Don’t ostracise writers: Zubin Mehta

New Delhi: Backing writers and others over the issue of “growing climate of intolerance” in the country, music maestro Zubin Mehta on Saturday said government should not ostracise them as doing so would amount to “cultural dictatorship”.

“Our writers, our filmmakers do have a chance of speaking their minds. We should not ostracise them. Otherwise, we will become a dictatorship, a cultural dictatorship and that is inadmissible,” he said after the launch of a paperback edition of his 2008 autobiography The Score of My Life.

The 79-year-old Mumbai-born conductor batted for complete freedom of expression for the writers and filmmakers saying it should be there in the world’s largest democracy.