'A concerted bid to promote Sanskrit as a classical Indian language appears to top the Centre’s agenda, the Union ministry of culture’s latest figures suggest. The government spent Rs 643.84 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit in the last three years, 22 times the combined spending of Rs 29 crore on the other five classical Indian languages --- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. The government has not set aside any separate fund for the promotion of Malayalam and Odia, and is yet to establish any centre of excellence to promote these classical Indian languages...'
'...On December 29, eight persons including five women were detained by the Chennai Police for drawing anti-CAA kolams [rangolis] near the Besant Nagar bus terminus. As per reports, the detained were released after cases were registered against them. This mode of protest, nonetheless, has gathered steam, with even a few temple administrations drawing anti-CAA rangolis near the temple entries...'
'It seems like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), believes in doing away with cultural diversity and crushing cultural dissent. This can be seen in the recent move by a BJP MP from Mysuru, Pratap Simha, preventing an event called ‘Mahisha Dasara’, which was scheduled to be held on September 27. Mahisha Dasara is an event organised by various dalit organisations, progressive organisations from Karnataka as a counter to the Dasara celebration in the Mysuru palace and elsewhere in the state.
Statement issued by filmmakers from India regarding the Nepal blockade. Issued at the Film South Asia, Kathmandu / 21 November 2015
As filmmakers from India who have gathered to share our work at the Film South Asia in Kathmandu this week, we would like to place on record our solidarity with the people of Nepal who are presently reeling from a grave humanitarian crisis, arising from what is tantamount to an economic blockade.
'Noted British sculptor Anish Kapoor, a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was removed from a panel in Rajasthan. Only two days ago he was nominated by the BJP government to the governing body of the culture-related panel. Mr. Kapoor, who was among the 12 members nominated to the Governing Body of the Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) — a multi-arts centre — at Jaipur on November 16, had recently objected to Mr. Modi’s visit to the U.K. In an article published in The Guardian on the day Mr. Modi landed in London, Mr. Kapoor accused Mr.
'Film star Shah Rukh Khan has found himself at the receiving end of a flurry of attacks and charges from BJP leaders over the past two days, with yoga guru Ramdev also chipping in to take a dig at the actor. Mr. Khan had recently spoken out against “increasing intolerance”, thus coming out in symbolic support of writers and film-makers who had been returning awards in protest.
'In a boost to the ‘award wapsi’ movement, film-makers Kundan Shah and Saeed Mirza were among two dozen artists who returned national awards on Thursday. Mr. Shah, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), felt it was necessary to protest the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman. Kundan Shah sees larger plot to ‘take over culture’.
'Although I do not believe that awards are a measure of the work we do, I would like to add the National Award for Best Screenplay that I won in 1989 to the growing pile of returned awards. Also, I want to make it clear that I am not returning this award because I am “shocked” by what is being called the “growing intolerance” being fostered by the present government. First of all, “intolerance” is the wrong word to use for the lynching, shooting, burning and mass murder of fellow human beings.
'Karnataka’s roster of incidents of intolerance is only growing. The latest headline on the subject has been the abuse of Kannada filmmaker and writer Chethana Tirthahalli. Tirthahalli filed a complaint against a man who threatened her with dire consequences after she endorsed beef consumption and questioned certain Hindu practices on social media, newspapers reported.
The artist community of India stands in firm solidarity with the actions of our writers who have relinquished awards and positions, and spoken up in protest against the alarming rise of intolerance in the country. We condemn and mourn the murders of M.M. Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, rationalists and free thinkers whose voices have been silenced by rightwing dogmatists but whose ‘presence’ must ignite our resistance to the conditions of hate being generated around us.
