Book Review: 'Words Matter: Writings Against Silence' - The idea of protest

The killings of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi had triggered a debate on tolerance and diversity. Words Matter: Writings Against Silence is a collection of essays and writings written by many of the authors who took the step then of returning government awards in protest.

But the highlights of the book are the selected writings of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi. Much has been said and written about the trio in protest meetings and newspapers. But nothing offers a better understanding of these men, their crusading streak, their scholarship and ideas, than these.

For Dabholkar, faith is non-violent in practice and elevates value judgments while superstition debases our values. The translations of Dabholkar’s writings from Marathi by Suman Oak and Dileep Chavan reveal a man who admits that propagating rationalism is not an easy task and is an endless journey that “terribly exhausts” most activists. Dabholkar also recounts the opposition from groups like the Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagaran Samiti, Shiv Sena and the BJP.

Pansare was a politician, thinker and historian rolled into one. His reading of the class basis of Maratha society, his emphasis that the overwhelming support that Shivaji won from the peasant class before the elites accepted his leadership, was widely appreciated. In his writings, he also sought to correct perceptions that communist ideology as propounded by Marx and Lenin sought to abolish religion. According to Pansare, Marx tried to understand why the masses required religion to survive in an exploitative world, while for Lenin, religion was a personal matter.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the book is an excerpt from Kalburgi’s play, Fall of Kalyana, translated from Kannada by Basavaraj Naikar. It portrays the Lingayat saint Basavanna and his growing rift with the king and priestly class. In the play, Basavanna rejects the Manusmriti, abhors untouchability and offers tax relief to the poor, setting the stage for a backlash. Kalburgi was conscious that a false history was being peddled and made a conscious effort to draw from literary texts, inscriptions, folk tales, society and culture. Kalburgi had strong views on caste and communalism and refused to be cowed down by protests and threats.

As Basavanna’s life shows, the conflict between ideas and the religious orthodoxy began centuries ago. Those who inhabit the world of words and ideas have no option but to soldier on. As Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi did.