Author and friend Sreemoyee Piu Kundu responds to the Tarun-gate that hit the upcoming Times of India LitFest. The organizers first invited Tarun Tejpal to join a panel discussion on Tyranny of Power and then withdrew their invitation because of protests. The organizers said there was too much extraneous noise around the event. Sreemoyee quoted me: It is not an extraneous issue. It is central to the publicity sought by the festival organisers by inviting Tarun Tejpal. It smacks of the same impulse exhibited by the organisers of Jaipur Literature Festival a few years back when they first grandiosely invited Salman Rushdie and then backed out. At that time the organisers did not even support writers who read from Rushdies works. The issues are different, but the pattern is the same: first send a message which is bound to excite crowds and then when peoples pressure mounts - in one case religious-sensitive, in another gender-sensitive - conveniently and regretfully drop the invitations. If literature festivals are about celebrating writers, then they invariably are also about celebrating freedoms. Nowhere in both the episodes have the organisers revealed their personal stance, except to play it safe. That playing safe finally compromises freedoms. On top of it, by revoking the invitation, the organisers of this festival yet again have passed a sentence on a case which is still subjudice. Please read the article. Sreemoyee weaves a good story.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 04:39:10 +0000