No golden era for freedom of speech in history of independent India, says author Vikram Sampath

Last year, a controversy erupted over his 'award wapsi' remarks and founder-director of the Bangalore Lit Fest, author Vikram Sampath stepped down. This year Vikram has been focused on teaching, writing and My Name is Gauhar Jaan, the stage adaptation of his novel. In an exclusive interview with dna, Vikram talks about the controversy, BLF, writing and more.

Looking back at the Bangalore Lit Festival (BLF) controversy, do you think you made the right decision to quit?

Yes, of course. The situation then was so polarised and the amount of hostility directed towards me just for holding a contrarian view point was truly baffling. After all, I had just expressed a view that I found the outrage of those screaming about intolerance and returning their well-earned awards, as being selective and why I would not wish to return my Sahitya Akademi award. There was no personal slander against anyone. I had also signed a petition with several scholars and historians on the need to move beyond the dominant "Leftist" historiography and look at alternative versions of history too. All of this does not make you a "fascist", a "pro-establishment right-winger"! The problem is that the so-called liberals are sometimes the most illiberal to any contrarian view and that is why having a conversation, dialogue and debate becomes so difficult in this country. To me, true intolerance is when someone says "I will boycott you because your views do not match mine". Lit fests have become echo-chambers where diverse view points are seldom accommodated. In a way, my stand to quit the BLF, which ironically I had founded and nurtured, exposed the hollowness of the claims of many of these so-called liberal intellectuals and eventually saved the fourth edition of the festival. Hence, no regrets on quitting. 

Will you get back into the BLF?

As of now, I do not think so. But I don't know what the future has in store. BLF was my brain child and along with like-minded people including fellow author Shinie Antony, it was a struggle to keep it alive and make it as vibrant and large in just 3 years. The future of the festival seems bleak, more so as we do not get any corporate sponsorships too. So depends on what shape the festival takes this year.

Do you think writers and artists in India are finding it more difficult today to voice their opinion?

I think writers and artists always found it difficult. In my view, there is nothing particularly alarming about "today". When the 'secular' Congress Government banned Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses even before Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran did, when Shiv Sena and other right-wing groups hounded MF Hussain and Ghulam Ali, the MIM made physical attacks on Taslima Nasreen or when people like Sanal Edamaruku, TJ Joseph, Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and others are physically harmed for voicing opinions, a grievous attack is made on the civilizational heritage of India - one that has always permitted heresy, irreverence and debate. Today, the media amplifies everything and makes these known, and with the burgeoning social media, every voice and every chatter gets an outlet. The problem is behaving as though an apocalypse has suddenly descended after a certain political dispensation took over the reigns of the country. There was really no golden era for freedom of speech in the history of independent India and every political party is equally guilty of stifling this freedom. 

Are you happy with the stage adaptation of My Name is Gauhar Jaan?

It is a wonderful adaptation, true to the historicity of the book and to the spirit of Gauhar Jaan. Mahesh Dattani and I had been contemplating this for long and I am so glad it took shape when Lillete Dubey decided to take this on as the next project of the Prime Time Theatre Co. Gauhar was among India's first mass media super stars, being the pioneering musician of the sub-continent to record commercially on the gramophone in 1902. Her feisty nature and hedonistic lifestyle made her a class apart and the play captures this chutzpah of the diva. Rajeshwari Sachdev as the young Gauhar and musician Zila Khan as the older Gauhar have done a brilliant job in both the acting as well as live music. All through the 6-year long research I had so wished I could see Gauhar Jaan live or at least a video of hers. The play therefore was a very emotional moment where I saw my muse, on stage and in action!

How do you balance music and your writing career?

Well, it is a tough task. I also have a day job as the Director of the Symbiosis School of Media & Communication in Bangalore. Being with young minds and shaping them in some way, stimulates me and keeps me young too perhaps! I must admit that music has been a casualty. I used to practice regularly earlier as I have been a student of Carnatic music under several gurus like Smt Bombay Jayashri and Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh. But now work pressure has ensured this is not always possible and that is certainly a regret. But music is such an integral part of my life and I am contributing in a small way by creating the country's first digital sound archive for gramophone records called the 'Archive of Indian Music' (AIM) which was set up in 2011 with the support of TV Mohandas Pai. We have collected over 15,000 vintage records and are digitizing and preserving these for future generations. 

Are you working on any book right now?

Yes, thoughts are brewing on an interesting subject on whom I have been researching for a while as well. I do not know when it will be out in print as my projects take several years. So would not like to speak about it publicly for now. 

Are there any young authors that have impressed you?

The one I was most impressed with was the author of The Ivory Throne by Manu Pillai. All of just 25, this young man has brought out a stellar book on the history of the Travancore royal house and the Maharani, Sethu Lakshmi Bai. It is a brilliant read, meticulously researched and amazingly woven. There are not too many young writers who take to my genre of history or biography writing and hence I found Manu's attempt amazing. 

What is the future of literature in India?

I think it is very bright, given the profusion of books being published, the proliferation of literature festivals and the cult status that several authors enjoy. I am always an optimist and do not believe doomsday predictions for anything - be it literature or Indian classical music. 

Do you think technology will kill books?

I do not think so. It can become an enabler like the Kindle and e-books or audio books. As long as the human mind remains curious and active and seeks intellectual nourishment, books can never die.