The freedom of expression by the ‘Indian Journalists’ and common men and women, through media like ‘Newspapers’, ‘Televisions’ and ‘Social Medias’ via ‘internet’s ‘facebook’ and ‘whatsapp’ etc.,are said to be controlled /curtailed by the Union Government of India and the State Governments in India.
It is notable that curtailing the freedom of expression via ‘Social Media’ was started earlier, even in and by Government of Indian National Congress ( of Sonia Gandhi /Manmohan Singh/Kabil Sibal) when some of the innocent Indians were arrested for ‘Liking’ some messages in the social forums like ‘Facebook’, ‘objectionable to the Government.
The increasing ‘intolerance’ and the decreasing ‘freedom of expressions’ in India are said to be reflected by the following :
- The speeches made by the Ministers of the Central and the State Governments in India, including the Prime Minister of India,Narendra Modi.
- The brutal murders of 3 Indian writers at various places and at various times:
Narendra Dabhokar-Marathi Writer, who was murdered in Pune, Maharashtra on 20th August 2013 at the age of 67 years,
Govind Pansare-Marathi Writer belonging to Communist Party of India who along with his wife was shot by unidentified gunmen on 16th February 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra and died on 20th February 2015 at the age of 81 years
M.M.Kalburgi- Kannada Writer, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Dharwad, Karnataka, on 30th August 2015 at the age of 76 years and
- Even it is alleged that ‘what people should eat’ and ‘what not to eat’ are said to be dictated by the Governments, reflected by the ‘Dadri Mob Lynching Incident’, in which a 52 year old Mohammed Akhlaq Saifi was killed and his 22 years old son Danish was badly injured by attacks for allegedly having eaten cow’s meat, whereas the meat kept inside the Refrigerator was said to be mutton or beef (meat of buffalo) only.
- When a Bharathia Janata Party / BJP activist Sudheendra Kulkarni had been by the side of Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, a former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, while publishing Kasuri’s book /“Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy” at a Press Conference in Mumbai on 12th October 2015, reportedly, the face and the body of Sudheendra Kulkarni were blackened by flashing black ink by ‘Shiv Sena’ activists, who opposed the publishing of the book of the Pakistani in India, even though Susdheendra Kulkarni also was from BJP,
- Instant -Arrest/s of persons expressing against the policies and the activities of the Governments, such as the arrest of the ‘Folk Singer’ -‘Trichy Woraiyur (Marudhandaakkurichy) Kovan’ in the State of Tamilnadu under charges of ‘Sedition’ etc.for his songs against the Tamil Nadu State Government’s ‘Liquiors Sale’ by Tamilnadu State Marketing Committee/ ‘TASMAC’ and
- Recently, the popular Tamil Cinema Lyricist Vairamuthu was summoned by the Madras High Court in a ‘Suo Motu Contempt Proceedings’ against him initiated by an’ intolerant Film Financier’, as the Lyricist had allegedly passed some damaging comments on the ‘Judges of the High Court’ in a Public Speech.
To show their protest against the inaction /silence of the Government of India and the ‘Sahitya Akademi’ in the matters of the murders of the Indian writers and in the matter of ‘increasing intolerance’ and the ‘decreasing-Freedom of Expression’ prevailing in India, more so, in the present Government of PM Narendra Modi / BJP:-
- Many Indian writers who had received ‘Sahitay Akedemi Awards’ for their contributions to Indian Literature and
- Some of the Indian Movie Producers and Directors who had received Indian ‘National Film Awards’ and
- Some of the ‘Padma Awardees’, including a Scientist who had received Indian Government’s ‘Padma Awards’ –
have returned back the awards received by them.
Before going into a discussion whether, ‘Returning of the Valuable Awards’ given to them for their talents and achievements, by the people of India though indirectly, however, chosen by the boards of ‘Juries’ and approved by and given by the hands of the Government officials, is the right way of protesting against the Government and its bodies, let us have a glance through the ‘Lists’ of such ‘Returns of the Governments Awards’ by its recipients.
