Q&A with Mangalesh Dabral: ‘I don’t want India to become Pak’

In the aftermath of the killing of Kannada writer M.M. Kalburgi and the lynching in Dadri, the Narendra Modi government has been embroiled in a controversy with several writers, actors, scientists and intellectuals returning their awards in protest against “rising intolerance” in the country. Noted Hindi poet Mangalesh Dabral speaks to Nitin Mahajan about the controversy over the returning of awards and how this step is aimed at fighting for the rights of citizens.

What prompted you to return the Sahitya Akademi Award? This is not the first time that the nation has seen communal violence. So what was the need to take such a drastic step now?
The awards have been returned by me and others to protest against the intolerance in the country. Ever since the present government was sworn to power, they seem hellbent on creating a communally charged atmosphere in the country.

The situation has deteriorated so much that the minorities in this country do not feel safe. They threatened renowned Kannada author U.R. Ananthamurthy, pressured Delhi University to withdraw distinguished scholar A.K. Ramanujan’s celebrated essay Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five examples and Three Thoughts on Translations, then Kalburgi was killed.

It was followed by Penguin Books India being forced to withdraw copies of US Indologist Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: An Alternative History from the Indian market. All this culminated in the murder of a Muslim in Dadri based on the rumour that he had consumed beef. These incidents are not isolated from each other. No particular incident triggered this protest. Though the Sahitya Akademi is not directly under the government, its awards are funded by the government. However, most of us felt that the Akademi should have come out more openly to protect intellectual freedom and protest against the attempts to muzzle public opinion. There was no other way to show our disgust than to return our awards.

Ministers in the Modi government have questioned the timing of “award wapasi”, alleging that intellectuals have been acting as stooges of the Congress and Communists. What is your reaction?
Some writers may be affiliated to a political party, but 90 per cent of them are apolitical. The government is trying to confuse people by saying that these authors belong to the Congress or Communist camps.

The writers staged a similar protest when Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency. In fact, several of them, including some of my friends, were also jailed. Similarly in 1984, after the anti-Sikh riots, several writers, including Khushwant Singh, had returned their awards to protest against the atrocities being committed on the people. Anyone trying to create an impression that awards are being returned for the first time, or under the influence of any political party, is trying to create a false impression.

Do you see this as part of a larger game plan to institutionalise saffronisation?
Tragically, we are seeing a government where ministers take pride in claiming their RSS affiliation. They are trying their best to keep their masters in Nagpur happy. The government has been going all out trying to saffronise institutions. The situation has become so alarming that the international association of writers, Pen International, had to take a stand in favour of the writers’ protest.

Several ruling party leaders have equated the returning of awards as an insult to India.
Do you think returning an award is easy? Also, what makes a nation? It’s the people that make a nation. Everybody born in India is a part of India. I am a patriot who wants India to remain a liberal democracy. I don’t want it to become Pakistan. By returning this award, we are expressing our dissent. Whenever there is any atrocity on the African-American community in the US, it is the US government that face all the criticism. Similarly, we are criticising the Indian government.

What is the way out? Do you think Prime Minister Modi needs to rein in the fringe elements within his party and the RSS?
The PM is so active on Twitter and other social networking sites, often talking about frivolous things. Why can’t he speak about the trouble that has been affecting the nation? India needs to be run on the democratic principles, where difference of opinion needs to be respected. Above all, the freedoms promised to our citizens under our Constitution need to be protected.

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