Writer's Block
Rabindranath Tagore is the only Indian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. In pre-Independence India, when he felt the British government was not living up to the high ideals of European tradition which he admired greatly he returned his knighthood because of the mass killings of Jalianwalla Bagh. The language of reason had given way to violence. In our time, Khushwant Singh, an eminent novelist, doyen of Indian journalists and historian of the Sikhs returned the Padma Bhushan when the Indian army raided the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The language of reason had given way to violence. Arundhati Roy, a winner of the Booker Prize, the second most prestigious award after the French prize, is a thorn in the foot of the Indian government as she has been repeating at frequent intervals how India is no longer a democracy. She is unlikely to receive an award from the Indian government. And while what she has been saying is not entirely true, dark clouds no doubt have been been gathering over Indian democracy. Now it is raining all through the year much to the disbelief of Indians who have known much happier, sunny weather when freedom was real. Is the age of Kali going to dawn on India? Great writers who have influenced people all over the world have looked on literary prizes with the greatest contempt, some even refusing to accept the Nobel Prize. The name of Jean Paul Sartre, the great novelists and existentialist is easy to recall. The greatest writer of the twentieth century did not receive the Noble Prize. He died young from TB but bequeathed a legacy to future generations all over the world, and a warning to us: never trust your government. It is time for all of us Indians to study George Orwell. Will our government accept my suggestion and introduce the ideas of Orwell in our school education system? Freedom of expression is important in a democracy. When a writer's views are not in line with a political party, the political party's rebuttal has to appear in a suitable forum, print or any other. Blackening the face of someone and parading him on the streets cannot be accepted as a mild form of democratic protest. It is illegal, violent, and savagery. It is not democratic at all. Address all grievances at the proper forum. When a politician cannot tell the difference between what is a democratic right and what is not, he is a danger to democracy, civil society, and voters need to demand his resignation. India simply cannot afford to become a dictatorial society as it will put an end to development, and more. Prime Minister Modi's image abroad is starting to blur on the international stage with Indians in the UK planning protests as they fear the rights of minorities are in imminent danger. While some Indian opportunists in the UK might not care a pao if Indian democracy is starting to resemble our neighbors, westerners are starting to hear alarm bells. Great writers know literature depends on life, existence, and although literary awards, cash and social recognition are welcome, all of them together cannot hold a candle to life - the source of great literature. Great writers worship at the feet of life - not government. Only mediocre writers hold on to their awards at a time when freedom of speech is under attack, in a way one would expect of a drowning man and his lifebuoy.