Pointing out the recent socio-economic issues affecting millions of common people in Karnataka and the poor response to them by the writers and intellectuals, senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu said that one could never become a good writer without social responsibility.
“Just as one cannot be a good journalist without social concerns and responsibility, one can never be a good writer without them. As musicians, actors and sportsmen are accountable to their listeners, viewers and fans, the writers too owe to their readers. We have recently seen many issues, including the row around the textbook revision, which affected vast majority of people and I hardly saw any writer responding to it. We have inherited this beautiful social atmosphere of peace, harmony and coexistence and we have a moral obligation to leave the same or better society for the next generation. For that, writers not only need to express their social concerns in their literary works but also they need to come to the streets to join hands with the agitating masses,” Mr. Dinesh said recalling the historic Gokak agitation and the active participation of popular writers and cultural icons such as actor Dr. Raj Kumar.
He was delivering an inaugural address at the conference of journalists and writers at Kannada Bhavan in Kalaburagi on Tuesday. The event was organised jointly by the district units of Kannada Saahithya Parishath and Karnataka Union of Working Journalists.
Obliquely referring to the instances of increasing attacks on writers and journalists in India in recent years, Mr. Dinesh held that no autocratic regime or religious fundamentalism in the world could ever like the freedom of speech and free press.
“The first target of all the dictators had been the freedom of expression. Suppression of that universal right was the first thing that all the autocratic rulers across the world invariably did. German dictator Hitler was a glaring example of it. Don’t think that only the political class in power suppresses freedom of speech. Religious fundamentalism also does the same thing. Just have a look at the books banned by the State. All of them or most of them were banned just because of the immense pressure and threat from religious fundamentalism. Now also, the freedom of expression is under threat,” Mr. Dinesh said stressing the need of raising voices against the suppression of the right by the ruling dispensation.
Senior writer Swamirao Kulkarni, district president of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists Baburao Yadrami, district president of Kannada Sahithya Parishath Vijayakumar Tegalatippi and honorary secretary Yeshwantraya Ashtagi and others were present.