The following is a list of Indian Writers who had returned back their ‘SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARDS’ received by them:-
Uday Prakash / 63 years old- Born on 1st January 1952/ Hindi Poet, Translator, Short Story Writer, Journalist and Television Administrator / Received 3 National Awards:
2.‘Sahityakaar Samman’ Award given by the Hindi Akedemi in the year 1999 and
3.‘Pahal Samman’ Award for contemporary Literary Contributions in the year 2003-
Returned the above 3 ‘Sahitya Akedemi Awards ‘received by him in September 2015-The first to return the awards in protest of the murder of the Writer M.M.Kalburgi, and became the ‘Pilot of the Mission’ of ‘Returning the Government Awards’.
Ms.Nayantara Sahgal -Daughter of Dr.Vijayalakshmi Pandit, younger sister of Jawaharlal Nehru / 88 years old -Born on 10th May 1927/Indian Writer writing in English / Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ in the year 1986 for her Novel ‘Rich Like Us’– -Returned the award on 06th October 2015
Ashok Vajpeyi / 74 years old-Born in the year 1941/Hindi -Poet, Essayist, Literary Cultural Critic and Arts Administrator- Former Chairman of ‘Lalit Kala Akademi’/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ in the year 1994, for his Poetry Collections, ‘Kahin Nahin Wahin’-Returned the award on 7th October 2015
Gurbachan Singh Bhullar /78 years old-Born on 18th March 1937 /Punjabi writer /Received ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his book of Short Stories –‘Agni Kalas’– in the year 2005-Returned the award on 11th October 2015
Ghulam Nabi Khayal /Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his book ‘Gashik Minaar’ (Luminaries) in the year 1975-Returned the Award
Rahman Abbas / 43 years old -Born on 30th January 1972/Indian Fiction writer-Novelist in Urdu and English / Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Novel ‘Khuda Ke Saaye Mein Ankh Micholi’ (Hide and Seek in the Shadow of God) in the year 2011- Returned the award on 7th October 2015 against the ‘Dadri Lynching Incident’
Waryam Singh Sandhu / 70 years old-Born on 10th September 1945 /Canada Based Punjabi Short Stories Writer- His stories translated into Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and English/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademy Award’ for his Short Stories Collecion ‘Chauthi Koot’ in the year 2000-Returned the Award on 10th October 2015
Ajmer Singh Aulakh / 73 years old-Born in the year 1942 /Punjabi Play wright /Received the ‘Sahitya Akademy Award’ for his plays ‘Ajmer Singh Aulakh Ishk Baj Namaz Da Haz Nahi ‘ in the year 2006-Returned the award on 10th October 2015
G. N. Ranganatha Rao /Kannada Writer, Translator and Journalist/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his ‘Mohan Dasa Ondu Satya Kathe’ his translation of Rajmohan Gandhi’s ‘Mohandas- A True Story of a Man, His People and an Empire’-Returned the Award in October 2015 against the assassination of Kalburgi
Rahmat Tarikere / 56 years old -Born on 26th August 1959 / Kannada Critic/Received ‘Kannada Sahitya Akademi ‘award for his travelogue ‘Andaman Kanasu’ in the year 2010 and ‘Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his book ‘Kattiyanchina Daari’ in the year 2010-Returned the Awards received by him
Rajesh Joshi / 69 years old -Born in the year 1946 /Hindi Poet/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademy Award’ for his Hindi anthology of poems – ‘Do Panktiyon Ke Beech’ (Between Two Lines) in the year 2002-Returned the Award in October 2015 against attacks on freedom of speech and expression in India
Mangalesh Dabral /67 years old-Born on 16th May 1948/Hindi Poet/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Poetry Collection- ‘Ham Jo Dekhte Hain’ in the year 2000-Returned the award
Ganesh Devy (G.N.Devy) /65 years old- Born on 01st August 1950/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his book ‘After Amnesia’ in the year 1993- Also Received ‘Padma Shri’ on 26th January 2014 for his work with de-notified and nomadic tribes education and his work on dying out languages- Returned his Sahitya Akademy Award in October 2015
Kumbar Veerabhadrappa /Kannada Writer / Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Kannada Novel ‘ Aramane’ in December 2014- Returned the Award in October 2015 against the silence of the Akademy over the murder of Kalburgi and the Dadri Lynching incident
