Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Attack on artist

The attack by sangh parivar activists on the creative work of Chandramohan, a student of fine arts at M.S. University, Vadodara, his arrest, and the suspension of faculty dean Shivaji Panikkar have once again exposed the ugly face of moral policing by the so-called thekedars (contractors) of society.

Such destructive behaviour by the right-wing elements shows that they are yet to emerge out of their self-imposed immaturity.

Nutan Maurya,
New Delhi

* * *

The happenings in Vadodara are a pointer to the growing intolerance, the seeds of which some sections have succeeded in sowing in people's minds. What do they want? That every artist should get prior sanction from them before attempting to put on canvas anything that is in any way connected with religion and femininity? It would be really frustrating if artists were forced to bow to the dictates of the select few who call themselves protectors of culture. Culture thrives on its ability to accommodate divergent views. Only then will it evolve.

Art forms have been under attack from time immemorial. But the events that have unfolded over the past few days are pointers to the worrisome truth that the basic principles of free speech and expression are being trampled upon with abject disdain by a select few who have taken upon themselves the right to define what is right and what is not.

V.S. Arun,
Bangalore

* * *

Slowly but surely our country is well on its way to becoming a banana republic. Our politicians are ruining the country. They have already turned Parliament into a noisy classroom. Many of them misuse their privileges. Corruption rules the roost. On the slightest pretext, fundamentalists go on the rampage.

The latest phenomenon that is on the rise is moral policing by those who think they have the god given right to decide what we should see, read, and paint. And yet the experts keep harping on how India is set to becoming a superpower. This is only a pipe dream.

Shanmugam Mudaliar,
Pune

* * *

In a democracy, everyone has a right to express his or her views, irrespective of their reasonableness or otherwise. But of late, intolerance — a culture created by some political outfits whether in power or not — has come to stay. Violence and mayhem are unleashed at the slightest provocation. It has become insecure to express a view that is not acceptable to the other side.

O.G. Krishnamurthy,
Chennai

* * *

Nudity is not to be equated with obscenity. Let the members of the `moral police' cleanse their minds first.

M. Muthukrishnan,
Bangalore

* * *

Budding artists and sculptors have an array of options to display their creative skills. Why pick on gods? Mr. Chandramohan and the like should refrain from offending the religious sensibilities of people.

J.V. Reddy,
Nellore

* * *

This refers to Maneka Gandhi's letter to L.K. Advani urging him to ask the Maharashtra and Gujarat BJP units to call off their campaign against artists, including M.F. Husain.

Respect and tolerance should be mutual. In the name of art, artists cannot indulge in hurting the religious sentiments of a community. Freedom of expression is not without limits.

Hilda Raja,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Difficulties of a fourth innings
Hurt sentiments and moral policing
Food economy under the UPA government
Aspirations and an Earth forgotten
Road death — the neglected issue
Corrections and Clarifications
BSP's victory
Attack on artist
The 1857 Revolt

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu