Not so free



Reports on imposed ban on Rushdie’s visit to India, pre-screening of internet content and many other such issues has left me flustered. While we pride ourselves as being ‘understanding, and ‘liberal’—these recent incidents have sprouted doubts in my mind like many others.

Does a person not have the freedom to express his/her views openly and freely, without the fear of a fatwa, death threats or being maligned publicly? I agree that one needs to be mindful about hurting sentiments, but then—you can’t make everybody happy. Today, the obsession of religion has undermined the growth and promulgation of ‘rational’, and unbiased thinking. It has infringed the space of free and open discussion. A lot has to do with the state of politics in our country. It is indeed shameful that the national and the state parties did not oppose the Darul Uloom for its hideous demand of preventing Rushdie’s entry to his country. On one hand, we supported the tainted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin and extended our support by defending her work. While on the other, this incident leaves me confused and disillusioned. Can a mere ‘book’ be more of a threat than a gun or fundamentalist ideas instigating violence and genocides? These myriad censorships infuriate me as it questions my ability to think rationally and intervenes in forming opinions. Do such organisations think that people are brainless that they have to constantly nag us and impose their thoughts on us?

The basic right of ‘freedom of speech and expression’ has been jolted. People/ associations with power-- political, religious, or economic now have the authority to impede the functioning of democracy while we—the common people succumb to the environment and re-adjust our lives around it. I shudder to think how long and how much will we adjust to such detrimental ideas and vitiate the growth of a healthy society that respects individual views & sees religion as a means of personal enrichment rather than a moral truss.

Is it not time to discuss polemical issues upfront and sort things out in a mature manner without hinging onto personal biases? I kept searching for the young political leaders during this debate--- Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, and many others---who are seen as liberal, righteous and practical! May be the vote politics overshadows their personal views…this indeed is a sad state of affairs.