Don’t imprison thoughts
Editor,
Writing on issues that shape our lives is a key building block of any rights-respecting society. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.
From the unconventional “Funeral Nights” by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, Patricia Mukhim’s thought provoking “Waiting for an Equal World: Gender in India’s Northeast,” to the titular “Boats on Land” by Janice Pariat; Meghalaya has produced a fair number of gifted authors whose works has amazed publishing houses the country over and delighted readers of all ages. But over the years, the state has also missed out a number of good books by freelance writers that sadly couldn’t make their way to the printers for one reason or the other. One such book is “In My Defence” written by one Roy Marbaniang.
Amid the current crisis in Meghalaya’s education and employment sector, the question about the MDA’s political correctness and the agitation about its corporate-style state management formula, a few publishing houses in the country have rejected the publication of the book as they allege the novel “mostly runs on paranoia and government betrayal” and is “a merciless attack on the present and past governments, self-righteous hypocrites and dim-witted bureaucrats.” But the novel’s rejection was mainly because it was partly written while the author was still lodged at the Shillong District Jail.
A plethora of other great books by several equally talented writers in the country have also faced similar rejection in the past; some even banned under Section 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which confers powers on the State Government to ban a book if it contains content that may “promote, or attempt to promote, enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, or disharmony, or feeling of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious groups and the publication of such matters which is punishable under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code.” It is really sad to see that in a democratic country like India, there’s nothing new under the sun.
Exercising the right to write — without fear or interference — is central to living in an open and fair society; one in which people can enjoy their human rights. But in India, citizens (mostly prisoners) face repression even though the right to freedom of expression has been enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and protected legally by a raft of international and regional treaties. Even the Supreme Court of India has made it clear in several rulings that prisoners have as much right to express themselves as any other free citizen, however prison administrations hardly entertain such rulings.
We respect the government’s duty to prohibit hateful speech; but many abuse their authority to silence peaceful dissent by passing laws criminalizing freedom of expression. It is also evident that this very freedom also comes under regular attack by our government whose primary aim is to stifle criticism. It is about time prison authorities and the government take the Supreme Court’s rulings seriously.
Since every citizen of India, including prisoners, have fundamental rights, which include the freedom of speech and expression, it is also high time for the prison department to launch something like a “Prisoner Correspondence Network” to connect incarcerated people from District Jails across Meghalaya with their families on the outside. We know that prison can be extremely isolating; and understanding the pain of being locked up is heartbreaking. We also know that written correspondence is a good way for prisoners to get this contact. Such a project can be rewarding to everyone involved; even studies show that good connections with the world beyond prison is one of the biggest factors in preventing re-offending.
We understand that the low literacy rates in Meghalaya jails can pose problems with correspondence, but launching letter-writing contests like what other countries have done — such as PEN America’s Annual Prison Writing Contest — can offer inmates the opportunity to practice writing. Many prisoners at the Shillong District Jail, and many more held at different District Jails across the state of Meghalaya have lost contact with their loved ones. By connecting incarcerated people with the outside world, the Prisoner Correspondence Network can offer them both a lifeline and a future. Because after all what matters is on the inside.
Yours etc,
Michael J. Kharkongor,
Teacher & Social Worker
Shillong – 8