THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Writers Damodar Mauzo, Maria Couto, Datta Damodar Naik, and Venita Coelho on Monday joined a list of 200 writers from across the country in issuing a public appeal to people to vote out hate politics.
In a joint statement released on Monday by e-mail, 200 writers have said that the first critical step to safeguard our diversity and let democracy flourish is to "...vote out hate politics. Vote out the division of our people; vote out inequality; vote against violence, intimidation and censorship. This is the only way we can vote for an India that renews the promises made by our Constitution. This is why we appeal to all citizens to vote for a diverse and equal India."
The statement was released by K. Satchidanandan and Githa Hariharan on behalf of the Indian Writers’ Forum.
Amongst world renowned authors who have been part of this statement are Man Booker awardee Arundathi Roy, Windham-Campbell prize awardee Jerry Pinto, and Jnanpith awardees Girish Karnad and Amitav Ghosh. Other famous authors like Jeet Thayil who was shortlisted for the Man Booker, Sahitya Akademi awardee Keki N. Daruwalla, and a host of others who write in Hindi, English, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bangla, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Kashmiri and Konkani.
The appeal states that though our Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and right to dissent, in the last few years, "...writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and other cultural practitioners have been hounded, intimidated, and censored. Anyone who questions the powers-that-be is in danger of being harassed or arrested on false and ridiculous charges."
It further also talks about common citizens being "lynched or assaulted or discriminated against because of their community, caste, gender, or the region they come from."
"Hate politics has been used to divide the country; create fear; and exclude more and more people from living as full-fledged citizens," states the appeal, adding, "All of us want this to change."
Talking about increasing intolerance towards minorities in the country, the appeal says, "We want stern measures against violence in word or deed against women, dalits, adivasis and minority communities. We want resources and measures for jobs, education, research, healthcare and equal opportunities for all."
