(This article is no way intended to support Mr Modi as a PM candidate. However it tries to uncover the dual yardstick of justice which writer URA carries.)
Why it is important to write on U R Ananthamurthy (URA)? And that too on kapilnaik.com which is a political blog and URA belongs to the world of literature.
Well for readers of this blog who have not followed Kannada literature, let me give very brief introduction of URA. He is the winner of Jnanpith Award – India’s highest award in literature. He is also a recipient of Padma Bhushan. He is by no means an ordinary Indian. Certainly to many in India he is an intellectual of very high standards.
But then it is the hypocrisy in his political opinions and actions which make me write this article on him.
Recently at a literary function in Bangalore, Mr URA said – “I don’t want to live in a world where Modi is Prime Minister.” ……… Oh really Mr URA?
Let me get some of the historical facts about URA out of bag for the readers. He holds a PHD from England – a country which ruled India for 150 years. A country which destroyed India’s wealth, self respect and honour rendering us to have mentalities that of a slave. Good Enough. Nothing wrong in this. But is not a hypocrisy that getting a PHD from England (which ruled India) is acceptable to URA but not staying in India with Modi as PM. Further why Mr URA did not give his PHD back to Burmingham University after England attacked Iraq for supposedly having WMD. They have still not found WMD. May be URA can help them to find one.
This is just one piece of his hypocrisy. Let me strip his burqa of hypocrisy apart further.
According to news published in ‘THE HINDU’ on 16th March 2004, he was ready to contest Loksabha Election from South Banglore with support from congress. Surprised I am, he was ready to fight the election with support from a party directly linked with – 1984 anti Sikh riot and emergency of 1975. But he cannot stay in a country where Mr Modi is PM. Can URA plz care to explain these double yardsticks of justice?
He can stay in a country where Kashmiri Pundits are mass slaughtered and driven out of valley destroying secular fabric of India. He can stay in a country where emergency is imposed. He can stay in a country where the migrants from Bangladesh have ID cards of Indian Establishments. He can stay in a country where people cross the border and take training from ISI to destabilize India. He can seek support from a party whose president was allegedly linked with Bofors scam. But he cannot stay in a country where Modi is PM.
What I find is URA is not consistent in his thinking. He is not impartial as a writer. As a writer he is expected to think logically for establishment of Justice. His idea of justice is influenced by his ideology which makes him no different from BJP or Sangh Pariwar. If one has to distance himself, one should distance from 1984 riots , Godhra Train Burning and 2002 riots as all the events are really equally unfortunate to have taken place in history of India.
I don’t wish at that the intellectual like him should leave this country which is already depleted with intellectuals. He can really be a driver for change in India provided he does what he can do best – Create finest literature. But I don’t think he has proved himself to be a balanced opinion maker in politics of India.
But if he insists on leaving this country, I have a request to him. Let us know where he wants to go. Western countries where capitalist war mongers rule. Europe which made colonies all over the world or how about Middle East where you would need a microscope to find the democracy. I guess for him the best country to be in is Pakistan. Because only staying in Pakistan will make him realize that Hindu is the most tolerant religion closest to humanity and Savarkar was not a divisive figure but an icon of nationalism.
And he will also realize if anywhere in the world, the interests of the minorities are best safe guarded, it is in Hindu India – even with Modi as PM. And I am proud of this fact.
How about this selection for Mr URA? As I write this article I have just come across news of an Indian getting shot in Kenya in a mall for failing to answer question on Islam. I am hearing an announcement – This is final boarding call to Mr URA for a flight to Kenya. Plz proceed for boarding.
(This article is no way intended to support Modi as PM candidate. However it tries to uncover the dual yardstick of justice which URA carries.)
Note: Any correction to distortion of the facts is most welcome.
Jai Hind
He has no intentions of being a balanced opinion maker about politics.
In the kannada literary circles, he is known to be a rank lobbyist with the kind of favors he has constantly earned for himself from politicians and government. Even the JP award is more out of self-lobbying than for any exceptional contribution to kannada works. The most famous literary figure, writer and artist, the late Shivarama Karanth (also hailing from S.Canara), another JP award winner, is a literary genius and a walking encyclopedia. His contribution to kannada on a wide range of topics, can last for centuries to come. It is a shame that the likes of Murthy and Karnad is being touted at par with Shri Karanth, for begetting this award, which has now turned out to be an honorary award by Congress for thier literary patrons.
Having watched his interview on kannada news channels wrt to the recent furore that he raked up, he is all but self-contradictory and utterly lacking in conviction and rationale not only in his anti-modi views but even in his pro-congress views. A few karnataka state congress men even back bite about him saying that he is the Digvijay of Karnataka. Not able to tolerate his over-bearing and sycophantic political appeasement, one of the ex-CM of the state had even sarcastically retorted “Who is this Anant Murthy?”, yet the “self-assured” socialist went all out nursing the ex-CM, even feeding him a glass of orange juice when the minister had gone on a satyagraha on some issue.
Out of sheer lobbying and political appeasement, he has been the benefactor and recipient of many government grants, right from Ramakrishna Hegde days to J. H. Patil’s, even from the state BJP govt due to which he became one of the chief chairperson to National Film Institute in Pune. There is a long list …
In short, he has actually lost all literary and political relevance and his only trying a last-bid effort to remain alive in public memory and to see if he can finally get a loksabha ticket. What else can be the best way to earn credentials for a congress ticket, other than Modi-bashing, whether he really hates Modi or not ! 🙂
In India, people are above all. I may not like Sonia Gandhi as a person, but Indian people have elected her. I have to accept this decision. Similarly if Modi becomes Prime Minister, he will become by public votes. We are not in some undemocratic country where Prime Ministers are selected by Army or by birth or by powerful countries or by their colonial bosses.
Hence, any one who is a citizen of India, has to accept people’s verdict otherwise he has to surrender his citizenship and leave the country. He has no right to disrespect the constitution of India.