They are least bothered about what is happening in their own state, the so-called God’s own country that is ruled by CPIM goons, however, the left-fed intellectuals are busy criticizing BJP led governments in the country. Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s remark over the holy name of Ram is such but speaks much about intellectualism in the country’s most educated state.
It is natural that a genuine intellectual to have significantly different opinions about what is happening around them. However, this has also become a paradigm that only those who have such drastically different opinion could be an intellectual. Maybe to prove this, we must consider that the so-called intellectuals deliberately make attempts to ‘have a different opinion’. When media, which is also ruled by a faction of ‘intellectuals’ take up the news, that becomes a message to the public that includes even the illiterate. The same is a threat to society.
A recent report by the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) George Kurian, the Vice-chairman points out that Kerala has become a state where the highest number of mob violence is reported. In the report, George Kurian also raised serious concerns over the “alarming rise” in lynching and mob attack cases in the state.
It is shocking to find a serious note in the report that ‘in a majority of such cases the victims were either members of minority communities or marginalised communities and migrant workers.” A tribal mentally-challenged youth, Madhu, was brutally lynched for allegedly stealing food worth less than Rs 100. The assaulters took selfies with the hapless victim.
Most recently, Rajkumar, a converted Christian youth, was savaged by policemen in custody. They applied chilli paste onto his genitals, broke his ribs, spine and took out his nails. In another incident, A Dalit plus-two student was brutally assaulted by a cop allegedly for giving a “love-letter” to a CPI(M) leader’s relative. The boy succumbed to his injuries.
A rough estimate says about 24 custodial deaths have taken place in Kerala ever since Pinarayi Vijayan took charge as the Chief Minister. Moreover, he handles the Home portfolio. But no one, the so-called ‘intellectuals’, not even Adoor Gopalakrishnan a noted filmmaker has raised their voice against lynching cases, custodial deaths happening in Kerala. So are the cases of other cultural leaders.
There are a number of people in the history who successfully received name, fame and pleasures from rulers by simply praising them. While a genuine writer or artist is the product of their hardships in life, people who praise those in power manage to live well and they are showered with all that make their lives apparently beautiful.
Jnapith, Padma or other national or state awards – all that they need is a nomination from the people in power in the respective state! For the same sometimes it is good to have a blind eye towards the injustice happening around, yeah? As the famed satirist of Kerala Kunchan Nambiar rightly mentioned – “Deepasthambham Mahascharyam Namukkum Kittanam Panam” which could be roughly translated as ‘The Light Post is an indeed a wonder but I should also get money”.
Can we conclude without a note of pity for those so-called intellectuals of one among the most beautiful slices of land in the country named Kerala?
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