[Below is the reproduction of a recently written blog by Onir where he urges people to stand up and speak against the Human rights violation]
Yesterday I was at the Jehangir Art Gallery to protest against the arrest of Chandramohan Srilamantula (student of MSU, Vadodra) and the suspension of Shivji Panikkar. This was the focus but the protest was also to start recognising that wider issues of Freedom of Expression, Human rights violation all over the country needs to be addressed. It is a shame that one of the leading Painters of the country is living in Exile. A shame that a writer/art historian's face is blackened, books are burned. Does it not remind us all of something?
Where is it all going?
What saddened me was however the absence of the film industry at the protest. There was Konkona Sen, Ayesha Dharkar, Kitu Gidwani, Chitra Palekar and Sayed Mirza. Why was the mainstream Bollywood marked by their absence? Why is it that when there is a problem with the distribution of Fanaa the industry speaks up and the arrest of a young art student is watched in silence. Is it only Economics? Today it is Paintings and books, tomorrow it will be films (not that we have not already faced it with films like Parzania, Fire, Rang De Basanti).
It is time we woke up from our apathy and self centeredness and realise we are a part of the bigger art Family or rather conscious citizens who want to stand up for their basic democratic/ human rights.
The sound of silence speaks volumes- about how selfish and self centric we are. We need to speak up.... Our silences only encourages the powers of repression. we are guilty in our silence.
