The Assault On Forward Press: Intimidating Dissent
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
14 November, 2014
Countercurrents.org
The assault on Forward Press in Delhi for allegedly ‘hurting’ the sentiments of Hindus is an act of cowardice and intimidation by the Delhi police. It is utterly shameful that police acted on a ‘complaint’ by the ABVP who never believe in rule of law to intimidate the magazine which was planning to bring out a special issue on ‘Mahishasur’, the ‘King of Asuras who was killed by Goddess Durga. India celebrates the killing of Mahisasura and his ‘friends’ or so called demon by Durga as Durga Puja. There are hundreds of stories linked to all these mythologies and different parts of India celebrate it in different ways. In fact, Mahishasur is an icon for many in many tribal areas of West Bengal and Assam too. Similarly, people in Maharastra celebrate Diwali for the prospectus of a future king ‘Raja Bali’. There are songs that when there will be the kingdom of Bali, every one would prosper and there will be equality. Similarly, Ravana is an icon for many despite being portrayed as a villain and symbol of ‘adharma’ by the Vaidik Hindus.
As a freethinker and an Ambedkarite, I do not subscribe to theory of my ‘mythology’ is better than yours or my God is better than yours when the entire edifice of God need to be challenged to save the future generations of India from exploitation of the priestly classes. It is therefore important to challenge them as well as expose them. Yes, many of the stories are inspiring despite being part of these mythologies and can be used too pin point the discrimination based on caste and gender in our society.
For me the best of the expose came from Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, whose Riddles of Hinduism is a masterpiece to understand the real meaning of mythologies. The interesting part is that in Ambedkar’s analysis of Riddles of Rama and Krishna that he did not opt for a new theory but based his analysis on the popular legends about them. For Ambedkar, it was important that we learn our lessons from history and delink ourselves from those mythologies and ‘holy” texts which degraded us. It is therefore essential in Ambedkar’s world view that those who want to be part of his ‘ Navayana’ or new way must relieve themselves from the old path imposed upon them from the brahmanical texts. The identities that we are in today are not invented by us. We did not give ourselves our names, caste and religion but the people who wanted to control our thoughts and life thrust them upon us. History is not always great and golden but unfortunately some time glorification of these mythologies tends to make us feel like that. Ambedkar never believed in that and opted for a more egalitarian and democratic way of life which he defined in his 22 vows when he embraced Buddhism with millions of his followers.
There are certain dangerous things, which have emerged during the entire debate on the Forward Press issue and raid on it. There were people who raised the issue on the contents of the issue and suggested that the Forward Press had a hidden Christian agenda and the contents inside it need to be carefully scrutinized. There were Ambedkarite friends who after reading one article on Dr Ambedkar actually felt hurt and I can say reasonably so because the author had used very poor language in describing Buddhism and conversion of Dr Ambedkar. There were many who felt that this magazine is a Christian Propaganda against Buddhists and Communists while others blamed that it was tilting towards BJP and Hindutva in the name of identities. It is sad because some time it actually change the entire discourse of the debate and comes handy for those in power and who are actually afraid of this freedom.
In the intellectual arena we must have discussions, which are seasoned, as well as reasoned. It does not have a space for rumors and backbiting. We are here into the struggles at our own and Forward Press has the capacity to defend itself. Even if is propagating Christian agenda which I disagree at the moment, there is no reason not to allow them when each one of us is having our own agenda. In democracies we must have this freedom and understand that people have their own minds too to understand everything. Our problem is that somewhere we feel our readers do not know and we want to impose our views on them. I have mentioned many time that I disagreed with many of the contents in the magazine but it may be true with the editors too which they publish. Secondly, right now, the issue here is not of the contents in the magazine which can always be debated and all including me need not to agree with all the contents, but the question of freedom to question and express. I never liked the idea of Beef Festival despite the fact that I defended the rights of people to eat food of your choice. Food is not to tease people but to enjoy it. I also said those who want to tease one community with beef must be ready to do the same with the Pork too. Is it possible? Similarly, I have never ever supported the ideas of countering mythologies through mythologies and creating a new ‘God’ but I stand with my firm conviction that these mythologies need analysis so that people of this country and rest of the world understand the crookedness behind them. So for me all these mythologies are created by the priestly class and using them for their own purposes. A careful analysis of these mythologies will clearly reflect in them highly caste consciousness and color discrimination. It is not for any other reasons that all the Gods are shown in cleanly shaven faces and fair in color. Some of them were actually daities of Dalits and Aadivasis and have been carefully coopted in the brahmanical system and their colors have been changed from dark black to blue black while all the so-called demons are ‘black’ with either big mustaches and beards.
