Another beginning for speaking out Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi Annual Talk 2014 Press release, 9 July 2014 The Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi Annual Talk, was to be delivered today by Prof. Mridu Rai at Hotel Grand Mumtaz, Srinagar but was banned by the authorities. At the last moment the government threatened action against the hotel if they allowed the event to proceed. Nonetheless, following a press conference, the talk was held at another private venue. Prof. Mridu Rai, despite the government’s attempts to stifle her voice, addressed a more limited audience on Languages of Violence, Languages of Justice: the State and Insurgent Kashmir. While delivering the hour long talk, Prof. Rai said, “I will never be silent”. Under the law, there is no requirement for any permission for holding such an event at a private venue. This ban is consistent with the government’s policy of disallowing academic, cultural and political activity in Jammu and Kashmir. The very existence of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir has required oppressive measures – military or otherwise. The State has consistently sought to choke all political spaces of dissent. The objective of the annual talk was to invite scholars invested in the disciplinary fields of history, literature, arts, sociology, anthropology, urban studies, social geography, political philosophy and other related fields and writers, journalists, and filmmakers to highlight the everyday struggles of living in a militarized occupation. The necessity of such an annual talk was perhaps again most strongly felt on a day on which the State sought to suppress voices of dissent. The annual talk has been instituted to commemorate Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi’s extensive contributions to Kashmiri society, history, and politics but also to begin a dialogue about the time in Kashmir of which little is known or heard in public or official narratives. We believe that Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi’s life and persistent struggle to free Kashmir from the tyranny of a militarized occupation is a step in this critical direction. The government ban on the event, and the subsequent response of civil society by proceeding with the talk, are perhaps a suitable recognition and tribute to the circumstances in which Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi lived, and his life of resistance. A recording of the press conference and the talk will be available online soon. Organizing Committee Pt. Rughonath Vaishnavi Annual Talk
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:13:01 +0000
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