[Reader-list] Police stops screening of Jashn-e-Azadi

Thu Aug 2 13:12:14 IST 2007

Aman , Rashneek,

If every act of censorship succeeds in diverting attention from the censored
object/subject/article/film towards a big picture analysis of censorship,
freedom of expression and the nature of the state, then censorship has
accomplished its task.'

I agree with the basic premise of your argument.

However, I don't think there is a diversion of attention taking place when I
( 'we' is a risky proposition to make) try and sift through events like the
Baroda fiasco or the recent incident of Sanjay Kak's film being banned...
it' s more like  WIDENING  your area of attention.
 Don't you think that the event should ideally stimulate you to question the
space and circumstances within which it takes place.. About the why's and
the how's that constructed it?

And since you have so accurately traced how the 'the threads' seem to be
formed, let me remind you that the discussion began with the Sanjay Kak's
film being banned and is NOT a critique on the film ( which we might reserve
for another time and space or continue. Depends on how many threads make a
carpet).

P.S Anyone who thinks the other guy is personifying his own insecurity by
calling someone else a buffoon is spending too much time playing snakes on
his/her cellphone (or is a cop)

On 8/1/07, rashneek kher <rashneek at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Aman,
>
> I wonder if you have seen the movie.You are grossly mistaken that the
> movie
> is about Kashmir.If it was it would talked about Kashmiris(all of
> them-gujjars,pandits,sikhs,shias,bakerwals and others)...go see it
> again...among separatists also..it talks about just one fringe...the yasin
> malik one...
> if it is about freedom of speech,why did they disallow a section of people
> from entering the hall when it was screened in delhi(IHC)..
> Ponder again..see again..then write again..
>
> Rashneek
> ps;Anyone who thinks the other guy is a bufoon personfies his own
> insecurity
> as one.
>
>
>
> On 8/1/07, Aman Sethi <aman.am at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > It is rather interesting that most the threads that usually sustain
> > beyond 2 or three desultory mails, are those that deal with the
> > "hindu-mussalman" question. Even arguments that on the face of it dont
> > seem to have much to do with the "Hindu-Mussalman" question,
> > inevitably come down to it.  From there on, its a quick jump to
> > "pseduo-secularists" vs hindutva wallahs.
> >
> > Kashmir, i suppose, tends to elicit reactions such as these - where
> > every conversation about kashmir never remains "about kashmir" for
> > particularly long. It lends itself to "larger questions" about
> > "patriotism", "secularism and pseudo-secularism", "narender modi",
> > "jhola wallahs", and of course, "the search for meaning" and "the
> > nature of the state".
> >
> > Perhaps Sanjay Kak is trying to do just that  - to make a film that is
> > about kashmir, and stays about kashmir.  And perhaps thats what the
> > kashmiris refer to when they use that tragically over-used cliche,
> > "all agreements should take into account the will of the kashmiri
> > people." A conversation, a film,  a dialogue, a protest, that is not
> > abt "tips of icebergs", and "symptoms of larger malaises".
> >
> > Ever freedom of speech/expression makes the same mistake-
> > "This is not just abt the arrest of an art student in gujarat, this is
> > about the larger issue of freedom of speech in this country."
> > "This is not just about Sanjay Kak's film on kashmir, this is about
> > the larger issue of freedom of speech."
> >
> > No its not.
> >
> > It IS abt the arrest, and it IS about Kashmir. If every act of
> > censorship succeeds in diverting attention from the censored
> > object/subject/article/film towards a big picture analysis of
> > censorship, freedom of expression and the nature of the state, then
> > censorship has accomplished its task.
> >
> > We are then left free to plumb the depths of our limitless
> > imaginations in search of We's , "Us's, Them's, and Thoses.
> > A.
> > ps: The police ARE buffoons.  Really.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 8/1/07, Amitabh Kumar <amitabh at sarai.net> wrote:
> > > The way I understand it.. 'nationalism and patriotism' are not so
> > > bankrupt a phenomenon so as to be divorced of  'secularism &
> > > liberalism'.
> > > However, the figure of 'we' the 'suffer'ers in your argument is
> > > interesting. Is it geographically bound or otherwise? Whats the
> > > imagination of 'we'?
> > >   Is it 'We' the Indians? Or 'We- The Hindu's"? Or ' We- Who hate all
> > > religions but our own' or 'We- who only hate Muslims and Christians'
> > > or ' We - who hate'  or  ' We-  In a bad mood today'?
> > >
> > > On 31-Jul-07, at 11:33 PM, Vedavati Jogi wrote:
> > >
> > > > india must be the only country on this earth where 'nationalism'
> > > > and 'patriotism' are ridiculed ....i think this must be  the reason
> > > > why we had to suffer at the hands of muslim & christian invaders
> > > > for more than thousand years, moreover why this country was
> > > > partitioned in 1947 !
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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>
>
> --
> Rashneek Kher
> http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com
>

-- 
www.amitabhkumar.blogspot.com