While Dr Ambedkar, Joti Ba Phule and Periyar did exposed the brahmanical cultural imperialism of Dalit Bahujans yet it is also important for us in the greater interest not to close the debate. There are young scholars who are writing extraordinarily and have actually gone further but it is also important for us to understand that communities should delink themselves with the traditional customs and everything can not be defended in the name of culture and tradition. Hence, I am not for a temple to be built in the name of Mahishasur or anybody else, but at the same point of time if his ‘followers’ want to build it, they must have the freedom to do so even if personally or ideologically people like me stand against creation of a new God.
Therefore, the criticism on the contents may be valid but deviate from the real issue of threat to ‘freedom of expression’ which is very much evident from the fact the way the staff and editors of Forward Press were intimidated by the authorities. Whether the editors of Forward Press agree or not, one feels that in the healthy democracy the writers and authors have even right to offend the religious texts and religious feelings.
The clause ‘offending the religious sentiment’ of the people is itself the biggest threat to the freedom of expression in India. We have seen how M.F.Hussain was hounded out from India and the government of the country could not save him.
It is important to understand such people who have gone berserk after the new government took over. They are challenging everyone who is considered to be a dissenter. It is not the government but the lynch mob kind of people who feel that the dissenters are a trying to defame India. Just when the news of arrest of the staff and raids at the offices of Forward Press reached me, I was in Mehsana district of Gujarat and was travelling towards Kutch region that day with some of my friends from Abroad who had come to participate in a conference here. I was sharing this incident with them who were shocked but soon an Indian friend travelling along started virtually hitting on ‘seculars’ for defaming Hindus. The much-referred argument was that we do not dare to touch to Muslims in this country and that M F Hussain insulted Hindu deities. I told the friends that the person who accused me was representing the growing tribe of intolerant middle classes whose fortunes are linked to the big wealth of Indians in US. The problem we face today is not of the hypocrisy of the intellectuals but of the arrogance to even defend the indefensible.
The threat to freedom of expression is very high in these moments. There are indirect threats through media boycott, stoppage of advertisement revenue or other government ads but magazines like Forward Press have been able to sustain at their own and for them the authorities chose direct threat of police intimidation. Would it have been possible for the government if the Outlook or India Today had carried out the article? We need to look into that and take a stand.
The Sangh Parivar and its offshoots are defining things and we are reacting to them. Some of our friends even defended Narendra Modi in the name of being a backward class person. Some others are claiming that Buddha was a khastriya and hence Baba Saheb Ambedkar should not have bowed to him. Many are making difference between Kabir and Raidas on the basis of their caste saying that Kabir was a Julaha ( weaver) while Raidas was a chamar. These are cynical times and we defeat our very purpose. We must question but it is the low if we are trying to defame Buddha of being a Kshatriya. While writers have freedom to defend these things, we may lose a large number of people as our supporters who got liberated in the ideas of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and embraced Buddhism. We have to admit the diversity of people believing in different sects. We admit that Dalits were Adidharmis too but as Baba Saheb Ambedkar felt there was nothing for them in the mythologies and rituals and that is why he wanted a modern rationalist way of life for his people. Those who believe in his way went with him, many did not follow his religious spiritual way and we must respect their rights to do so.
I have always felt proud in associating with Forward Press, which I felt among very few journals of market standards, as well as where you can express your opinion freely and candidly even if the editors disagree with the contents and that was the reason of my continuously standing with it all the time. It is doing a great service in the Hindi heartland for the young Dalit Bahujan masses but it remained a thoroughly professional magazine and has refused to be a mouthpiece of any political party. In fact, it has fast become the voice of Dalit Bahujan communities.
It is good that a large number of authors, writers, journalists, and activists have condemned the incident and asked the government to withdraw its charges. Yes, mythologies are not history but we have a right to even analyze these mythologies, which have demonized the Dalit Bahujan and Aadivasis of India. It is time rules are rewritten and challenged. Norms of those days when Manusmriti was the hallmark of social order need to be exposed and for that it is essential that our academics, activists continue to engage in fruitful discussion. That also mean that we do not need to create another mythology and priestly class for a new God. We need to expose the discrimination against Dalit Bahujans in these mythologies. History gives us good lessons. We do not live in that but we can always make lives of our people better learning from these lessons. We do not live in history and in our past but in our present and hence it is better we embrace rules of modern society and democracy that respect dissent and individual’s right to choices. Those who tried to intimidate Forward Press will not succeed as an idea can not be countered through threats of physical violence and state repression. An Idea has to be countered through a counter idea. These are difficult times and the issue here is purely is our right to free choice and freedom of thought, ignoring it would be too detrimental to the health of democracy and Dalit Bahujan movement. Time to stand be counted among those who oppose any policing and intimidation on our socio political thoughts as today it was Forward Press, tomorrow it may be you too.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social and human rights activist. He blogs at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com twitter @freetohumanity Email: [email protected]
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