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May 11, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers responded to Pritish Nandy's recent columns
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 12:29:53 PDT Hi Pritish, Your articles seem to be improving but not enough. You have listed points about Vajpayee condemning certain extremist elements as something new. This is not the first time he has expressed his dissatisfaction with anti-social behaviour. Please do your homework. Good that you've finally digested the fact that the BJP government is here to stay at least for some time.
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 09:58:06 -0700 I think Pritish Nandy should go back to producing his stupid 'rap' albums. In no way can this guy be called a journalist. He is basically a joker going around as a journalist. He is the court jester of Indian journalism and should go back to the circus where he belongs. Pritesh Dagli
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 12:36:48 -0500 Pritish Nandy uses his talents to drive a wedge between the BJP, Shiv Sena and RSS. All those are true nationalist groups and they join hands for the country when it really counts. His conclusions are mere wishful thinking. He may be better of targeting Sonia and find out what is in store for our Congress friends.
T R Rao
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 11:05:41 -0700 You made a reference to the Bajrang Dal activists ransacking M F Husain's house. Instead of blindly trying to be Mulayam's cronie, think for once. You seem to be justifying Husain's portrait of someone who is revered for her chastity all over the country -- nude! And this, after he met with a similar treatment over the issue of painting Goddess Saraswati nude. You can justify Husain's portrait saying it is a piece of art and so above perversions bla bla bla... So why don't you go to Iran and justify Salman Rushdie as a literary jewel? Sir, feel good that the Shankaracharya of Kanchi has not issued a fatwa against Husain and his supporters. Be happy with that. It is because of die-hard secularists like you that the Hindu community has started favoring the BJP and RSS. Think about it. Sameer
Date sent: Mon, 4 May 1998 14:30:54 -0400 Good for you, Mr Nandy! It will provide a lot of material for your future columns. India, sooner or later, will be ruled by the majority for the majority and not by the minority for the minority. 120 million Muslims live in India among Hindus. How many Hindus live among Muslims? Is this supposed to be a one-way street? Let Pakistan government invite 10 Indian Hindu artists for public concerts and then 100 Pakistani artists will be welcome in India. Inviting one Yousuf Mian will not be enough.
Vijay Mathur
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 20:02:54 Dear Pritish, Saffron to Green... You speak the language unknown to the masses. Your ideas and perspective are far away from the people of Bombay/Maharashtra. What comes to my mind are traffic signals -- remember those lights Red-Yellow-Green? Yellow (saffron) is always treated as something you can get away from; what matters on the road of politics is red (communist) and green (minority). Yellow is to warn the drivers that the signal is changing. So, is it in the national polity! If you don't see the change and blindly drive onto the traffic-of-people, you will have an 'accident'. That's what I feel when I read most of your articles. I have respect for you, but 'intellectual' people like you have as many ideas as hair on your head. You have done some decent job in the past, but you are biased in your thinking. Give it an open mind, dear Pritish, and you would see people want some change. The only possible alternative now is the BJP, which by itself is an intermediate step towards the will of people. They would be thrown out of power more quickly than you can spell your name if they don't act. Of the six issues you spell out in your article, four are far away from the reach of the common people in your city of Bombay:
1. Disrupting the Ghulam Ali concert The average guy in Bombay would not think of these four words when they have to catch the local in the morning: Ghazals, Paintings, Squash, Culture. Only people like you who do not know how to spend your time, think about such things. I do not mean to say that these are not necessary, but what I mean is that these do not affect the common man. So talk about something which matters... The other two issues which you mentioned are something which deserves attention. 3. Making public the Srikrishna report 6. Releasing TADA detenues BUT not the above four. So write something useful, O man worth your salt T D
Date sent: Mon, 4 May 1998 15:17:50 -0400 Well, what did you expect? If the Shiv Sena gets centrestage tomorrow, they are likely to enact the same drama. No political party today has the guts to do the right thing. Sure, they will play all kinds of little gimmicks like demolishing already falling ruins, ransacking the house of an old man and making sure that you turn off the lights before you look at your wife (you don't want to offend the neighbour peering into your bedroom, do you?), to get votes. But ask them to take a bold step like naming Pakistan a terrorist state (at least!), making a Uniform Civil Code (sounds familiar doesn't it?) or taking direct action against corruption, and they will turn away with their tails between their legs. They are all the same, and will remain that way till we, the people, change. Till we can make it clear to our political clowns that we would not suck up to populistic gimmicks, but would support a strong decision taken. Till we prove to them that we have brains in our heads and can use it. Also, don't be fooled by the change in colour. Ever seen a chameleon? Change the circumstances and surroundings, and you will see it change colour. Rajesh
Date sent: Mon, 4 May 1998 15:00:00 EDT I was in India when Advani came to my city with his rath yatra in 1988. I was one of a thousands of spectators who gathered to hear his soliloquy, based on rumours and less facts. After that drama was over, I made a prediction that his party would change its role once it attains power. Needless to say, I was only 13 at that time. This shows that it does not take an Einstein to make such a bold prediction about Indian politics. And now I am in the US and I bet all these so-called Hindutva parties will turn their backs once they get to rule. Don't believe me? Wait until the RSS, VHP or any of those parties which enter politics on the basis of religion and not polity, including the Indian Muslim League and the like, get to reside in New Delhi and give orders. The fact is folks, and I am sorry to say it, that NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE COUNTRY. Long live India.
