Over a couple of weeks, the nation saw an appeal from over 100 filmmakers and 200 writers to not vote for BJP in the upcoming elections. Today, more than 700 theatre personalities, signed a letter asking people to "vote BJP and its allies" out of power, arguing that the idea of India and its constitution are under threat.
The letter was issued on Thursday evening in 12 languages on the Artist Unite India website.
Amongst the people who have signed the letter are Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Usha Ganguli, Shanta Gokhale, Kirti Jain, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Mita Vashisth, Makarand Deshpande, Anurag Kashyap and many more
Read the entire appeal below:
Since colonial times, Indian theatre-makers have celebrated India's diversity through their work. We have done plays as part of the freedom struggle, we have taken on social ills through our art, we have stood for social equity and inclusion, we have struck a blow at patriarchy, Brahmanism and caste oppression. Theatre makers in India have a long and proud tradition of standing against forces of religious sectarianism, chauvinism, narrowness, and irrationality. We have spoken from the margins, we have spoken of the margins. With song and dance, with humor and pathos, with compelling human stories, we have, for over a hundred and fifty years, imagined a secular, democratic, inclusive and just India.
Today, that very idea of India is under threat. Today, song, dance, laughter is under threat. Today, our beloved Constitution is under threat. The institutions that have to nurture argument, debate, and dissent have been suffocated. To question, to call out lies, to speak the truth, is branded ‘anti-national’. The seeds of hatred have entered our food, prayers, and festivals.
The ways in which this hatred has seeped into our daily fabric are alarming and it has to STOP.
The coming elections are without a doubt the most critical in the history of independent India. A democracy must empower its weakest, its most marginalized. A democracy cannot function without questioning, debate, and vibrant opposition. All this is being concertedly eroded by the current government. The BJP, which came to power five years ago with the promise of development, has given free rein to Hindutva goons to indulge in the politics of hate and violence. The man who was portrayed as the savior of the nation five years ago has destroyed the livelihoods of millions through his policies. He promised to bring back black money; instead, rogues have looted the country and run away. The wealth of the rich has grown astronomically, while the poor have become even poorer.
We, theatre practitioners of India, appeal to the people of India to help safeguard the Constitution and our syncretic, secular ethos. We appeal to our fellow citizens to vote for love and compassion, for equality and social justice, and to defeat the forces of darkness and barbarism.
Our appeal – vote bigotry, hatred, and apathy out of power. Vote against the BJP and its allies. Vote to empower the weakest, protect liberty, protect the environment, and foster scientific thinking. Vote for secular democratic, inclusive India. Vote for the freedom to dream. Vote wisely.