Silent rebellion

Mona

Nayantara Sahgal returning the Sahitya Akademi Award to register her protest made big news, soon to be followed by Ashok Vajpeyi following the suit. About a month earlier Hindi writer Uday Prakash also announced to return his Sahitya Akademi award in protest against the murder of Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi. There have been instances earlier, like eminent writer Khushwant Singh returning Padma Bhushan as a mark of dissent against Operation Blue Star.

While the current trio takes Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task for his silence on recent incidents of violence, social media has questioned these famous ‘dissidents’ on keeping quiet when large scale riots, including 1984 tore the country. We talk to eminent writers from the region on how they perceive this protest.

Making an impact

I believe it is a very graceful way of protesting. Nayantara Sahgal and Ashok Vajpeyi are big writers, what they say, do or write impacts literary persons significantly. Writers are a significant force in any society. As for Sahgal and Vajpeyi standing for a cause, it must move not only the writers, but society and also the government. When an issue takes form of a mass movement then authorities cannot help but take notice.

— Surjit Patar, poet

Wake-up call

I am a Sahitya Akademi awardee too. When in the morning I got to know about Nayantara Sahgal protesting against the present government for not tolerating dissent and having returned the award, I also thought for moment why shouldn’t I. Though I believe, her protest is genuine I wouldn’t say returning the award is the correct way to do it. Sahitya Akademi award is given for your achievement in literature. But certainly Sahgal has made writers proud. Writers are the conscience of society. Hopefully this infuses some sense in the current government that's been sitting silently as communal forces are rising their heads in different parts of the country. Silence is half consent. It's high time that the government that has been carrying lop-sided approach must find its balance.

— Niranjan Tasneem, author

A welcome protest

Nayantara and Ashok have acted out of their conscience. Sahitya Akdemi award was given to them with lots of maan and izzat and they had also accepted with maan and izzat. As for the mode of protest, any non-violent way of protest is always welcome. They are good writers and big names in literature and good that they chose to speak out their concerns. As for writers making a difference to society, sadly even they are now divided along the political lines. This matter would gain or not gain momentum would be ascertained by the fact how m any writers would choose which line to tow. Politics has divided artistes, which is sad. What next, only time will tell.

— Gulzar Singh Sandhu, author

Hear us out

Neither is the issue new nor is this way of protest. Regimes have always crushed the voices that have risen against them. And, to register their dissent writers like Khushwant Singh have returned state conferred honours. I appreciate and support Sahgal for her stand. But I also wonder if it would lead to anything substantial. Such storms have risen when Paash was silenced but could they sustain it? No. I feel the government rather than oppressing the voices should give writers due honour and use their power of writing to bring the positive change. Sadly, the government knows how to crush such dissent, and we lose momentum, we have to devise a new strategy to be heard and followed.

— Manjit Indira

mona@tribunemail.com