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 14:18:10 +0000 Ordinarily, I tend to consider Mr Nandy's writings as insightful. I may not always agree with them -- but his opinions seem well thought-out. I'm afraid I have to change that opinion with regard to this particular article. In the process of proving his point about the BJP is relinquishing the hard-line on Hindutva (which Mr Nandy seems to equate with "True-Hindutva"), he has done a poor job of obtaining supportive arguments. Demonstrating the willingness to let Pakistani performers and sportsmen to perform in India is being represented as cowing down. And ransacking Husain's house and preventing concerts is brave and nationalistic. I think that this is a somewhat shallow argument. The Shiv Sena has only been good at blocking/preventing something. I have yet to come across any constructive work they have done. It is always easy to disrupt something -- particularly if you do not have any scruples about being lawless. Therefore, preventing a concert is not a great achievement. It is quite easy to do and it is characteristic of the Sena to gloat over such things and use those as a show of power. It is unfortunate that a columnist of the calibre of Mr Nandy does not see through this and equate it with true nationalism. The ransacking of Husain's house is a crude and dastardly act. Taking refuge in the refrain that Husain's paintings offend Hindu sentiments is a classic case of self-conferred righteousness. Parties to such a crime should be criticised and marginalised so that they know that they do not represent the Hindu cause that they so vehemently espouse. Mr Nandy instead dilutes any such criticism by giving it the slant of "political victimisation". Another argument that was completely devoid of any intellect was the contention that Pakistani artists come to India and lull the intelligentsia into a peaceful slumber while the nations they represent conduct mayhem in Kashmir. I wonder if Mr. Nandy can hear (or read) his own words? I am somewhat offended by Mr Nandy's estimation of the level of Indian intellect. I cannot think of any Indian (irrespective of political or religious affiliations) that would support the carnage. These convictions are however different from the ones that allow people to appreciate art or sports. Mr Ghulam Ali is not a political ambassador -- he is a musician of unparalleled class. This distinction is eminently clear to everyone and I find it surprising that Mr Nandy does not give it any thought. Instead, he chooses to muddy the entire pool and then call it names that seem to suit his immediate objective. If Mr Nandy wanted to prove his contention about the BJP and other allies parting ways, he has chosen poor cases to illustrate his point. I really don't care whether or not the BJP and Sena are divorcing. What I care about is the underlying argument that nationalism is served by:
1. Ransacking the houses of painters and artists because you find the
work objectionable
Mr Nandy seems to equate tolerance with impotence. I would have expected the Sena or any of its cohorts to come up with such brainless (thought provocative!) ideas. I do not expect intelligent journalists to do so. I'm sure Mr Nandy will agree that despite all provocations/compulsions, civilised people must obey and respect the law of the land. Any and all actions that facilitate the rule of law must be supported. And therefore I support the BJP stance on this issue. I am not suggesting that the BJP does not have its internal compulsions to take the stance it has. I am saying that the stance does not become any less appropriate -- simply because it might also have a political flavour.
