The skewed decision of the Goa Government to abruptly postpone the 14th DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas only exposes the true perverted and twisted dictatorial minds of the BJP. The programme which was scheduled to be held from 10th to the 14th of this month was initially postponed without assigning any reason. Caught on the wrong foot, the government as an afterthought cited lack of response from students as an excuse to wriggle out of their deeply flawed bad idea.
It is surprising that Arts & Culture Minister Govind Gaude succumbed to BJP pressure, clearly uneasy with the choice of those speakers who were to address this very popular series of deliberations. Govind Gaude like late Vishnu Surya Wagh was known to be secular, very outspoken and liberal minded. Has all this changed after he officially joined the BJP? Has he been tamed, reined in, put on a BJP leash, and reduced to being merely his master’s voice?
The BJP has run out of credible ideas to govern the nation in line with fundamental principles of our Constitution as a secular nation with liberty, equality and fraternity as the guiding principles. Our youth are our future and we have so much to learn from them and from each other. This is only possible through regular sharing of ideas in festivals and forums in an environment where people of all ages, especially our young people are encouraged, supported, and facilitated by Government and various agencies to express themselves freely, without fear or favour.
Infact this Festival of Ideas should be replicated across the nation to energise the thought making process to keep democracy and free exchange of views and opinions alive. We are known to be the world’s largest democracy, and so should we remain in letter and spirit, in word and in deed.
The BJP, desperate to silence the voices of our brilliant young people, would greatly benefit to heed the wise words of the late Bishop Desmond Tutu, a world-renowned human rights activist, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and winner of the Gandhi Peace prize when he said ‘Give young people a greater voice. They are the future, and they are much wiser than we give them credit for’.
