About time, and more needed
It could not have been much longer before India’s more progressive blocs came out in protest against increasing intolerance under since the Modi administration took over. The extreme right has been awkwardly vocal and disturbingly belligerent of late – though the prime minster surprisingly remained silent even through a public mob lynching – but now a powerful counter argument is gathering pace, one that admirably proves yet again that actions speak louder than words.
The other day a good 50 of India’s leading historians protested against just such intolerance. They have urged the state, among other things, to “ensure an atmosphere that is conducive to free and fearless expression, security for all sections of society and safeguarding of the values and traditions of plurality that India had always cherished in the past”. Considering what has happened to some who have tried to uphold these traditions recently, this is indeed a bold and brave initiative, as much as it is a much needed one. The statement follows a similar show of defiance by a group of scientists. And immediately following Shiv Sena’s attack on Khurshid Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai – where activists sprayed the host’s face with black oil paint – a string of prominent Indian writers returned prestigious awards in protest.
It must be noted, however, that India is not the only country in the region beset with regressive, backward tendencies. Pakistan, too, has its share of hard liners who favour violence to silence critics, or even those who mildly disagree with their worldview. There is a need here, too, for the more progressive elements to step forward and reclaim lost social and intellectual space. But, again, such initiatives can only go so far if the government does not come out strongly in defence of civil liberties, of which freedom of expression is of paramount importance. If it can do that much, it would have taken the first step in erecting the crucial national narrative that is essential to win hearts and minds in the war against terrorism.
