Whither Democracy?
Richard Crasta, the author of “The Revised Kama Sutra: A Novel of Colonialism and Desire” exhorts the Indian reader to stand up against censorship in literature
In democratic societies, it is a sacred principle that politicians belonging to opposition parties, a few courageous politicians that is, do indeed speak the truth to power (Jayaprakash Narayan, Mandela and Gandhi, of course, though the latter two are great men, far above politicians), which is why their existence and freedom of speech is a crucial sign of democratic health, and should even be a matter of national pride. But compared to ordinary politician-members of the Opposition, writers are in a unique position to speak truth to power, because they are not required to lie or fudge the truth to get votes. This is why a country that does not present alternative viewpoints and writers with as much freedom as it does its politicians is a failed democracy, and its people have been cheated.