I don’t want India to become Pakistan: Mangalesh Dabral

In the aftermath of the killing of Kannada writer M.M. Kalburgi and the lynching in Dadri, the Narendra Modi government has been embroiled in a controversy with several writers, actors, scientists and intellectuals returning their awards in protest against “rising intolerance” in the country.

Noted Hindi poet Mangalesh Dabral speaks to Nitin Mahajan about the controversy over returning of awards and how this step is aimed at fighting for the rights of citizens.

What prompted you to return the Sahitya Akademi Award This is not the first time that the nation has seen sporadic incidents of communal violence. So what was the need to take such a drastic step now The awards have been returned by me and others of my fraternity to protest against the prevailing level of intolerance in the country. Ever since the present government and its affiliates from the Sangh Parivar were sworn to power, they seem hellbent on creating a communally charged atmosphere in the country.

The situation has deteriorated so much that the minorities in this country do not feel safe. They threatened renowned Kannada author U.R. Ananthamurthy, pressured Delhi University to withdraw distinguished scholar and poet A.K. Ramanujan’s celebrated essay Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five examples and Three Thoughts on Translations, then Kalburgi was killed.

It was followed by Penguin Books India being forced to withdraw copies of US Indologist Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: An Alternative History from the Indian market. All this culminated in the murder of a Muslim in Dadri based on the rumour that he had consumed beef. These incidents are not isolated from each other.

No particular incident triggered this protest. Though the Sahitya Akademi is not directly under the government, its awards are funded by the government. However, most of us felt that the Akademi should have come out more openly to protect the intellectual freedom and protest against the ongoing attempts to muzzle public opinion.

There was no other way to show our disgust with the prevailing situation than to return our awards. The communal atmosphere and the contempt for other points of view forced the intellectual community to act.

Ministers in the Modi government have questioned the timing of “award wapasi”, alleging that writers and other intellectuals have been acting as stooges of the Congress and Communists. What is your reaction A few people among the writers may be affiliated to a political party, but more than 90 per cent of them are apolitical and do not have any affiliation with any political party. They have hardly been benefitted by the previous government. We are speaking for the rights of the people of our country.

The current government is trying to confuse the common people by saying that these authors belong to the Congress or Communist camps.

The writers staged a similar protest when the Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency. In fact, several of them, including some of my friends, were also jailed. Similarly in 1984, after the anti-Sikh riots, several writers, including Khushwant Singh, had returned their awards or honours to protest against the atrocities being committed on the people and minorities of this country.

Anyone trying to create an impression that awards are being returned for the first time, or under the influence of any political party, is trying to create a false impression.

Do you see this as part of a larger game plan to institutionalise saffronisation in the country Tragically, we are seeing a government where its ministers take pride in claiming their Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh affiliation. Most of them wear this as a badge of honour. They are trying their level best to keep their masters in Nagpur happy and often indulge in giving out statements and reactions that are unbecoming of the position they hold. The current government has been going all out trying to saffronise the institutions built over decades. They just want to remove anything that does not fit their ideology.

The situation has become so alarming that the international association of writers, Pen International, had to take a stand in favour of the ongoing writers’ protest in the country.

Several ruling party leaders have equated the returning of awards to being an insult to India. Do you think returning an award is easy Also, what makes a nation It’s the people that make a nation. Everybody born in India, irrespective of his/her cast, creed, or religion, is a part of India. I am a patriot who wants India to remain a liberal and open democracy. I don’t want it to become Pakistan. Would you want to live in a country like Pakistan where the minorities have been muzzled We definitely do not want our country to turn into Pakistan.

Ever since the BJP came to power, many of its party leaders have told all dissenters to go to Pakistan, while Pakistani extremist elements are also inviting Indian dissenters over.

Is it not an arrangement of convenience for extremist elements on both sides of the border

By returning this award, we are expressing our dissent, which is a democratic form of protest. Whenever there is any atrocity on the African-American community in the US, it is the US democracy and the government that has to face all the criticism. Similarly, we are criticising the Indian government.

What is the way out Do you think Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to intervene and rein in the so-called fringe elements within his party and the RSS The Prime Minister is so active on Twitter and other social networking sites, often talking about frivolous things. Why can’t he speak about the trouble that has been affecting the nation India needs to be run on the democratic principles, where difference of opinion needs to be respected. Above all, the freedoms promised to our citizens under our Constitution need to be protected.