alman rushdie controversy has erupted again . heard ex solicitor general soli sorabjee saying how no right is absolute and how creative people can't create things that cause hurt to a community or a religion .
i agree . for too long have the creative writers , painters , poets believed that they are not bound by any social responsibility , and they can create what they want and feelings be damned . surprisingly people who support the freedom to create , have never created anything , they just love the idea of creative freedom for others . i feel having an intelligent opposing view is fine but you can't denigrate religeous books , figures , gods or even godmen ( although most of the last lot need to be condemned ) . in law we say " your fundamental right to swing your arm as you wish , ends where the other man's cheek begins . " i don't think rushdie is right if he has insulted the prophet , i don't think hussain was right in depicting nude hindu goddesses . being creative doesn't mean you are above the society you live in .
and here i am putting my money where my mouth is . my play bottoms up , got many admirers during its record breaking run , but i had a skit which was a satire on cheating slimming centers and it ended by showing slides of malnourished refugees from ethiopia as satisfied members . a single gentleman met me at the end of the show and politely told me that , that hurt . no protests by angry mobs ,or vested political interests , just one polite hurt man . but i told him , if it hurt him , i will remove it in the next show and i did.
. another of my plays , monkey business had a song making fun of jain food , a lady doctor from bandra wrote me a letter saying she enjoyed the show as did the audience that day , but felt hurt at the fun poked at jain food , i dropped the song and sent her complimentary tickets for the next show . these were not mass protests , nor media frenzy but to me every member of the society who sees my work is god . if they don't like what i write they can go jump , but if my writing hurts them and if i can ( even at a lot of trouble and expense ) change it , i would , and i did .
any creative work by greats like rushdie or hussain or by small fries like me , have to respect peoples feelings .if you want them to buy it , read it , see it , you can't hurt them and cock a snook at them .
i agree . for too long have the creative writers , painters , poets believed that they are not bound by any social responsibility , and they can create what they want and feelings be damned . surprisingly people who support the freedom to create , have never created anything , they just love the idea of creative freedom for others . i feel having an intelligent opposing view is fine but you can't denigrate religeous books , figures , gods or even godmen ( although most of the last lot need to be condemned ) . in law we say " your fundamental right to swing your arm as you wish , ends where the other man's cheek begins . " i don't think rushdie is right if he has insulted the prophet , i don't think hussain was right in depicting nude hindu goddesses . being creative doesn't mean you are above the society you live in .
and here i am putting my money where my mouth is . my play bottoms up , got many admirers during its record breaking run , but i had a skit which was a satire on cheating slimming centers and it ended by showing slides of malnourished refugees from ethiopia as satisfied members . a single gentleman met me at the end of the show and politely told me that , that hurt . no protests by angry mobs ,or vested political interests , just one polite hurt man . but i told him , if it hurt him , i will remove it in the next show and i did.
. another of my plays , monkey business had a song making fun of jain food , a lady doctor from bandra wrote me a letter saying she enjoyed the show as did the audience that day , but felt hurt at the fun poked at jain food , i dropped the song and sent her complimentary tickets for the next show . these were not mass protests , nor media frenzy but to me every member of the society who sees my work is god . if they don't like what i write they can go jump , but if my writing hurts them and if i can ( even at a lot of trouble and expense ) change it , i would , and i did .
any creative work by greats like rushdie or hussain or by small fries like me , have to respect peoples feelings .if you want them to buy it , read it , see it , you can't hurt them and cock a snook at them .
