People's
Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) No. 06
February 09, 2003
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVII No. 06 February 09, 2003 |
Saffron Brigade Now Eyes Sahitya Akademi
TO
save
the
autonomy
of
Sahitya
Akademi
from
saffronisation,
leading
writers
connected
with
this
academy
for
years
have
called
upon
the
literary
academies
electorate
to
rise
in
unison
and
support
activist
writer,
journalist
and
novelist
Mahashweta
Devi
as
the
president
of
the
academy.
Elections
are
slated
for
February
17.
Addressing
a
joint
press
conference
at
New
Delhi
on
January
31,
Ashok
Vajpayee,
Krishna
Sobti
and
Namwar
Singh
called
for
unity
among
writers
and
cultural
activists
to
ensure
continuity
in
the
academy’s
existence
that
cares
for
excellence,
plurality
and
freedom
in
literature
and
indeed
life.
They
said
this
academy
was
one
of
the
few
bodies
left
from
the
government-backed
saffron
onslaught
and
was
now
under
attack
from
the
government.
They
recalled
the
attack
launched
on
such
bodies
during
the
emergency
and
the
way
they
were
defended.
At
the
same
time
they
also
pointed
to
the
well-known
cases
of
capture
of
academic
and
cultural
bodies
by
the
Sangh
Parivar.
These
include
the
NCERT,
Indian
Council
of
Historical
Research,
Indian
Institute
of
Mass
Communication,
and
many
other
bodies.
(INN)
