I/II. http://scroll.in/article/761342/stir-from-your-soporific-stance-and-act-poet-keki-daruwalla-appeals-to-sahitya-akademi-president
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR 'Stir from your soporific stance and act': Poet Keki Daruwalla appeals to Sahitya Akademi president The eminent poet is the latest to add his voice to the rising chorus of protests against the silence of the country's premium literary body on the murder of professor MM Kalburgi. Scroll Staff · Yesterday · 08:51 pm Demanding that the Sahitya Akademi "stir from its soporific stance and act", eminent poet Keki Daruwalla has become the latest to join the chorus of protests against the silence of the country's premium literary body on the murder of professor MM Kalburgi. In a letter to Akademi president Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Daruwalla said he was "deeply perturbed at the Akademi's inexplicable silence". The poet, who won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1984, said it was astonishing that Tiwari was not sensitive to the issue despite several voices of dissent from Akademi members. The Padma Shri recipient added that he was upset that the Akademi was yet to hold a condolence meeting in honour of Professor Kalburgi more than a month after his death, which he called a "murder of ideas". He said that writers should feel free to express their views about the crime and that they should fear no one. Daruwalla's comments come on the same day that Malyalam poet K Satchidanandan resigned from all his positions in the Akademi. On Friday, award-winning novelist Shashi Deshpande had quit the literary body's Governing Council, stating that "silence is a form of abetment". Earlier this week, eminent writer Nayantara Sahgal and former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman Ashok Vajpeyi had returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards to protest the "assault on right to freedom of both life and expression". Noted Hindi writer Uday Prakash was the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to protest the murder of Professor Kalburgi. We give below the full text of Dauwalla's letter. Dear Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, What I am going to say may not be very pleasant. I have, since my return to the country in mid September, been quite perturbed at the inexplicable silence of the Akademi of which you are President, in regard to crimes against authors. The letters from well known writers and their dismay at the Akademi’s apathy to murder of writers is indeed something extremely alarming. It is astonishing that you are not sensitive to this issue. Writers returning their awards, or resigning from positions in the Akademi, is something which has never been witnessed in the long history of the Akademi. Late Prof MM Kalburgi was a Sahitya Akademi award winner. He was murdered first thing in the morning on August 30. According to all the reports in papers that I have read, this was a murder of ideas that he held. Over a month has passed and the Akademi has not even held a Shok Sabha, condolence meeting in his honour. What does it say of the Akademi as an institution and of office bearers of this institution as upholders of our literary and cultural values? The Akademi must hold a meeting and condole with the family. What is even more important, writers should feel free to express their anger and views at this dastardly crime. It is not just the crime that is condemnable, but also the distorted and warped thought process behind the act that needs to be vilified by our fellow writers. I and other writers sincerely hope that you will stir the Akademi from its soporific stance and act. We need to fear no one in this matter. Sincerely Yours Keki N. Daruwalla II. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/two-more-writers-return-sahitya-akademi-awards-another-resigns/ Two more writers return Sahitya Akademi awards, another resigns The writers cited the recent Dadri lynching and the killing of Kannada author and Sahitya Akademi Award winner M M Kalburgi as the reasons for their decision. Written by Ashutosh Bhardwaj | New Delhi | Published:October 11, 2015 3:36 am Krishna Sobti, SaraH Joseph and Satchidanandan In a sign of the deepening crisis, two more writers — Hindi author Krishna Sobti and Malayalam novelist Sarah Joseph — returned their Sahitya Akademi awards on Saturday while executive board member K Satchidanandan resigned from all bodies of the Akademi. Sobti also returned the Akademi’s fellowship, the highest honour of the premier institution. The writers cited the recent Dadri lynching and the killing of Kannada author and Sahitya Akademi Award winner M M Kalburgi as the reasons for their decision. Joining the growing protests, Malayalam short story writer P K Parakkadavu also said he would quit the Akademi membership while Urdu novelist Rahman Abbas said he would return the Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Akademi