Thrissur: A group of intellectuals and activists from Kerala including MT Vasudevan Nair, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Anand, and Satchidanandan have issued a joint statement condemning the recent attack on Salman Rushdie.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the brutal attempt to assassinate acclaimed writer Salman Rushdie during a literary event in Chautauqua, Western New York. We strongly condemn this heinous act and express our solidarity with the writer,’’ the signatories said.
They pointed out that Rushdie has been under the shadow of death threats for decades for what he once wrote. "The call to kill him was, by itself, a condemnable move against freedom of expression. The fact that Rushdie spent many years of his life in hiding, unable to experience even the simple comforts of life, yet was active in writing, reveals his passion for creativity,’’ the statement said.
“The present incident was intended to completely silence the writer, and to punish him for what he wrote. This despicable act, we see, is a great crisis faced by creative pursuits in recent times,’’ they said .
“The attack on Rushdie, who is a man of peace and dealing only in words, is yet another example of the violent intolerance of dissent that is dangerously gaining momentum. We think it is the need of the hour for writers, artists, art-lovers and readers to protest against this dastardly act and its dangerous implications,’’ they said.
The signatories also include TJS George, Sashi Kumar, Zacharia, NS Madhavan, KG Sankarappillai, M Mukundan, KP Kumaran, TV Chandran, MN Karassery, MA Baby, Khadeeja Mumtaz, Balan Nambiar, Sadanand Menon, Sara Joseph, Rafiq Ahmed, CP Aboobacker, Shaji N Karun, Sunil P Elayidom, PT Kunjumohammed and EP Unni.
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