New Delhi: 13 May 2008
And so it was that I received the first Frederic Bastiat Award for journalism promoting Liberty from the fair hands of Baroness Margaret Thatcher.
It was the 4th of October, 2002, at the Royal Commonwealth Club in London.
She handed me a crystal candlestick, to commemorate Bastiat’s famous “Candlemaker’s Petition”. Bastiat is one of her favourite economists.
Then, she listened with rapt attention to my brief acceptance speech, seated just a couple of yards from the lectern.
Later, she turned to me and commanded in her characteristic imperious manner:
“You boys should set up a political party and campaign.”
I emphasize the word “campaign” because the manner in which the word was spoken suggested a military campaign – destroy the enemy – as in the case of Monty’s “campaigns” against Rommel in North Africa.
I immediately put her straight on the legal disadvantage we liberals face in socialist India.
I said: “Lady Thatcher, even if we invited you to be the leader of our party, it would be illegal.”
“But that is tyranny,” she cried.
I use the word “cried” because the word “tyranny” was spoken with great emotion – and a great politician’s spoken words will always convey strong emotions. She said “tyranny” with a mix of horror and anger, disgust and loathing – as in speaking of a great evil.
The word still rings in my ears.
I hope it now rings in your ears too.
Our socialist supreme court has still not allowed us to form a political party – and campaign.
As I put it, this is the season of Macbeth’s witch, as “fair is foul and foul is fair” in Indian politics.
Raj Thackeray is legit; we are not.
Read my protest here.
And wake up to reality.
This is tyranny, nothing less.
She cried the word.
Let us cry it too.
And so it was that I received the first Frederic Bastiat Award for journalism promoting Liberty from the fair hands of Baroness Margaret Thatcher.
It was the 4th of October, 2002, at the Royal Commonwealth Club in London.
She handed me a crystal candlestick, to commemorate Bastiat’s famous “Candlemaker’s Petition”. Bastiat is one of her favourite economists.
Then, she listened with rapt attention to my brief acceptance speech, seated just a couple of yards from the lectern.
Later, she turned to me and commanded in her characteristic imperious manner:
“You boys should set up a political party and campaign.”
I emphasize the word “campaign” because the manner in which the word was spoken suggested a military campaign – destroy the enemy – as in the case of Monty’s “campaigns” against Rommel in North Africa.
I immediately put her straight on the legal disadvantage we liberals face in socialist India.
I said: “Lady Thatcher, even if we invited you to be the leader of our party, it would be illegal.”
“But that is tyranny,” she cried.
I use the word “cried” because the word “tyranny” was spoken with great emotion – and a great politician’s spoken words will always convey strong emotions. She said “tyranny” with a mix of horror and anger, disgust and loathing – as in speaking of a great evil.
The word still rings in my ears.
I hope it now rings in your ears too.
Our socialist supreme court has still not allowed us to form a political party – and campaign.
As I put it, this is the season of Macbeth’s witch, as “fair is foul and foul is fair” in Indian politics.
Raj Thackeray is legit; we are not.
Read my protest here.
And wake up to reality.
This is tyranny, nothing less.
She cried the word.
Let us cry it too.
Jeevika: South Asia Documentary Festival
ReplyDeleteJeevika: South Asia Documentary Festival, which began in 2003, aims at capturing the livelihood challenges faced by the rural and urban poor and bringing it to the attention of current and future policy makers. Over the years, Jeevika has been successful in advocating for the cause of numerous entry-level entrepreneurs - rickshaw pullers, street vendors, prostitutes, child labour, farmers and forest-dwellers.
The premier event of the festival to be held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi will be the awards ceremony from 28 - 31 August 2008, which will culminate four days of screening for the top films. The last date for the submitting the entry is July 15, 2008.
In addition as part of the festival tour, the award-winning films will travel and be screened in premier schools and colleges in over 20 states in India and other organisations working on livelihood issues as well as in our South Asian neighbours.
Over the years, Jeevika has become an increasingly popular and news-worthy event as well as an important catalyst for positive social change. The Film-makers whose films have been showcased in the past include Rakesh Sharma (of the Final Solution fame), Sanjay Barnela (Turf Wars) and Shohini Ghost (Tales of the Night Fairies).
Contact for further details: Manoj Mathew
Program Manager, Centre for Civil Society (CCS)
Phone: 91.11.2653.7456 (10am-6pm IST)
For further details, please log on : http://www.ccs.in/jeevika/index.html
Email ID: jeevika@ccs.in