Cultural personalities in the State have strongly stood behind writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair over the recent fundamentalist attack on the writer for his comments on demonetisation.
Inaugurating a programme to express solidarity with the writer here on Sunday, Kerala Chalachitra Akademi chairman Kamal said that intolerance had come to such a pass that elements were out to even attack persons such as MT.
“This kind of intolerance is seen only in some parts of North India. Having to hold such a meeting here is a shame for us,” Mr. Kamal said adding that the attack on MT was just a continuation of the Sangh Parivar’s war against him over Thunchan Paramba in Tirur.
Fundamentalist groups had alleged that MT was trying to privatise Thunchan Paramba, only to hijack Thuchath Ezhuthachan, he said.
Mr. Kamal said the kind of freedom of expression MT used in his movie ‘Nirmalayam’ was appreciated by Kerala society. “But in today’s political environment, nobody can exert that kind of freedom. It just shows how backward we have gone as far as culture is concerned,” he said.
Mr. Kamal said the intention behind demonetisation was not to control black money, but to control the people. “They are trying to convert us into a group of irresponsive citizens,” he said adding that it was time to think if Kerala had become a fertile land for communal forces.
Writer M.M. Basheer spoke on the attack on him over portrayal of Rama as a human being in Valmiki Ramayana. “The people who claim to be staunch supporters of Rama had not made the effort to read the original Ramayana or even know that there are 165 varieties of Ramayana,” he said.
Historian M.G.S. Narayanan, writers Khadeeja Mumtaz and P.K. Parakkadavu, environmentalist A. Achuthan, former minister Elamaram Kareem, artists Kabitha Mukhopadhyay and Paul Kallanode were present.
