Whenever I visit India International Centre, I happen to meet an intellectual. Who is an intellectual. It is self-exp0lined in its Hindi translation--Buddhijivi, one who survives on his intellect e.g. a teacher, a journalist, a freelance author, a social activist et al. Indian literacy rate stands at 71 per cent. But they are literates meaning they can read and write. Even a primary school dropout is a literate. He can't be include among intellectuals. According to Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary an intellectual is one who has a reasoning power. Reasoning means who may agree or may not. In the latter case, he would put forward his point of view. In my humble opinion, one should accept, what the other person is saying, even if he doesn't agree with him. There is a famous quote, " I may not agree wih you but will give my right hand to defend your right to say.
India is passing through a critical phase. Some people are forcibly denying some others to say what they want to say. In this context, I am reminded of Indira Gandhi's husband Feroze Gandhi, who was a great parliamentarian from 1952 to 60, when he died. He was a fierce critic of his father-in-law Jawahar lal Nehru's government and carried out a campaign against the corrupt practices of some of the then ministers like T.T.Krishnamachari. The latter, had to resign. But Nehru never tried to curb or discourage Feroze. Indira Gandhi was uncomfortable and shifted to her father's house at Teen Murti. Theirs was a love marriage and but against the wishes of Nehru. But Gandhi prevailed upon Nehru and got it solemnised. Now Gandhi family has virtually disowned him. No anniversaries, no roads after him, no memoirs. Rajiv, Sanjay, Rahul or Indira ever remember him publicly.
Coming back to an intellectual is one who thinks, researches, and shares his views e.g. Ram Chandra Guha historian and author. He will be speaking on depression at the IIC Gandhi was a great children. So was his son Devdas Gandhi but he had another son Harilal Gandhi who turned a rebel because he was denied support to go to England for higher studies. He turned rebel. But Gandhi accepted him with grace and compassion. Gandhi has many grandson like Raj Mohan and Gopal Krishan Gandhi, both eminent intellectuals. but not Gopal Gandhi who hit the bottle, early in life and succumbed to it in a not a very state of mind and body.
Many intellectuals form civil society movements like Centre for Science and Environment floated by an engineer-turned journalist turned activist Anil Aggarwal. Now it is headed by firebrand environmentalist Sunita Narain. Teesta Seetalvad is another legal luminary who has created an intellectual space for herself by challenging the establishment. So is Madhu Kishwar who has earned the title of famme fatal of feminism. She is associated with Center for the Study of Developing Societies. It is an acclaimed think tank set up prominent intellectuals like Rajni Kothari, Basheeruddin Amhed, Ali Baquer. Baquer worked for differently children. Calling handicapped people as differently abeled is an innovative epitaph.
Journalists are supposed to be a adversaries to the established. An adversary is not an opponent. He is is person who is neither for nor against but has another point of view. They should not be friends of ministers and MPs. But times have changed. Now they get cosy to the powers that be to curry favours, postings, transfers, foreign visits etc. Media contains news and views. News is getting planted these days. Meaning putting an angle in a story to support or oppose some body. The ideal definition of news is one that is supported by facts and quotes from the direct source and also from one who is adversely affected by that.
Is Arnab Goswami an intellectual. He raises so much hue and cry every evening that the issue gets lost in the din. That is not being an intellectual he is trying to gain TRP ( Television Rating Points)to attract advertisements. Medis survives on advertisements. Ads come from corporate and government agencies like DAVP and ministries. The correspondents double up as middlemen for the owners and get favours from both the politician and the masters.
Is JUN intllectual. I studies there for seven years. It was. I am sure it is. There is an academic freedom. It granted a Ph.D To Maneesha Taneja on her Hindi translation of a Spanish novel Cinco anos de solidada ( One hundred years of Solitude)
What should a thinker do? Get united. India is waiting. Like minded intellectuals should get together, have a forum and thrash out issues. Call people in power, grill them and put forward various points of view truth is never one-sides. It has many angles, shades and perspectives. India needs intellectuals to save it from the current malaise created by the last general election results which was created by selling a name and his image. Only intellectuals can save India.
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