Dear Dileep A request.
When critiquing media reportage, it might be helpful for some of us living outside Kerala, if you could possibly sent a link where the original article can be accessed - if it is available online and is possible Best On 24/03/2008, Dileep Raj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Read a report on Chengara and a comment on night vigil written by Roshni > Padmanabhan and Mythri Prasad Aleyamma in > today's malayalam weekly. > > let me share my feeling and response to the criticisms / allegations > raised against Night Vigil by them. > > 1.They try to teach / dictate others on how civil society should support > struggles and what should be the 'quintessential > spirit" of solidarity activities. being dismissive/ critical of others' > actions is most democratic. Is it democratic to advise > others on what / how to do? > 2.People came to Night Vigil in a picnic mood, they say.How do they > arrive at such a conclusion? what methodology ( except > accepting Kairali's repeated visuals ) did they follow in it? How are > they different from kairali photographer? > 3.We turned/ misused the Night Vigil into a platform for demanding sexual > freedom/individual freedom , they say. how do they support it? ( again, > except referring to Kairali's representation) . Are they not equaly > undemocratic in branding us as sexual revolutionaries? Not that fighting for > sexual freedom is a crime. But I am not clear what one mean by that > term.Secondly, there were Dalit activists, feminists, > sexworkers, students , professionals , writers ( not exclusive categories > but overlapping..) etc in the group. How can somebody homogenise this group > and question their intentions? > 4." Isn't there a contradiction in people veturing on supporting a Dalit > struggle without understanding its true essense claiming that it is a novel > form and complaining about Kairali's portrayal?" This is the most dangerous > part of the argument to my view. IT NORMALISES VIOLENCE . > 5.We should have expected such reprting and its less media's fault than > ours, accuses Roshni and Mythri. Really sad. Just like elders cursing a girl > for traveling at night upon raped. Just like cetain human rights activists > justifying state violence against naxalites > by asking " What else do you expect from State?" as if everybody engaging > in democratic politics 'deserve' to be treated undemocratically by media > and state and they should be 'prepared' to face assaults. Really really sad > to listen to this often repeated > advise from friends whom we expect to be sensitive. > 6.Final paragraph has to be quoted in full. " Night Vigil team's social > capital rocketed like anything as a result of this discourse( Any publicity > is good publicity). Chengara struggle suffer the loss." I couldn't imagine > a more insensitive observation. Isn't it analogous to accusing Roshni and > Mythri of gainig cultural capital and (economic ) capital by writing about > Chengara in a weekly? I think it will > be (selectively) quoted in tommorrow''s Deshabhimani. [ are they > 'expecting' it?]. At what cost do agents in Night Vigil gain this "social > capital"? Getting stigmatised( in society and activist circles)? By fasing > social fascism the way Reshma did in her locality? > 7. The way Roshni and Mythri grounds their view points reminds me of > "sabda Pramana vada" in Indian Philosphy. What matters there is not the > reasoning but the fact that the speaker has direct access to 'truth'.They > claim to be more 'near' to struggling people than anybody else. Granted , > but one question. couldn't ther be dialougue between struggling sections/ > individuals? ( Sanni M Kapikkad, > active in Chengara solidarity activities from the beginnig said, "if the > committe asks me to stay away from Chengara struggle > I will stand by night vigil and continue my struggle. But to my surprise, > the Dalit leaderships showed more belief in the 'young guys' than > Deshabhimani." We are not anchoring our actions/ arguments in the > authoroty of our relationship to the struggling people. We recognise them as > eqquals and are not afraid oof enagaging in a critical dialougue with them. > We are not patrons but equals to them. > > > > > -- > Dileep R I thuravoor > > > > -- Bobby Kunhu --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
