It really happened. The book fair committee of the Kolkata Book Fair cancelled the release of a book on women’s rights. The committee did it either to please the government or because they got the order from the government to do so. Is the government anti-women? We heard that the government blamed the raped girls several times for being raped.
An opposition politician protested against the cancellation of the book release. The left leader defended the writer Jasodhara Bagchi. Ms Bagchi was the chairperson of the West Bengal women commission during the Left Front’s rule. The release ceremony of my book titled ‘Nirbasan’ was cancelled by the government in 2012 in order to make some Muslim fanatics happy. Almost everybody was silent then. I said, if you do not protest against the banning, you will be the next target of the banning. It seems I was right.
I now realize that however much you earn recognition and awards, if muslim fanatics are against you ,no political party in the subcontinent would defend your free speech. And I know it very well that if you believe in freedom of expression of some people, but not of all people— you do NOT believe in freedom of expression at all.
Your last sentence is a very powerful statement on the principle of freedom of speech and one that I completely agree with. There are some things so important that they are worth dying for and that is one of them. I know it is easy for someone like me from a liberal democracy to be able to wax lyrical on this when others do not have that luxury. But that is all the more reason to speak out against any abuse of this universal principle. I defend not just the freedom of those I happen to agree with but just as equally those I do not and make absolutely no distinction between either. I hope this provides you with encouragement to carry on trying to get your voice heard no matter how much others may wish to deny you that right. I would like to think that were I in your situation I would be as brave in using the power of language to win hearts and minds but I fear I would be a complete coward in the face of systematic pressure. The world needs people like you. It should not have to
but it does, So I hope you keep on fighting for that which many of us sadly take for granted
The people in the committee came from mars or other planets I believe !!
They are just insulting the mother womb !!