By Mumtaz Alam, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 23 Nov 2015: Eminent Hindi poet, essayist and literary-cultural critic Ashok Vajpeyi, while condemning the incidents of intolerance in the country, has expressed concern over attempts to project government as synonymous of the nation.
“We should think about an alternative politics. By alternative politics, I mean that when Medha Patkar and others were leading Narmada Bachao Andolan, it was a political movement in a deeper sense but our communist friends and others did not support them. We could not contribute to the politics for jungle either. The politics for Jal (water), Jungle and Zameen (land) is alternative politics,” Vajpeyi, who returned his Sahitya Akademi award in early October this year, said while speaking at Guftgu event organized by Jamia Collective, a recent initiative for open dialogues, at Jamia Millia Islamia on 21 Nov.
“In India, I think, the most shining, energetic yet fake is the face of our prime minister. But the defeated, tired and ageing face is that of Medha Patkar but that is more humane and bigger face — because one woman spent her whole life to protect others and to protect jungle and land. She lost the case in Supreme Court. But in her defeat there is more brightness and vibration than those who won,” said Vajpeyi, a former civil servant.
In his 45-minute speech, author of around two dozen books, Ashok Vajpeyi dealt with various issues from intolerance, secularism, marketization of society to need for alternative politics.
Talking about award wapsi as a mark of protest against the growing intolerance, Vajpeyi, who was honoured with Akademi award in 1994, said: “They ask me why I didn’t return award in 1984 when Sikhs were massacred, I say I hadn’t got one at that time nor at the time of Emergency.”
“If we are wrong, leave us but why don’t you talk about the issue. Leave me if my credentials are doubtful, but do talk about the issue (of intolerance),” he said commenting on the people who have questioned the intention of the writers who returned their awards.
He expressed concern at attempts to project government as synonymous of the nation.
“They are creating an atmosphere where government is synonymous of nation. If you talk anything against government it would be against the nation. This is wrong,”he said.
Mentioning Ram Charitra Manas, he said “Ram said if I do something wrong, criticize me without any fear. Bhishampitamah in Mahabharat said King should honour intellectuals. Foolish and greedy people should not be involved in governance. The religion of King is to keep his people free from all fears.”
Vajpeyi also expressed concern at marketization of the society. “Entire society has been turned into market. The campaign to turn society into market was initiated by America.”
To Vajpeyi’s credit are 23 books of poetry, criticism and art. He was honoured with Sahitya Akademi Award in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin.
