If you don’t know who Kunal Marathe is, then I request you to search on Google, he is a writer, businessman and the Lion of Indian literature. His ways are not the traditional ones but ferocious and superb. He is the author of a national best seller “Suicide at Seventeen”, he also owns a fast growing publishing company.
A few days ago Kunal posted on his Facebook account:
Dear brother Kunal,
I respect your sentiments and also the sentiments of all the 1.2 Billion people residing in India.
I respect every language, tribe, caste and sect that can be found in this great land of Bharat.
I respect the snakes, the cows, the birds and the trees worshiped by Indians,
I respect every ounce of soil that helps us feed.
I respect nature.
I respect freedom of speech, freedom to choose and follow any religion, I respect the right to live, feel and to enjoy. I do respect each and every person’s right to criticize, hate and to get angry.
In short respect and follow the Indian constitution.
Yet I am here writing to you about your Facebook post, why?
Do I hate you for pointing out the mistakes in our society?
Do I hate you for being impartial while making comments?
No brother Kunal, I don’t hate you. Instead I like you. I like the fire in you and always pray to God to take you there, where you always wanted to be.
But then why I am writing this?
I am writing this just to clear one small thing, I want to remind you of a simple thing, brother Kunal you mentioned in your post that if
“In India, don't make a film or write a book that hurts the religious sentiments of some religions... even if there is one single dialogue or true event that 'hurts' the sentiments of a particular religious group, the movie can be banned or the writer or the maker can be arrested.”
This my dear brother is not all true, these religions that you are mentioning here are of course a vital vote bank for some silly politicians, but yet when ever any writer, artist, filmmaker writes something blasphemous about their religion, they come up to the streets, they file FIR’s and request the Government to take control of the situation, sometimes such protests have in the past gone wild causing some public property to be damaged. But still the government come to their rescue and banned the artist, author or the cartoonist just because they came and requested to ban it.
The government in its own cannot ban any book or movie unless someone requests it. I hope you remember the Vishwaroopam issue, multiple religious organizations had filed FIR’s, sent memorandums to the Prime Minister via their DM’s, and DC’s also online petitions were circulated. This my dear brother is a democratic process. And there is nothing wrong in it.
Also let me remind you my dear brother Kunal, that in the past a world renowned artist was attacked because he painted something wrong, if I remember correctly 8 FIR’s were filed. I know what he did might have hurt a lot, and filing FIR’s was the best thing people did. There are some similar incidents, most of the time I feel that people don’t take legal action, they just mumble and then forget as if it never happened.
What I want is people to file more FIR’s whenever they feel their religious beliefs have been hurt, or when they feel that their religion is being shown in a dim light.
What I feel is that we must take the legal route rather than the emotional route. Things need to change, and I believe writers like you can, and I am sure you will change it with your pen, with your wit and with the courage of a lion. And do you know why people call you Lion? Because they believe in you.
Your brother in constitution,
Eak Insan.
A few days ago Kunal posted on his Facebook account:
“After watching Kai Po Che, one thing is clear.My response to Kunal Marathe:
In India, don't make a film or write a book that hurts the religious sentiments of some religions... even if there is one single dialogue or true event that 'hurts' the sentiments of a particular religious group, the movie can be banned or the writer or the maker can be arrested.
But, you are free to show Hindus wrong... You can make fun of Hindu Gods... You can use the slogans 'Jai Shree Ram' by a bunch of murderers... you can even rape the Hinduism... and they will all sit quiet !!!
#Sad...”
Dear brother Kunal,
I respect your sentiments and also the sentiments of all the 1.2 Billion people residing in India.
I respect every language, tribe, caste and sect that can be found in this great land of Bharat.
I respect the snakes, the cows, the birds and the trees worshiped by Indians,
I respect every ounce of soil that helps us feed.
I respect nature.
I respect freedom of speech, freedom to choose and follow any religion, I respect the right to live, feel and to enjoy. I do respect each and every person’s right to criticize, hate and to get angry.
In short respect and follow the Indian constitution.
Yet I am here writing to you about your Facebook post, why?
Do I hate you for pointing out the mistakes in our society?
Do I hate you for being impartial while making comments?
No brother Kunal, I don’t hate you. Instead I like you. I like the fire in you and always pray to God to take you there, where you always wanted to be.
But then why I am writing this?
I am writing this just to clear one small thing, I want to remind you of a simple thing, brother Kunal you mentioned in your post that if
“In India, don't make a film or write a book that hurts the religious sentiments of some religions... even if there is one single dialogue or true event that 'hurts' the sentiments of a particular religious group, the movie can be banned or the writer or the maker can be arrested.”
This my dear brother is not all true, these religions that you are mentioning here are of course a vital vote bank for some silly politicians, but yet when ever any writer, artist, filmmaker writes something blasphemous about their religion, they come up to the streets, they file FIR’s and request the Government to take control of the situation, sometimes such protests have in the past gone wild causing some public property to be damaged. But still the government come to their rescue and banned the artist, author or the cartoonist just because they came and requested to ban it.
The government in its own cannot ban any book or movie unless someone requests it. I hope you remember the Vishwaroopam issue, multiple religious organizations had filed FIR’s, sent memorandums to the Prime Minister via their DM’s, and DC’s also online petitions were circulated. This my dear brother is a democratic process. And there is nothing wrong in it.
Also let me remind you my dear brother Kunal, that in the past a world renowned artist was attacked because he painted something wrong, if I remember correctly 8 FIR’s were filed. I know what he did might have hurt a lot, and filing FIR’s was the best thing people did. There are some similar incidents, most of the time I feel that people don’t take legal action, they just mumble and then forget as if it never happened.
What I want is people to file more FIR’s whenever they feel their religious beliefs have been hurt, or when they feel that their religion is being shown in a dim light.
What I feel is that we must take the legal route rather than the emotional route. Things need to change, and I believe writers like you can, and I am sure you will change it with your pen, with your wit and with the courage of a lion. And do you know why people call you Lion? Because they believe in you.
Your brother in constitution,
Eak Insan.
