A day before the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was scheduled to begin in Yavatmal, the organisers withdrew the invitation extended to noted author Nayantara Sahgal after some people threatened to disrupt the function.
In the speech Sahgal was scheduled to give at the event, the writer had touched upon how the current situation in the country was “affecting every side of our lives: what we eat, whom we marry, what we think and what we write and, of course, how we worship”. She further said, “Today we have a situation where diversity and opposition to the ruling ideology are under fierce attack.”
Sahgal added, "Inclusiveness has been our way of life, and this ancient multi-cultural civilisation whose name is India is a most remarkable achievement that no other country has known. Today it is threatened by a policy to wipe out our religious and cultural differences and force us into a single religious and cultural identity."
Sahgal (91), a Sahitya Akademi awardee, was at the forefront of the 2015 ‘award wapsi’ campaign against the "growing intolerance in the country" under the Modi government. Sahgal was to inaugurate the 92nd literary meet on January 11 in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In a press release issued Sunday, working president of the literary meet reception committee Ramakant Kolte said the organisers have taken cognisance of the threat given by a political outfit.
"Nayantara Sahgal's name was proposed by the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal chief Shreepad Joshi of Nagpur which was accepted by the organisers. A follow-up was taken by sending her a formal invitation," it stated.
The release stated the organisers have decided to revoke Sahgal's invitation, "as a controversy has cropped up against her name and to avoid any untoward incident from those who threatened to derail the literary meet". "We have sent her a letter cancelling the invitation," Kolte said.
Meanwhile, the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal (ABMSM) said in a statement in Nagpur that the decision to withdraw the invite was taken by the local level organisers.
"There were newspaper reports about objections and (likely) protests to Nayantara Sahgal inaugurating the event. It was being said that some people would not let the literary meet function. Hence, to avoid any obstruction and untoward incident, the organising committee at the local level decided to send a withdrawal letter to Sahgal. "This is not the directive of the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal. It is the local organising committee which has taken the decision," it stated.
Comments
0 comment