In response to Basharat Peer's piece “A writer is not a jukebox,” on the Harud Kashmir Literary Festival (Sept. 8), we would like to make the following clarifications.
Jyotsna Singh was a well-wisher of the proposed festival, but in no way a sponsor or collaborator.
Mr. Peer had indeed spoken and voiced his concern to us and we informed him that, while the festival was to be held at the Delhi Public School, it would be open to everyone including the school's 2,000 young people and their parents. This was in no way reflective of any political bias on our part, as should be apparent from the list of invited authors and topics of discussion.
The festival was cancelled in response to the “Boycott Harud Festival” group on Facebook which had asked people to gather from 3 a.m. on September 22 to 6 p.m. on September 26 in front of DPS and the Kashmir University to protest “with their fists” against the festival. A threat to “behead” one of our colleagues was also posted on this site, which had over 4,500 people signed up. We were clear that we would not be responsible for the Valley being plunged into more violence, and also unable to guarantee safety to the school students, audiences from Srinagar and authors who were to attend the festival due to this threat and therefore chose to cancel the programme.
For the record, of the 50 authors invited for the festival only two overseas authors declined our invitations (Mr. Basharat Peer and Mirza Waheed), while two authors from Kashmir and two from Delhi also backed out. However, 24 authors from Kashmir remained committed to the festival, as did another 22 from across India — showing what a great festival it could have been.
The Harud Literature Festival Secretariat
The stand taken by Mr. Peer is more about activism and politics than literature. I wonder what would happen to those of his ilk if the Kashmir dispute is resolved. Normalcy in Kashmir would put many writers, politicians and reporters out of work. If revenge and keeping old wounds festering be the driver of life, then India and Africa may as well decline foreign aid and shun the English language. This festival would have given us an opportunity to know about young authors in Kashmir and their works.
Subhro Paul,Kolkata
It was disappointing to see a writer of Mr. Peer's calibre seeking refuge behind a smokescreen of bitter, specious arguments. He seems to have forgotten the kind of impact his eloquent book “ Curfewed Night ” has had in informing and reshaping the views of thousands of ordinary Indians who are far removed from the harsh “abnormality” in Kashmir. However “brutal” and “repressive” these writers find the “regime” to be, there can be no justification to boycott a civilised and well-publicised debate that alone can inform and enlighten the masses.
G.R. Prasad,Chennai
