Loud Speak

Sonu Nigam is no doubt a great singer who has enthralled millions with his sweet voice. Now, Sonu has gone and used his Twitter to air his opposition to the use of loudspeakers to call the faithful to the morning prayer. We are all victims of loud religious, social and political actions. But by joining issue on a rather narrow sectarian note, Sonu has stirred a hornet’s nest. The opinion expressed by the singer seems to indicate his communal bias.

It is heartening to see film personalities express their social and political views, to take a stand and fight for progressive ideas. The other day I had a chance run-in with Girish Karnad. The eminent writer has made it his life’s goal to fight narrow minds using his pen and voice. Karnad was in the forefront of the campaign to resist any suppression of freedom of expression, especially after the killing of Kalburgi. His views on the general state of dwindling freedom for intellectual dissent in the country are well recorded. Here is a person who stands up to what he believes are right and good for the society.

On the other hand we have Sonu Nigam going after one community and accusing its tradition of azaan as a way of forcing religion on people of other faiths. The logic holds very little water. India celebrates all religious traditions in a loud and very public manner. In a way, all religions are time and again, by this logic, imposing their values on others. Rule of the law and that of the Constitutional provisions must hold for India to survive as a democratic, pluralistic society. Opinions are free but they still can cost the nation dearly, if used flippantly.