#AwardWapsi: Where have all the writers gone?

On November 20, the following tweet by new India’s favourite writer Chetan Bhagat went viral as a befitting reply to a faction of “elite intellectuals” who amplified their #AwardWapsi campaign amid the high voltage political battle for Bihar.

Awards returned right before Bihar elections: 200. Awards returned after Bihar elections: 0.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) November 20, 2015

The award-returning mahotsav was grand enough to paint India as intolerant before the world, and we have seen its intensity during the prime minister’s UK visit. Chetan has reiterated his view openly by taking on the so-called secular champions of freedom and tolerance. He is right on asking why no writer returned their awards after Bihar elections. Where have all the writers gone after Bihar elections? The award wapsi campaign has had its own political overtones, and the orchestrators executed it well to meet their own clandestine agenda.

For long time, the thoughts of the “Right” in India’s literary world were in the mute mode. The Nehruvian age perfidiously created a template for intellectual “activism” in India, which was heavily dominated by the writers, historians and thinkers from the Leftist school of thought. They hijacked the academic and economic landscapes by attacking the idea of “Bharat”.  Putting national hero Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the trash bin of history and the glorification of Tipu Sultan-like despots were the unfortunate, yet manipulated, outcomes of such a thought. As the western-educated historians of post-independent India echoed the ideology of the rulers, the unparalleled contributions of India’s legendary leader was wiped out from the history text books. Hardcore revolutionary patriots like Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose and Udham Singh were (mis)treated as terrorists. Whereas invaders like Babur, Aurangzeb and tyrants like Tipu were hyped as the legatees of Indian heritage. 

Chetan, Amish and the Indian Right

Propaganda, whether it’s for good cause or bad cause, creates perception. The “mass” takes this perception for granted.  As the secular intelligentsia is engaged in the propaganda game, it is noteworthy that two of India’s most popular writers have come out to counter this with great enthusiasm. Along with Chetan Bhagat, India’s “literary popstar” Amish Tripathi also came out to defend the intolerance branding on his country.

Ok,wrong to label Islam as violent after stray terror attack.But why did you label my entire country intolerant after a few stray incidents?

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) November 14, 2015

Indians among strongest supporters of religious freedom globally. Wonder whr d actual Taliban stands. Anish Kapoor? https://t.co/uP8fTf6kjd

— Amish Tripathi (@authoramish) November 20, 2015

If peace has to exist between religions, the concept of False Gods must be forgotten. Everyone has a right to his/her own God.

— Amish Tripathi (@authoramish) November 15, 2015

As Amish and Chetan are the most admired writers for mew-age Indians, their viewpoints are getting much attention of the netizens. Look at this tweet by Chetan, “Ok, wrong to label Islam as violent after stray terror attack. But why did you label my entire country intolerant after a few stray incidents?” This has got massive response on Twitter with more than 13,000 re-tweets, and for Chetan it has become the golden tweet until date. 

The author of the best-selling Shiva trilogy and the Scion of Ikshvaku has written a rational article for Times of India on November 21 titled “Eyes Left. Eyes Right. Debate”, which questions the very logic of the intolerance campaign. “Recently, there’s been a raging debate on rising intolerance in India, based on a few horrific incidents and some intemperate words. Every single life lost in violence, or in any other unnatural form, is tragic. But does the data reflect that religious violence is high or has ever been high in the last 50 years, compared to other forms of unnatural deaths in India?  No. More women are killed in the womb every fortnight than the total number of people killed in all religious violence cumulatively in the last 50 years,” Amish pointed out.  Unlike other writers, Amish’s stand on the issue of religious tolerance in India sounds more logical and convincing.

 “On the issue of religious pluralism we are the best in the world,” Amish told this author in an interview two months back. As he pointed out religious violence in India is in small numbers, relative to our population.  

India’s intellectual ecosystem badly needs more voices of the Right to have meaningful debates. And, they should be competent to logically counter the views and propaganda of thinkers like Romila Thapar.