Home » National News » Sad to part: 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' director Kundan Shah's letter to the govt on returning his National Award
 
SPEED NEWS

Sad to part: 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' director Kundan Shah's letter to the govt on returning his National Award

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 6 November 2015, 12:37 IST

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron director Kundan Shah returned his National Award due to the rising intolerance in the country. Expressing his views on numerous issues, he wrote a letter to the government. Here's the complete text:

This is the only National award I have for JBDY and I feel very very sad to part with it. I owe this award to my alma mater i.e. FTII - there would've been no JBDY if I had not studied at FTII. The gesture, the act, the protest is primarily for the appointment of an inappropriate person as the Chairman of FTII and some 3-4 members appointed on the Governing Council.

We've raised the protest several times during 139 days of the FTII strike but the government has failed to listen to reason - many nationally and internationally have joined in this protest including Noem Chomsky.

Is Gajendra Chauvan the right choice? This appointment is an insult to our intelligence and standing by this choice is kind of a slap on the thinking populace of this country. I want to ask the bureaucrats at the Broadcasting Ministry, the Minister of the State Mr Rathore and Minister Mr Arun Jaitley - what face can they show to their family, their children when they make and stand by such an appointment to a very prestigious institute?

The appointment of 3-4 other members on the Governing Council suggests thrusting and forcing upon students a different ideology - in fact, this is a part of a larger design of this ideology to take over the cultural, educational and various other institutions of our country.

This is not a protest against BJP only - we've protested through our works, JBDY, films and serials against the Congress government too. In fact, one of our serials "Police Station" got banned in 1985 with the remark "Incindiary" by Doordarshan. BJP has a majority and mandate from the people of India to be in government - all stratas and classes of our society of haves and have-nots have voted them to power - but they've been voted for development and alleviation of poverty and suffering of the people - not to push their agendas which will take the country to doom and darkness and where everyone's freedom will be threatened. The victory of AAP winning 67 out of 70 seats is a historical event - not only nationally but internation-ally. It will be a mistake to think that this victory belongs to AAP, it belongs to the people - the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs and all others who voted them to power. Arvind Kejriwal was labeled "Bhagoda", they were brandished day and night on television and other media and made to be the laughing stock and yet the people rewarded them with 67 seats - why? Because AAP admitted to its mistakes and to deliver on all their promises if a mandate was given to them again.

There's a big lesson for all of us in this feat.

Let Mr Modi genuinely try to achieve all his schemes for the development by taking the opposition and the populace "Mann Ki Baat" se "Development ki Baat" and confide to them their problems and their difficulties and they will get overwhelming support. Everyone knows there is going to be no overnight change - but they want an honest government working for the populace than for the crony capitalists.

Recently when CAG declared the electric cos in Delhi were truly overcharging the consumers, why the BJP at Centre has kept quiet? Why it has not backed this govt report and initiated such reports in other cities? Stop favoring our Corporates who are the real draculas - the blood suckers. In stead of trickle down theory let's try trickle up theory - we've already missed the bus of "Make in India" where China has a lead of 2 and a half decades.

(PPP or PPPP as per PM Modi has failed according to Naik CEO of L&T - reference his article in TOI or Economic Times) But are there not other ways to development and progress? Let's invite fresh minds, many economists and many out of the box thinkers like me who have wonderful ideas of taking India forward with a GDP growth which is only possible in our dreams.

First published: 6 November 2015, 11:23 IST