THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cultural leaders in the state led by veteran author M T Vasudevan Nair have come out against the attack on acclaimed writer Salman Rushdie. The brutal attack was obviously intended to silence the writer once and for all, a statement endorsed by Malayalam writers, filmmakers, artists and cultural figures and issued by the Chintha Ravindran Foundation said.
The attack on Rushdie, “who is a man of peace and dealing only in the written word, is yet another example of the violent intolerance of dissent that is dangerously gaining momentum”, the statement read. Expressing shock over the attempt to kill him, the leaders called for a protest against the attack .
“The call to kill him (Rushdie) was in itself a condemnable move against the freedom of expression. The fact that Rushdie had to spend several years of his life in hiding, unable to experience even the simple comforts of life, and yet was active in writing reveals his innate passion for creativity. The present incident was intended to silence the writer in a bid to punish him for what he had written. We view this despicable act as a sign of a deep, simmering crisis faced by those indulging in creative pursuits in recent times,” said the statement.