Stop press

Gauri Lankesh is no more. A journalist who called a spade, a spade had many enemies. Her relentless struggle for intellectual freedom was at loggerheads with the intolerant atmosphere increasingly prevalent in India today. Ideology is the basis for struggle and progress. No country has achieved progress without freedom to think, communicate and disagree. These natural rights are increasingly being targeted as it comes in the way of the agenda of a particular group.
The right is gaining upper-hand in the country at the cost of civil liberties. Where ever the right ideology has gained supremacy, the people at large have lost their ability to think and act critically. We tend to follow, literally into the pit. History is staring us in the face and we refuse to acknowledge it. George Santayana said, "those who cannot remember the past will be condemned to repeat it". Unless enough voices are raised in protest, things will continue to remain the same or even deteriorate.
The spate of killings in the country, largely targeted at intellectuals who question the status quo, has now enlarged to include journalists. Hopefully, the media, which to a large extent has not taken up the cause of freedom (to the extent needed), will now do so as their very own has fallen by the wayside. Gauri, you will, indeed, be missed.