invasive forces. India is a country with diverse cultures. Indians were termed Hindus by amalgamating all these together under one umbrella. The proponents of Hindutva have always tried to create dissonance among the people. “The Indian populace came into being after innumerable migrations. We are neither Aryans or Dravidians. Diversity has never destroyed India,” he said.