| Of all the foundations of democracy, it is the freedom of
expression that is the most valuable pillar of them all. As Jawaharlal Nehru, quoting
Voltaire, used to say, "I disapprove of what you say. But I will defend to the death
your right to say it." In recent times
this is a truth forgotten in India. With the banning of the play on Nathuram Godse,
Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, comes another reminder of a new intolerance. In the past year,
plays, paintings and even behaviour at rock concerts have come under the scrutiny of
zealous censors. While politicians enjoy playing the moral police, the Godse play put the
Vajpayee Government in a peculiar situation. Ideologically it may have sympathised with
Godse's dream of an Akhand Bharat, but faced with protests, banned the play. It was a
disastrous decision. The killing of the Mahatma was an unpardonable crime, yet younger
generations, perhaps unaware of Godse and his motivations, deserve the right to know their
own history. More sinister though is the possibility that the Vajpayee Government may
selectively use this to ban whatever else it finds unsuitable.
To understand Godse, and why he continues to stir emotions,
Deputy Editor Swapan Dasgupta travelled to Pune where he met Gopal Godse, Nathuram's
brother, and also the widow of his co-conspirator, Narayan Apte. What surprised Dasgupta
was the bizarre cult he encountered in the old city. Here Godse is a hero, his ashes
preserved, obscure pamphlets published and a pledge taken every year to uphold his dream.
Says Dasgupta: "Godse was an incongruous assassin. He was the editor of a paper and
possibly held a gun only that one time." The resonance of those bullets is still
being felt across India.
(Aroon Purie) |
