There was a time when the world believed the Earth to be the centre of the universe. In what could have been an off-shoot of self-aggrandizement, the planet that the human race inhabited was steadfast and the other planets and stars revolved around it. One man begged to differ — ‘the earth moves’ he argued and espoused the Copernican heliocentric theory. Galileo was arrested, accused of heresy for going against notions contrary to those of the Catholic Church and was condemned to house arrest for the rest of his life.
Dissent, may it be holding a marginally different viewpoint or being diametrically opposed to certain established ideas has not been tolerated and in fact has evoked much wrath. Most societies ostensibly champion and patronise every individual’s right to the freedom of speech and expression. Paradoxically, it is unforgiving of any philosophy or outlook that threatens to shake the foundation of its existence. Perhaps it is the fear of a diverse train of thought disrupting the core belief that it has been affirming from time immemorial in order to ensure its continued existence. The system belligerently holds on to certain convictions, upon which it has based its identity, shielding itself against any new ideas that could lead to disintegration of its original self.
Salman Rushdie, who was no stranger to controversies, courted one of mammoth proportions with The Satanic Verses. A fatwa was imposed that ensured that he zipped from place to place under tight security under the cryptic byname Joseph Anton.
Taslima Nasreen has been rendered homeless after her book Lajja and later, Dwikhondito had fundamentalist groups baying for her blood. Denuded of her Bangladeshi citizenship, the ‘blasphemous’ writer meandered between the West and the East and was also hounded out of Kolkata. The only other alternative left to her was to apologise and burn her books — in short compromise with her core principles.
The recipient of three top national honours, M F Husain had to wake up to the fact that free expression of ideas comes with a price. Following several criminal cases filed against him and the attack of his home, he went on a self-imposed exile, alternating between Dubai and London. When he faced deterioration in health, Husain expressed a fervent desire to return to his homeland, but instead, the artist who had put Indian art on the international stage had to breathe his last on foreign soil.
The existentialists, among other things, emphasised on ‘authenticity’ or finding one’s true inner self as a stipulation for overcoming angst and finding meaning in an otherwise inane world. This, they endorsed, was the only way in which one could get rid of ‘ontological guilt’ — a direct off-shoot of blind conformity and overcome existential angst. We seem to live in a set-up that feels so insecure and threatened by an innocuous Facebook post made by a girl and ‘Liked’ by her friend that it raises a hullabaloo and plunges into extreme action. The true spirit of democracy entails tolerance of a different opinion or ideology and of iconoclasts. Dissent, many a time, is instrumental in the healthy growth and development of a democracy. However, in a system averse to any kind of questioning a frame of reference, this is not to be. Perhaps voluntary acceptance of hemlock is the only answer.