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 16:27:58 -0600 You are wrong in saying that the "middle class base among the liberal intelligentsia" see Husain as an "art ambassador for India." I belong to the middle class, and would not refer to a person who paints goddess Sita in nude as an art ambassador for India -- maybe because I am also a Hindu. Imagine something similar happening involving Islam. All hell would have broken loose, and all the pseudo secularists would have made such a hue and cry that it would have shaken the entire nation. If the religion involved is Hinduism we have to be secular, respecting whatever form of crappy art the so-called art ambassador for India dishes out, even though it might hurt our sentiments no bound. I guess we have to pay a price for being a Hindu and living in India, which ironically is dominated by Hindus. Anurag Misra
Date sent: Mon, 04 May 1998 17:05:13 -0700 Pritish, Undemocratic acts such as disrupting Ghulam Ali's concert or destroying Husain's painting should be condoned. The Shiv Sena should be brought to book. However, if you think that the Indian government should not encourage any relationship with Pakistan (b'coz of their terrorist activities), then the concerts and sports should not be taking place in the first place. But after giving clearance, disrupting the proceedings doesn't make sense. If you don't like somebody, it's okay not to invite them for dinner. But after you receive guests at home, don't behave rudely.
Venkat
Date sent: Mon, 4 May 1998 17:29:49 -0800 I agree with Nandy's analysis of the BJP finding the compulsions of governing very different from that of campaigning. But I must disagree with his conclusion that open cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan is a sign of liberal democratic weakness. In other words, a "lack of spine". Whatever its inspirations, it is a brilliant political and foreign policy initiative. The day Pakistan's best and brightest come to work in India permanently, and identify with our way of life, we have won the ideological battle between tolerance and sectarianism, and in effect, the ideological root of the India-Pakistan conflict. One ZeeTV show beamed into Pakistan's living rooms from Indian studios serves us better than reams of official propaganda. And for the record, the other country which thought that its enemies's habit of allowing its artists to perform unhindered was a sign of political weakness was the Soviet Union.
Avninder Singh
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 15:26:14 +0530 From: <sank@telco.co.in> Subject: The War Within While I concede that the six 'contentious issues' indicated by Mr Nandy are certainly serious and demand the attention of every thinking Indian, I also feel that his assessment of these issues is a little superficial and immature. We should be less preoccupied with the changing agendas of opportunistic political parties and be more concerned with the basic issue, which is the alarming number of recurring attempts to sabotage our right to freedom of opinion. I would welcome deeper analyses on this subject by people other than your usual columnists: including artistes, sportspersons and professionals. Rediff remains the ideal platform, though! Jayant S
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 10:10:51 -0500 Pritish, your article was interesting. But I have some observations to make about M F Husain. First, I don't see Husain as "an art ambassador" for India. He's more a headline-grabber. Remember the time he was kicked out of a club for wearing Indian clothes when the club-rules specified that on that particular day one had to be wearing Western clothes? He then raised a stink. I'm sorry, but it was a private club -- they can make any rules that they want to. If you don't want to wear what they want you to, no one's forcing you to be there. He wanted special treatment. Second, India has already implicitly made the decision that the right to free speech will be subordinated to the "necessity" of avoiding offending anyone's religious feelings. I don't see why Husain should be allowed to paint, write or say anything that may offend any Hindu unless he first lobbies to have the ban on the Satanic Verses removed. The whole Hindutva revivalism in India feeds off of incidents like these. All Hindus understand that if someone had painted some Muslim figure "frolicking in the nude" (Nandy's words), this same Husain would have been silent after someone attacked that painter's home. Rushdie and Kazantakis have far more international acclaim than Husain. Remove the ban on their works first. Third, what's this rot about "artistic expression" (not Nandy's words, but seen in statements after the attack)? Either everyone have free speech or no one does. If these "progressive" artists who are protesting now had stood up equally strongly for free speech for the common man, perhaps the common man would have stood up for them now. They didn't and he won't. Vishal Sharma
Date sent: Tue, 5 May 1998 20:37:47 +0800 Dear Pritish Nandy, You have started your column, clearly stating, that "the world moves ahead on greed" and "everyone desperately needs to get ahead". I agree. But remember no one is spared from this greed to move ahead. That includes the prominent newspapers in India. Every newspaper is basically a business organisation and in order to be commercially successful, it has to give the in the front page what sells. Politics is the favourite past time, rather than a serious matter, for a commoner in India. So a commoner wants to know the latest development in politics first thing in the morning, so that he can go to his workplace, fully updated, to discuss the topics at the expense of his employer. Given the political instability over the past three years, speculation on the next happening in politics has become rife and an average man likes to check the newspaper next morning if his speculation is correct. So where should the change occur? Clearly the change should come from every Indian citizen. A stable government with a strong mandate and a strong education policy -- to make education compulsory for every child up to secondary level -- will definitely bring the change. H Akbar Ali
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