Surjit Patar / 70 years old-Born on 14th January 1945/ Punjabi Poet and Writer – Present President of ‘Punjab Sahit Academy’, Chandigarh- Former President of ‘Punjabi Sahit Akademi’, Ludhiana/Received the ‘Punjab Sahiyta Akademi Award’ in the year 1979- Sahitya Akademi Award for ‘Hanere vich Sulghdi Varnmala’ in the year 1993-Received ‘Padma Shri’ Award in the year 2012-Returned the Sahitya Akademy Award in October 2015
Homen Borgohain / 83 years old-Born on 7th December 1932-/ Assamese Writer and Journalist -Former President of the ‘Assam Sahitya Sabha’/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his novel ‘Pita-Putra’ (Father-Son) in the year 1978- Returned the Award in October 2015
Ms.Mandakranta Sen /43 years old-Born on 15th September 1972/Bengali Writer/Received Sahitya Akademy Award in the year 2004 –Returned the Award
Keki N Daruwalla /78 years old-Born in the year 1937/Indian Parsi Poet writing in English/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his poetry collections ‘The Keeper of the Dead’ in the year 1984-Received ‘Padma Shri’ Award in the year 2014 –Returned the Sahitya Akademi Award received by him
Ms Krishna Sobti /90 years old- Born on 18th February 1925 / Hindi Fiction Writer and Essayist /Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ in the year 1980 for her novel ‘Zindaginama’ in the year 1980 and Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Fellowship’ in the year 1996-It is notable that Ms.Krishna Sobti had been offered the ‘Padma Bhushan Award’ in the year 2010, she declined the same saying that she, as a writer would like to be a little away from the establishment (Government)-Returned the Sahitya Akademi Award on 10th October 2015
Ms Shashi Deshpande / 77 years old-Born in the year 1938/Kannada Novelist/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for her novel ‘That Long Silence’ in the year 1990-Received the ‘Padma Shri award’ in the year 2009-Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award
K Satchidanandan / Malayalam Poet who writes in Malayalam and English- a literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator- the former Editor of Indian Literature journal -the former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi / Resigned from all his positions in the Sahitya Akademi on 10th October 2015
Aman Sethi / 38 years /Mumbai based Indian English Writer / Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his book ‘A Free Man’ in the year 2012 – Returned the award received by him on 10th October 2015
Margoob Banihali / Kashmiri Urdu Writer/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Kashmiri poetry collection “Partavistaan” in the year 1979-Returned the Award on 19th October 2015 in protest against the murder of a Kashmiri Muslim Zahid Bhat in Udhampur on 18th October 2015 being brutally attacked on 9th October 2015, over rumors of cow slaughtering
Nand Bharadwaj / Rajasthani- Hindi Writer/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Rajasthani Novel ‘Samhi Khulto Marag’ in the year 2004-Returned the award on 14th October 2015
Munawwar Rana /63 years old- Born on 26th November 1952/ Modern Hindi and Urdu Poet/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for Urdu Literature in the year 2014- Returned the award on 18th October 2015 in a live Television Show
Baldev Singh Sadknama / 73 years old-Born in the year 1942 /Punjabi Novelist and Story Writer/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Novel – ‘Dhahwan Dilli De Kingre’ in the year 2011-Returned the award
Mohan Bhandari /78 years old- Born in the year 1937 /Punjabi Writer /- Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his collections of Short Stories ‘Mooon di Akh’ in the year 1997-Returned the award
Dr.Chaman Lal / Punjabi- Received the Sahitya Akademi Award for a book of collections of Punjabi Poems of Punjabi Poet Pash ‘Samay O; Bhai Samay’ in the year 2002- Returned the award on 21st October 2015
Ambika Dutt / Rajasthani Poet/Receiced the ‘Sahitya Akademy Award’ for his Rajasthani poems –
Kashinath Singh / 78 years old-Born on 1st Januray 1937/Hindi Novelist and Short Stories Writer/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his Novel ‘Rehan Par Ragghu’ in the year 2011-Recently received the Uttar Pradesh State’s highest Literary Award the ‘Bharat Bharti Award’-Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ received by him
