EDITORIAL OF PEOPLE'S LITERATURE .
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(A BILINGUAL BIANNUAL MAGAZINE)
(Published on behalf of 'All India People's Literary Forum' by K. RAVI BABU, ravibabujs@yahoo.co.in, Mobile no.9490196890)
The last five year period witnessed an intensified onslaught on progressive, rational and democratic forces in the cultural, literary and social fields of our country. As soon as BJP come to power, naturally it started inducting its so called scholars in to central level organizations like Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), Film and Television Institute of India (FTII ) and vice- chancellors who support their ideology to different Universities. Though there were prolonged movements against this type of appointments, the government turned a deaf ear to those agitations. The process continued and the result was presentation so called research papers on history based on mythology. The annual meetings of the Indian History Congress and the Indian Science Congress became a laughing stock by the presence of those scientists who based their knowledge on Vedas and Puranas. There was country wide criticism of these antics of BJP scholars. But there was no repentance and no change.
The standard history text books were branded as concocted stories and in their place in the name of national culture new lessons were incorporated hailing those who stood for the caste ridden feudal culture in the name of so called Hinduism and those mentioned in Puranas. In certain BJP states textbooks at secondary level in general science, social sciences, mathematics and history were rewritten, accordingly.
During this period an atmosphere of intolerance was promoted in several fields. Freedom pf speech and freedom of expression were curtailed. Criticism of government policies is treated as treason. Those who fail to follow their dictations were branded as traitors. We found this in several central universities. The rationalists and free thinkers like Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh were murdered in broad day light by the members of Sanatana Dharma Samstha, an offshoot of RSS. Writers, artists, film personalities returned the awards given to them, as a dissent to the indifference of the government to the act of intolerance. So called cow vigilantes came to the fore showing their hatred towards Muslims. An anti Muslim propaganda became the policy of the government. Muslims were suspected as terrorists or traitors. Several Muslims and Dalits were lynched in the name of protection of cows. Dalits were humiliated by the Hindutva communalists and the upper castes had made repeated attacks on them throughout the country.
The atrocities committed on the poor and helpless women including girl children have been on the rise. Unnao in U.P, Kathua in Kashmir, Muzaffarpur girl shelter home in Bihar are the ghastly incidents on girl children to quote a few. Rule of law has been undermined in every sphere of societal life. The ruling clique has been playing all the dirty tricks to divide the people along the communal and casitest lines, preventing them from waging united struggles against the injustice and violence perpetrated on them incessantly.
Fed up with all these anti people activities, in recent general elections, hundreds of scientists, writers, free thinkers, film and theatre personalities, academicians gave separate calls to people of India to defeat BJP which is taking the country back to dark ages.
This situation demands the writers and artists to prove themselves as the unacknowledged legislators of the world by standing firmly for real democracy which guarantees freedom of expression. Our silence would be the strength of the enemy. So, we, peoples' writers have to pronounce our solidarity to the struggles of oppressed classes against the ruling classes, through literature and art.
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(A BILINGUAL BIANNUAL MAGAZINE)
(Published on behalf of 'All India People's Literary Forum' by K. RAVI BABU, ravibabujs@yahoo.co.in, Mobile no.9490196890)
The last five year period witnessed an intensified onslaught on progressive, rational and democratic forces in the cultural, literary and social fields of our country. As soon as BJP come to power, naturally it started inducting its so called scholars in to central level organizations like Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), Film and Television Institute of India (FTII ) and vice- chancellors who support their ideology to different Universities. Though there were prolonged movements against this type of appointments, the government turned a deaf ear to those agitations. The process continued and the result was presentation so called research papers on history based on mythology. The annual meetings of the Indian History Congress and the Indian Science Congress became a laughing stock by the presence of those scientists who based their knowledge on Vedas and Puranas. There was country wide criticism of these antics of BJP scholars. But there was no repentance and no change.
The standard history text books were branded as concocted stories and in their place in the name of national culture new lessons were incorporated hailing those who stood for the caste ridden feudal culture in the name of so called Hinduism and those mentioned in Puranas. In certain BJP states textbooks at secondary level in general science, social sciences, mathematics and history were rewritten, accordingly.
During this period an atmosphere of intolerance was promoted in several fields. Freedom pf speech and freedom of expression were curtailed. Criticism of government policies is treated as treason. Those who fail to follow their dictations were branded as traitors. We found this in several central universities. The rationalists and free thinkers like Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh were murdered in broad day light by the members of Sanatana Dharma Samstha, an offshoot of RSS. Writers, artists, film personalities returned the awards given to them, as a dissent to the indifference of the government to the act of intolerance. So called cow vigilantes came to the fore showing their hatred towards Muslims. An anti Muslim propaganda became the policy of the government. Muslims were suspected as terrorists or traitors. Several Muslims and Dalits were lynched in the name of protection of cows. Dalits were humiliated by the Hindutva communalists and the upper castes had made repeated attacks on them throughout the country.
The atrocities committed on the poor and helpless women including girl children have been on the rise. Unnao in U.P, Kathua in Kashmir, Muzaffarpur girl shelter home in Bihar are the ghastly incidents on girl children to quote a few. Rule of law has been undermined in every sphere of societal life. The ruling clique has been playing all the dirty tricks to divide the people along the communal and casitest lines, preventing them from waging united struggles against the injustice and violence perpetrated on them incessantly.
Fed up with all these anti people activities, in recent general elections, hundreds of scientists, writers, free thinkers, film and theatre personalities, academicians gave separate calls to people of India to defeat BJP which is taking the country back to dark ages.
This situation demands the writers and artists to prove themselves as the unacknowledged legislators of the world by standing firmly for real democracy which guarantees freedom of expression. Our silence would be the strength of the enemy. So, we, peoples' writers have to pronounce our solidarity to the struggles of oppressed classes against the ruling classes, through literature and art.
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