Former Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi bats for freedom of speech writing

TNN, Jan 8, 2019, KOLKATA: Former Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi while receiving the Doctor of Literature Degree (D.Lit) from Calcutta University on Monday expressed his gratitude. However, he also reminded that with honour comes “great responsibility”.

Looking at the prevalent “unrest” in several corners in the country, the former Bengal governor said, “Today, here I would want to say that it is of vital importance that the freedom of thought, expression and the freedom of writing be exercised freely and fearlessly in our country.”

Stating that “Fear” is a great evil, Gandhi said that it is inconsistent with democracy and republicanism. “Those who have the capacity to think as all of us do have the right to write with the same freedom without being bullied by anybody,” added Gandhi during his speech after receiving the D.Lit degree from Calcutta University at the convocation on Monday. He pointed out that fear and democracy, inhibition and republic do not go together.

The former Bengal governor pointed out that he was privileged to have been in the state that has always been the hub of literature. “It has been the home of culture and the arts and I believe that Bengal will continue to lead India, out of any darkness, any fear and out of any inhibition that may come its way,” he added.

Taking a cue from Rabindranath Tagore’s national anthem in its original unexpurgated form where he spoke of darkness, Gandhi termed Bengal as “Purba Udaygiri” from where reforms shall begin at the break of a new dawn.

The youngest grandson of “Mahatma” Gandhi, who has always been seen as a supporter of Mamata Banerjee, the former bureaucrat said that chief minister has a great role to play and has a lot of responsibility. He said that Banerjee and Bengal can be the “torch-bearer” of liberty, democracy and keep the republicanism alive in the country. “And, may this state be the torch-bearer of those ideals of freedom,” Gandhi said at the convocation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was present to deliver the convocation address too didn’t spoke out against the ongoing controversy involving changes in study of history in several states. She said, “Let us not forget our history, history should not be misconstrued, history should not be distorted following political ideology, the freedom of institutions should not be curbed and there should not be division between human.” She added that the land of Bengal stands by unity and such divisive and distorted history has no place here.