Hindutva destroying Hinduism: author Nayantara Sahgal

CHANDIGARH: The 6th edition of Chandigarh Literature Festival began with celebrated author Nayantara

Sahgal

in conversation with novelist and playwright

Kiran Nagarkar

, discussing her forthcoming book named ‘When the Moon Shines By the Day’.

Speaking to TOI, Sahgal voicing her concerns regarding the current political situation in the country said, “I refuse to refer to the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh as Yogi Adityanath, because he is not a Yogi for me as he has done violent things which is not acceptable being a Yogi. I myself have been practising Yoga for long.” She further forwarded her belief that Hindutva today has been destroying Hinduism.

When asked about her book, she said, “All my books stem from the political climate and this book is no different. But it is a story about how modern India, along with science, art and culture, is getting destroyed.”

Sahgal expressed her anger against the lynching of Akhlaq in Dadri, of

Pehlu Khan

in Rajasthan and against the mob murder of 15-year-old Junaid Khan. She also spoke against the murder of three journalists, including Gauri Lankesh, which forms the basis of her writing.

Blaming the government for not doing enough, Sahgal said, “The government is showing its true colours by not doing anything about it. We all know the EVM (

Electronic Voting Machines

) were fiddled with and maybe its time we should let go of this voting system and adopt the paper chits like the European countries."

Sahgal also remarked on “three quarters” of electronic media being owned by a particular company but praised the print media for keeping its integrity intact.