IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Jan 7: In the backdrop of recent attacks, sometimes physical sometimes verbal, by fringe Hindu right groups on individuals for having opposite viewpoints or eating habits, an initiative has been launched here to create “a democratic space for open discussion” and the people behind the initiative has named it Guftgu.
Being organized under the banner of Jamia Collective, a newly created platform of artists, intellectuals and activists to promote diversity, pluralism and constitutional values, the event has featured four eminent personalities in about two months – the inaugural was addressed by renowned Hindi writer Ashok Vajpeyi in early November.
The discussion is held every alternate Saturday from 11am to 1pm in Jamia Nagar (at the residence of Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, former member of Planning Commission).
Talking about the idea behind Guftgu initiative, Iqbal Ahmed, senior journalist who is actively engaged in social and community issues, told IndiaTomorrow.net that they decided to hold it with an aim to bridge gap between thinkers working in various areas such as media, culture, heritage, law and science.
“So far Ashok Vajpeyi, historian Rizwan Qaiser and Prof Apoorvanand have attended the event and expressed their views,” said Ahmed, one of the brains behind the initiative. This past Saturday, eminent academician Prof Imtiaz Ahmad was the guest at the event.
“The syncretic culture in any democratic society is created on the bedrock of negotiation between different domains of human activity, intellectual distillation and the thought processes prevalent among common citizens. The effort of Jamia collective is to enhance and crystallize this social contract,” said the organizers in an introduction about Jamia Collective.
