Nayantara Sahgal: Not possible to be apolitical

Ahead of the release of her new novel, The Fate of Butterflies, Nayantara Sahgal takes a stand once again for free speech

There's thunder in the background," says Nayantara Sahgal, speaking from Dehradun, where she lives. Our own voice may not be clear to her, but the 91-year-old's voice is loud and clear — whether it's over the phone, or in her latest piece of fiction, The Fate of Butterflies (Speaking Tiger). "In no age is it possible to remain apolitical because every age has its own political atmosphere and events," says the veteran writer. "And we, who are there in any country and under a certain political system or atmosphere, we are reacting to it in various ways. So, whatever you may be writing about — whether your grandma's cooking or rain on the roof — you are taking a political stand in some way."

The book, written last year, revolves around several characters — a professor, restaurant owners, a rape survivor, a Muslim chef — all caught in a wave of Hindu extremism, a phenomenon she says is true of the country in reality. "Well, I should think that is very obvious to any observer that Hindu extremists are ruling the country," she says.

One of the main characters, Prabhakar, has written two books. While the previous one was on fashion and how it may have affected history, the second one is a reaction to the world, triggered by a touching scene he witnesses at a nursery, where children are being taught compassion. "He feels what would happen if lies replaced the truth and that is his imagination working to create a situation where everything that we have looked up to and have reverence and respect for is wiped out, and in its place comes worship of the opposite things like hatred, violence and so on. This is a scenario he created out of his imagination," says Sahgal, adding that the question that Prabhakar was pondering upon is why cruelty and violence have lasted, while the good, though exists, hasn't been able to triumph.

There are a few love stories in the book; the one that is most moving is between Prabhakar and Katerina. "Muslims are being targeted for punishment and persecution, the object being to reduce their numbers and wipe out as many as possible. In my story, a non-Muslim woman gets raped along with the women in a Muslim village that she is investigating. The experience allies her with all such sufferers," says Sahgal.

Her book, like her, is a vocal critique of the current government. Sahgal, daughter of late politician Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, has made it to the headlines every month this year. In January, it was after an invite to her to speak at the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was recalled by the organisers. This month, it was because actor Amol Palekar was not allowed to complete his speech at the NGMA, where he would have spoken about the incident.

Freedom of speech, says Sahgal, is not allowed if you do not agree with the ruling ideology. "Being banned is now a status symbol. So many of my good friends have been banned — Ram Guha, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, TM Krishna — and now Amol Palekar — that I feel I am in good company," she laughs.

Sahgal talks of the many women who then attended the Yavatmal event wearing masks with her face on it. The president of the organisation, Dr Sripad Joshi, resigned, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cancelled his visit, she points out. At a Mumbai platform, where she was invited to address supporters of free speech, all 850 seats were occupied. "I was emotionally overwhelmed by the tremendous support I have had from Marathi writers, actors and others, and the crowd that turned up for the Mumbai event. These were people who by their presence were showing their support for freedom of expression."

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