Award. Referring to the Dadri incident and the subsequent statements by BJP ministers, Sobti told The Sunday Express that the country cannot afford another “Dadri and Babri”. She also referred to the reported comment by Minister of State (External Affairs) Gen (retd) V K Singh against Hindi writers at the Vishwa Hindi Sammelan. “Mantri V K Singh ne kaha ki hum darukhor lekhakon ko bulana nahi chahte (Minister VK Singh said we do not want to invite alcoholic writers). And now they killed a writer. It is the biggest insult to intellectuals. This government does not want to give us a right to speak against them,” she said. “The Akademi chief must take action or resign,” said Sobti. When contacted, Akademi president Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari told The Sunday Express that he “respects the feelings of writers, condemns fanaticism, but cannot make a statement against the government” as he “needs the approval of the executive board”. Joseph said she had returned her Akademi award to protest against the “terror-like’’ situation prevailing in the country. “Writers are murdered and the right to eat what one wants is denied. This is a deliberate attempt to shatter the plurality of Indian society. As a writer, I have to strongly react to this. The Prime Minister remained silent for nine days after the Dadri incident. I am giving back the award in protest against the stand of the Union government,” she said. Joseph had contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 as an AAP candidate. In his letter to Tiwari, Satchidanandan pointed to the Akademi’s failure to take a stand on Kalburgi’s death. “I had hoped that the Akademi would continue to uphold its liberal, open and democratic traditions. It was with this hope that I sent you a letter with the draft of a resolution expressing anguished concern at the dastardly murder of M M Kalburgi, a Sahitya Akademi awardee and erstwhile member. But to my great disillusionment, my letter as a member of the executive board did not even receive a reply from the Akademi, leave alone an active response,” he wrote. “I am sorry that the Akademi has failed in its duty to stand with writers and uphold the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, a freedom which has been violated every day in recent times,” he wrote. “Holding a ritual condolence meeting in a regional office, as the Akademi seems to have done, is hardly an adequate response to these recent attacks on the freedom of expression, followed by a series of murders of independent thinkers in different parts of the country. I am sorry to find that you think this is a ‘political issue’; to writers like me, this is an issue of our basic freedom to live, think and write,” he wrote. “My conscience does not permit me to continue on its general council and its executive board. I hereby resign from all my positions in the Sahitya Akademi, including the convenorship of the English advisory board, and the membership of its several committees such as the finance committee, the grants committee and the building committee,” wrote Satchidanandan. Abbas said Urdu writers are anguished over the Dadri incident. “Therefore, I decided to return the award. There are some other Urdu writers who want to return the award,” he said. Speaking to The Sunday Express, Tiwari said he respected the feelings of writers but could not speak against the government. “We also condemn the attack on writers. But before making a statement against the government I need to consult the executive board. I will take up the issue at the board meeting of the Akademi,” he said. When reminded that the meeting is in December, he said that if an emergency meeting is called it would invite an expenditure of Rs 15 lakh. “I urge writers not to return their awards,” he said. The crisis began when Kalburgi was shot dead in Dharwad in August. Subsequently, Hindi author Uday Prakash returned his Akademi award saying that free speech was endangered under the NDA government. The situation worsened after the Dadri killing on September 28, where Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten to death over rumours that he had stored and consumed beef. Earlier this week, English novelist Nayantara Sahgal, Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi and English writer Shashi Deshande returned their Akademi awards. Sahgal mentioned the incident in her letter and blamed the Prime Minister for remaining “silent on the reign of terror”. Vajpeyi questioned the silence of the “otherwise loquacious Prime Minister”, while Deshpande stated that in such a situation “silence is an abetment”. Several other writers have returned the awards of their state akademis. “Efforts must be made to ensure that several writers come together and take a collective decision to return their awards,” said Akademi award winner and Hindi writer Manglesh. — With inputs from Shaju Philip in Thiruvananthapuram -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
