Writers to meet to apologise to Nayantara Sahgal

Writers and artists from the Marathi literary and art world will come together in Mumbai on January 29 to tender an apology to author Nayantara Sahgal for the “embarrassing” withdrawal of the invitation to inaugurate the recently held 92nd Akhil Bharatiya Maratahi Sahitya Sammelan and to assert their fundamental right to speech and expression.
Actor-director Amol Palekar, Bhalchandra Nemade, Pushpa Bhave, Ganesh Devi and others will attend the programme at 7pm at Shivaji Mandir in Dadar.
A statement issued by Palekar, Sandhya Gokhale and 10 others on Wednesday said, “Acclaimed senior writer and thinker Nayantara Sahgal had been invited to inaugurate the 92nd Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. However, the organisers of the festival cancelled her invitation at the last minute. This move drew strong criticism on many platforms in various ways. Many boycotted the meet, while many attended it to voice their dissent at the venue itself. However, it left an indelible mark in the minds of the Marathi community of a great litterateur being disgraced by their own.”
The statement said to redeem themselves from the embarrassing incident, Marathi writers, artists and readers would tender an apology to Sahgal. “For this purpose, she will be welcomed in Mumbai by an august gathering of connoisseurs and members of the Marathi art and literature world. No political person, party or organisation has organized this programme. There will be no chief guest; neither will it be inaugurated by anyone. This gathering has support from all corners of Maharashtra,” the statement said.