Pune: Abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir may be a complex issue but there was a need for discussion before taking this step, said Nandita Das, renowned actor and social activist.
“This will not affect residents of Pune or Mumbai but those who will be affected by this decision, their opinion should have been taken into consideration. However, all this while, they were kept in the dark,” she said. “This is not healthy democracy.”
The actor, director, author was interviewd by director and author Sunil Sukhthankar on Saturday at a public function to mark the 30th anniversary of ‘Milun Saryajani,’ a magazine started by well-known feminist, activist and journalist Vidya Bal, committed to gender equality. Its e-magazine was also launched.
Known for being quite vocal about the demand for law against mob lynching and community targeted hate crime, Das touched upon severeal topics during the discussion such as death sentence of Ajmal Amir Kasab, and her cinematic journey.
A not-so-cryptic reference to the way awards are given these days, she said she did not watch the Bollywood movie Uri but added that, “I am sure it is a good movie.”
Das said, “People like Dabholkar, Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and Sabdar Hashmi were killed but life goes on as if nothing has happened,” addiing that this deeply disturbs her. “No one speaks against those who kill, but people who love are getting killed. What kind of society are we creating?”
The country is changing, she added, and it is time for citizens to ‘take to streets’.
She shared that whenever she visited colleges, young women come forward to tell her that even today, their parents don’t allow them to wear western clothes like jeans. “This shows that our society is away from gender equality,” she said.
“To find a solution to this, we all need to become feminists.”
Answering questions about importance given to skin colour and good looks, the dusky actress said that it is affecting self esteem of many girls.
Speaking on the occasion, Vidya Bal said, “Today’s socio-political condition in the country is worrisome, and that many are unsure of speaking the truth. “If we do speak the truth, we are worried about consequences.”
Prominent city personlaities Geetali VM and Sonali Dalvi were present on the dais.