Ms Nirupama Bogohain / 83 years old-Born in the year 1932/ Assamese Novelist/ Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for her Novel ‘Abhiyatri’ in the year 1996-Returned the award
M Bhoopal Reddy / 56 years old-Born in the year 1959/ Telugu Writer of Children Literature and Actor/Received the ‘Kendria Sahitya Akademi Awards’ for Children’s Literature for his work, ‘Uggu Paalu’, a compilation of 90 children stories in the year 2011-Returned the Award on 15th October 2015
Jaswinder Singh /Punjabi Poet / Received the award in the year 2014 for his collection of poems ‘Agarbatti’-Returned the Award received
K Shivadas / Konkani Writer/Received the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his collection of Short Stories ‘Bhaangarsaall’ in the year 2005-Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’in October 2015 to protest against suppression of freedom of speech in India
T Satish Javare Gowda / Kannada Writer/Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ Received
Hanumanth Haligeri /35 years old- Born in the year 1980/ Kannada Writer/Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ Received
Shridevi V Aloor /Kannada Writer/Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ Received
Chidananda Sali /Kannada Writer/Returned the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ Received
The following Writer Returned his Padma Shri Award:
1. ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ of the year 2006 and
2. ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! ‘ of the year 2008
-Returned the 2 National Film Awards received by him
Anand Patwardhan/65 years old- Born on 18th February 1950/ Indian Documentary Movie Maker- of socio political and human rights oriented movies/ Received 6 National Film Awards for the Movies:
2.In Memory of Friends’ in the year 1990,
3.‘In the Name of God’ (Ram Ke Nam) in the year 1992,
4.‘Father, Son and Holy War’ in the year 1995,
5. ‘War and Peace’ in the year 2002 and
6.‘Jai Bhim Comrade’ in the year 2011
Paresh Kamdar / Received National Film Award for his Hindi and English Movie ‘Rasayatra’ in the year 1994
Ms Nishtha Jain / 50 years old-Born on 21st June 1965/Indian Documentary Movies Director and Producer/Received National Film Award for her Documentary Movie ‘Gulaabi Gang’ for the ‘Best Film on Social Issues’, under ‘Non Feature Films Category’ in the year 2014-Returned the award received
Kirti Nakhwa / Film Producer and Editor /-Received ‘National Film Award’ for the ‘Best Promotional Movie’ in English, Hindi and Marathi-‘Lost and Found’, as a co-producer along with Harshavardhan G. Kulkarni and Amitabh Shukla in the year 2008
Harshavardhan Kulkarni / Film Producer and Director /Received ‘National Film Award’ for the ‘Best Promotional Movie’ in English, Hindi and Marathi-‘Lost and Found’, as a co-producer along with Kirti Nakhwa and Amitabh Shukla in the year 2008
Hari Nair /Cinematographer-Camera man/ Received the ‘National Film Award ‘for the ‘Best Cinematography’– Camera man’ for the English Movie ‘Sham’s Vision’ under the ‘Non-Feature Films Category in the year
Rakesh Sharma / Indian Documentary Movie Maker/ Received the ‘National Film Award’ for the Movie ‘Final Solution’ based on the 2002- Gujarath Riots-The Hindu-Muslim Clashes
Indraneel Lahiri /Cinematographer/Received the ‘National Film Award’ for the ‘Best Cinematography’ for the Movie ‘Aamaar Katha: Story of Binodini’ -under Non Feature Movies Category for year 2014
Lipika Singh Darai / Odiya Film Artist /Received 3 National Film Awards:
2. For the ‘Best Debut Film of a Director’ under the Non Feature Film Category for the Odia Movie ‘Eka Gachha Eka Manisa Eka Samudra’ Produced by Veenu Bhushan Vaid for the year 2012-
3. For the ‘Best Narration / Voice Over Category for the Odia Movie ‘Kankee O Sappo’ for the year 2013
Here are some relevant quotes for the present day’s Democratic India:
The former American President of the United States of America /USA, Woodrow Wilson said, “The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy.”
Does the above statement appear to be true about the present ‘Democratic’ India?
” The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.”
“Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.”
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