Noted author and poet Meena Kandasamy called upon the writers of India to speak about the oppression faced by the disqualified Member of Parliament and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking at the book release event of a compilation of revolutionary writer Varavara Rao’s poetry ‘Varavara Rao- A life in poetry’ here on Thursday, Ms. Kandasamy said no writer was speaking about the disqualification of the leader and the defamation case slapped against him.
“We look at it as Congress’ problem. We look at it as his election problem. Fact is if somebody can be awarded two years in prison for allegedly defaming an amorphous community, it is not about Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. It is about what you will be allowed to write tomorrow,” she said.
Control of narratives is sought to be exercised by the state and crony capitalists, through whitewashing and story telling, Ms. Kandasamy said and pondered over how violence was controlling the voices even before any hostile action.
“The first time you inflict it, the second time it becomes like a trauma response. I think this kind of censorship has completely taken over the Indian intellectual space, the publishing space, the media space... Even before we face any hostile action, the censorship started,” she said elaborating on how writers were falling in line not wanting to court trouble.
She spoke about the hurdles and censorship she had to face when editing the book along with writer and journalist N. Venugopal, and noted how English language poetry was an elitist space, and did not allow for hard politics. Words like ‘dictator’ had to be supported with footnotes and such as ‘revolutionary’ had to be removed altogether, she said of the anthology of about 50 chosen poems of Mr. Varavara Rao published by Penguin.
“If somebody can be awarded two years in prison for allegedly defaming an amorphous community, it is not about Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. It is about what you will be allowed to write tomorrow.”Meena KandasamyAuthor at the book launch of writer Varavara Rao’s poetry ‘Varavara Rao- A life in poetry’
Heaping rich praise on the poet who spent most time in prison, she said Mr. Varavara Rao’s almost brutal, unsophisticated and unvarnished words spoke for themselves, before signing off with a ‘Laal Salaam’.
Mr. Venugopal informed that the book had been in gestation for three years, since Mr. Varavara Rao was hospitalised in Mumbai with COVID-19 infection. The book was released by Mr. Varavara Rao’s three daughters. Noted poet Shiva Reddy also spoke.
