No freedom guaranteed in the Constitution is absolute, including the freedom of speech (“ >Perumal Murugan quits writing ,” Jan.14). But in India, the “freedom of expression” is associated only with the right to offend a particular religion. Therefore, Hinduism has become a soft punching bag for the media, cinema, writers and the political class.
Perumal Murugan erred in portraying the women of a particular region in bad light in a land where caste and religion are sensitive issues. However, as a distinguished writer he should not give up in despair, but must continue writing in a manner that gently exposes the faults and foibles of not just one religion, but all. Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, once said: “It is good for religion to be knocked, to be criticised, to be challenged, because we have done a lot of damage in the past.”
Kangayam R. Narasimhan,
Chennai
The manner in which Perumal Murugan has folded up at the first hurdle and meekly surrendered, raises eyebrows. His act of quitting writing is disproportionate to the controversy.
I am reminded of the Tamil author Sujatha (Rangarajan) whose historical serial set in early 19th century Tamil Nadu about the colonisation by the British, and how they went about it — forms of punishment the British meted out, including elephant trampling and cannonball killings, to those who rose in revolt — in the weekly Kumudam was stopped abruptly after its office was ransacked by a caste group because he used a word considered derogatory. Sujatha wrote: “My intention was not to denigrate the community in any way; I only used the words in vogue at that time and how the caste was called during British rule.” In this case, it was curtains for the publisher and not Sujatha.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi
It appears that carnivalesque congregations provide on the sidelines such forms of ‘avocation’ intentionally or otherwise. In 1964, when I was in government service in the composite Salem district, I was at Trichengode on camp. I was informed of this form of consensual intimacy as being an age-old practice. To me, it appeared to be a form of the magnanimity of our hoary Hindu religion and nothing more.
Mahalingam Yaaman,
Tuticorin
I am proud to say that I am a native of Tiruchengode and my ancestors lived here over four generations. I do not accept the way in which Perumal Murugan has cast a slur on Tiruchengode and the women of my region. A writer has the freedom to write about anything he wants, but to target a particular section of people, a place and a festival which still exists is unacceptable. He has failed to take into account our feelings and has only denigrated the sanctity of the deity. It is unfortunate that the media is according him great publicity.
Senthilvelan E.,
Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu
