New Delhi: A group of artists, filmmakers and theatre persons have released a statement in support of director Pa Ranjith, who has been accused of “inciting caste enmity” for saying that a Chola dynasty king discriminated against Dalits.
“Lands from the Thanjavur Delta regions that belonged to us were grabbed during his [Raja Raja Chola’s] rule by conspiracy. Caste oppression was started during his rule, 400 women were turned into sex workers to work in ‘Mangala Vilas’ during his rule. The devadasi system was implemented during his rule. Around 26 people were sold to the Kolar Gold Field during his rule. So caste discrimination had begun from back then, it isn’t a new problem,” Pa Ranjith said.
The statement, signed by more than 300 people, argues that the points raised by Pa Ranjith are not new and are an important aspect of understanding caste discrimination in today’s India. In addition, they argue, disagreement with his view does not mean the government should be allowed to file a case against him. “Pa Ranjith has been intimidated for merely expressing his point of view,” they argue.
The full text of the statement and the list of signatories is below.
§
On June 5th 2019, filmmaker Pa Ranjith participated and spoke in an event to commemorate the death anniversary of T.M. Umar Farooq aka T.M. Mani – founder of the Blue Tigers organisation at Thirupananthal in Thanjavur district. Since the event was taking place in the delta region and because T.M. Umar Farooq had fought for the land and other rights of Dalits in the region, Pa Ranjith spoke in particular about the significance of land rights for Dalits. His speech was critical of the oppressed groups misleading themselves through false claims of monarchical clan. He also criticised the commonly claimed monarchical clan of Raja Raja Chozhan’s rule and held it responsible for usurping the land rights of oppressed groups.
The arguments placed by Pa Ranjith aren’t particularly new. In fact, these arguments are based on the discussions that are ongoing in the intellectual and political arenas. Brought into the discourse by Left historians, this view has been there in the intellectual and political spheres. While there might have been both welcoming and disapproving voices to such
perspectives, the freedom and liberty to place them have always existed.
While we have the liberty to celebrate the art and architectural developments of Raja Raja Chozhan’s period, it is important to extend the same liberty to question, debate and comment on the living conditions of common people during his rule or pay attention to less introspected details like the land rights of oppressed groups.
Also read: Rapper Hard Kaur Charged With Sedition for Posts Against Adityanath, Bhagwat
Even if it is not easy to accept an intellectually contrarian perspective, it is important to protect the freedom and liberty to express it. Our perspectives can be refined only through debates and discussions and not by stifling them. However, Pa Ranjith has been intimidated for merely expressing his point of view. Several communal and caste outfits have sent out threats. Through social media and wall posters, threats to attack or kill him and prevent the release of his films have been made. Thirupananthal police station has suo motu filed a case against him under two sections without any prima facie evidence. While critical thinking is the primary foundation of any creation, the comments of the judiciary on the case has further saddened us.
We fear that this trend is not limited to suppressing Pa Ranjith’s freedom of expression, but might extend to the crackdown of freedom of expression at large. The communal, caste and ethnic groups always tend to attack the freedom to express. In Ranjith’s case, all these three forces have come together.
At this moment, we extend our complete solidarity to protect Pa Ranjith’s freedom of expression.
- A. Jaganathan
- A. Kumaresan, journalist
- A. Mangai, theatre activist
- A. Muthukrishnan
- A.C. Vijitharan, writer
- A.R. Amudhan
- Aadhavan Dheechanya, writer
- Abhijeet, writer
- Abhishek Parija, film society of Bhubaneshwar
- Abilash
- Adhiyan Adhirai, filmmaker
- Aditi, producer
- Ajayan Adalat, film sound technician
- Ajith Sudsanth, actor, Trivandrum
- Alpesh, cinematographer
- Amala Mohan, dance teacher
- Amudhan, filmmaker
- Amudhan, filmmaker
- Angel Philomena Sifwa, lecturer
- Anil Tharayath Varghese, Delhi Forum
- Anjali Monterio, filmmaker
- Anjali Patil, actor
- Annie, filmmaker, Canada
- Antony Arul Valan, Phd scholar, Sonipat
- Anush, cinematographer
- Anushka Meenakshi, theatre worker
- A.B. Rajasekaran
- Aparna, civil engineering student
- Apoorva Arthur, actor
- Appu Prabhakar, writer
- Arasa Murga Pandiyan
- Aravindh, auditor
- Aravinth, assistant director
- Arivu, lyricist
- Arthi, research scholar
- Arun, filmmaker
- Arun V., journalist
- Aruna Rathnam, UNICEF
- Arvind, filmmaker
- Asatha, writer
- Asatha, translator
- Ashhar Jabbar, social worker
- Ashwini Kasi, theatre artist
- Aswini, analyst
- Aswini Mahalakshmi, colourist
- Athiyan Aathirai, writer
- Azagi Periyavan, writer
- Bala, art director
- Bala Kondala, filmmaker
- Balaji Thiruvadi, senior software engineer
- Barathi Nivethithan
- Barathidasan, associate project manager
- Barathy M.G., freelance journalist
- Berty Ashely, scientist
- Bhakiyam Shankar, writer
- Bhaskar Sami, director
- C. Lakshmanan
- Chaketi Raju, PhD scholar, JNU
- Charu Nivedha, assistant professor, PSG college
- Cynthia Stephen, independent journalist
- Damodaran, actor
- David Kishore, actor
- Deepak, cinematographer
- Deepak Venkateshan, writer
- Deepan Krishnan, lead product engineer
- Deepika, artist
- Deepti N., PhD scholar, TISS
- Dev Bharathi
- Dhamayanthi, writer
- Dhinakaran, filmmaker
- Dhivya, documentary filmmaker
- Dhivya Bharathi
- Dhiyanathiru, singer
- Dilip, advocate
- Dilipan, actor
- Dinesh, filmmaker
- Dr. Jayaseelan, assistant professor, Centre for Development Studies
- Dr. Vivek Ponnusamy, orthopaedic surgeon
- Dr. Ezhilan, doctor
- Dr. Jilukuri Srinivas, social activist
- Evidence Kathir
- G. Bramma, filmmaker
- Gandham Uday Tirupathi
- Gokul, HCU student
- Gokul, actor, Kochi
- Greeshma Kuthar, journalist
- Gundala Jayachandra, Tirupathi
- Hari, actor
- Hari Krishnan, actor
- Mohammed Haseef, journalist
- Hemalatha, sales and services
- Himesh Kunhiram, freelance photographer
- Ibrahim, school teacher, Gulbarga
- Indhiran
- Isai, poet
- Iswar Lalitha, filmmaker
- J. Devika, Centre for Development Studies
- J. Balasubramanaiyan
- J.K. Shini, editor, Mumbai
- Jaya Badhuri, journalist
- Jaya Kumar, documentary filmmaker
- Jayadhurugha, sales coordinator
- Jayakumar, banker
- Jeffery Stanley, consultant
- Jeny Dolly, filmmaker
- Jey Moorthi, filmmaker
- Jeya Rani, writer
- Jigesh Mevani, MLA, Vadgam
- Joe, social activist
- Jubith Namradath, filmmaker
- Jyoti Nisha, filmmaker
- K. Jyothi Kiran, reporter, Tirupathi
- K.R. Subash, filmmaker
- Kalai, actor
- Kalaiyarasan, actor
- Kalanthai Peer Mohammed
- Kalisiwari Srinivasan, actor
- Kalpana Karunakaran
- Kamal K.M., filmmaker, Kochi
- Kamalakannan, filmmaker
- Kameshwaran, fine arts student
- Kannali Pavan, Tirupathi
- Kannan Sundaram, Kaalachuvadu
- Kannan, Kaalachuvadu
- Karan Gargi, writer
- Karikalan
- Karthi, writer
- Karthikeyan Damodharan
- Kavin Malar, writer
- Kavitha Muralitharan, journalist
- Keerthana Chandragiri, sculptor
- Khaja, director, Hyderabad
- Kishore Kumar, cinematographer
- Koel Sen, filmmaker
- Kolathur Mani
- K .P. Jayasankar, filmmaker
- Krishna Priya, visual artist
- K.S. Kiran, filmmaker, Kochi
- Kudana Bala, film maker
- Kumar Shaw, story teller
- Kumeresh, political activist
- Kupusamy, civil engineer
- Kushal, sound recordist
- Lajan Joseph, screenwriter
- Lakshmi Saravanakumar
- Lavanya Mohan, assistant director
- Leena Manimegalai, writer
- Lenin Bharathi, director
- Lijeesh, actor
- Living Smile Vidhya
- Logan, singer
- M. Mathivannan
- Madhan Arivazhagan, media
