: Do we have a double standards even while responding against infringement of freedom of expression? Dis Taslima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie get the same kind of support from society as Perumal Murugan and M.F. Husain when their freedom of expression is threatened?
The session on ‘The Crisis of Freedom of Expression’ at the Kerala Literature Festival on Friday was lively with diverse opinions from the participants on various aspects of the topic.
Writer M. Mukundan admitted that our responses to various incidents of infringement of freedom of expression were not honest. “While the death of Kalburgi created wide outbursts across the country, the killing of around five bloggers in West Bengal went rather unnoticed or neglected,” he pointed out.
He said writer’s freedom was very limited in our society. “I was accused of misleading the younger generation through my novels. Is it because of my novels that Kerala is the biggest consumer of liquor now?”, he questioned.
Writer Civic Chandran’s support of ‘Jallikkettu,’ a farming tradition in Tamil Nadu, received flak from the rest of the panel. “It may be a mode of enjoyment for the people involved, but the animals rarely enjoy it,” said writer Sarah Joseph adding that all kinds of traditions and expressions cannot be supported.
“When we talk about expression, we have to learn a lot from the new generation,” she said.
Film-maker Kamal pointed out how he was unable to make a film like Nirmalyam in today’s circumstances at a time when the governments, the censor board as well as the public are biased when it comes to religion. “We do not have the level of tolerance now compared to the times when Nirmalyam was released,” he said.