- Madhu Karthik, camera person
- Magarajothi, filmmaker
- Magilan, assitant director
- Magizhnan, filmmaker
- Maja Meiners, Centre for Modern Indian Studies
- Malathi Mithiri
- Manirathnam
- Mathivannan, writer
- Meenakshi Gopalakrishnan, teacher
- Megavannan Puthi Thadam
- Mirdhula, theatre artist
- Moses Tulasi, filmmaker
- Mounan Yathirika, poet
- Muthumoorthy, musician
- Muthuvel, poet
- Muthuvel, writer
- N. Periyasami, poet
- N.D. Rajkumar, poet
- Nachi, FTII students’ association
- Nancy, IT consulting
- P. Narmadha, journalist
- Neelakandan Karupu Pirathi
- Niranjan Babu, music composer
- Nishant Radhakrishnan, editor
- Nivedan Mangalesh, web developer
- Nivedita Menon, professor, JNU
- Nithyanand Jayaraman, activist
- Noel Frank, banker
- Pa.Prem, director
- Pachonthi, poet
- Padmapriya, artist
- Pallipatti Mohan
- Peer Mohammed, journalist
- Piralayan, theatre artist
- Ponnuchamy, Bicycle Mediaworks
- Ponraj, assistant cinematographer
- Pradeep Menon, filmmaker
- Pramod Mandate, Phd Student, IIT Bombay
- Prashant Ramasamy, filmmaker
- Prem PRO
- Prem Kumar, advocate
- Prema Revathi
- Presanna Ramasamy
- Priyadharshini Krishnan, entrepreneur
- Professor Y.B. Satyanarayana, director, Centre for Dalit Studies, Hyderabad
- Pushpendra Singh
- R. Vinod Kumar, PhD Scholar
- Rachana Rajan, teacher
- Radhika Bhupathy, banker
- Radhika Vemula, social activist
- Raja, director
- Raja Vemula, law student
- Rajan Kurai, writer
- Rajavel, radio jockey
- Rajesh Sundaram, senior journalist
- Rajeshwar K., BSc Viscom
- Rajkumar, assistant director
- Ram, actor, Chennai
- Ramalingam, art director
- Ranjith Shakaran
- Rathinavel, theatre artist
- Rekha, advocate
- Ruban, sound designer
- Rubesh Kumar, manager
- S. Neelakantan, ex-director, MIDS
- S. Tamilselvan
- S.V Rajadurai, social activist
- Sakya Mohan, clinical psychologist ,USA
- Salini, teacher, Kerala
- Sampath Kumar, martial artist
- Samraj
- Samsudheen Hira, writer
- Samyuktha P.C., writer
- Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, filmmaker
- Sandhya Ravishankar, journalist
- Sanmuga Sundharam
- Sanober Keshwaar, Mumbai
- Santhosh, HCU student
- Santosh
- Saranraj, artist
- Sarika Ravindran, sub-editor
- Satheesh, political activist
- Satish Babusenan, filmmaker
- Scarlett Diggikar, social activist
- Selva, editor
- Selva Mayan, assistant director
- Senthil Nallappa, theatre
- Shabnam Hashmi, social activist
- Sham Lal, social activist
- Shankar Ram, director
- Shilpa Murali, journalist, Trivandrum
- Shini, editor
- Shirya, writer
- Shiva Raj, advocate
- Sidharth Vishwanath, assistant director
- Sinduja, artist
- Srijith Sundaram, director
- Stalin Rajagam
- Stalin Saravanan, poet
- Subash, filmmaker
- Subash, social activist
- Suganthi, banker
- Sugirdharani
- Sugita, assistant director
- Sugumaran, poet
- Suguna Diwakar, writer
- Surabi Sharama, filmmaker
- Suraj Yengde, Post Doctoral Scholar, Harvard Kennedy School
- S.V. Rajadurai
- Syed Banu Banker
- T.Parameshwari
- Tamil Nazaar, political activist
- Tamil Prabha, writer
- Tenma, musician
- Thivakaran, associate professor, FTII, Pune
- Thottembeti Harish Tirupathi
- Udaya, social activist, Neelam
- Umesh, actor
- Unni Vijayan, filmmaker
- V. Saranraj, artist
- V. Geetha
- V. Parthiban, advocate
- V. Suresh, TNEB, Pollachi
- Vasanth, social activist
- Vasuki Bhaskar
- Veerapandian IAS
- Veeresh, filmmaker
- Velkannan, poet
- Veronica Angel, writer
- Vicky Raja, cinematographer
- Vidhu Vincent, filmmaker
- Vijay Ravikaumar, mathematician
- Vijayasankar, Frontline
- Vijayraj, IT professional
- Vilasini, translator
- Vilasini Ramani
- Vincent Paul, photographer
- Vinod Ravindran, actor
- Vinoth, social worker
- Vinoth, cinematographer
- Vipin, cinematographer
- Viraj, cinematographer
- Vishnu Varadhan, colourist
- Vivek Aniruth, director, Kochi
- Yaanadi Prathyush, Tirupathi
- Yalan Adithi
- Yavanika Sriram
- Yazan Adhi, poet
- Yoga Anand, filmmaker
- Yogesh Kudale, Maharashtra
- Zareena Udugula, social activist