What is the ultimate duty of a writer, poet, or
creator? To remain absolutely honest to their art and thoughts. But when
mainstream media houses lose their backbone, they expect creators to compromise
their integrity as well.
Recently, an incident occurred with me that forced
me to question whether any space is left for free writing in our country.
The Background
The editor of the prestigious media house 'Aaj Tak' requested my daughter Vipin
Choudhary to write a special essay for
their upcoming issue. The theme was beautiful and highly relevant— 'Poetry,
Technology, and Humanity'. To do full justice to the topic, She reached out
to 8 sharp, distinguished poetes/poetesses across India and wove their thoughts
into a single compilation.
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| Anupam Mishra Ji Fanning her daughter Neha |
Among these 8 names was Anupam Mishra Ji.
She is a brilliant creator. Coincidentally, she happens to be the mother of
Neha Bora, who is currently on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar
against the NEET paper leak scams.
The Editor's Call and Media's Fear
The article was ready and sent for publication. Suddenly, this morning,She
received a phone call from the editor. He flatly told Her, "Please
remove Anupam Mishra's name and her section from the article."
She was shocked.She asked why. Why censor a
literary piece focused entirely on poetry, technology, and human values based
on a writer's political or family background? The editor had no logical answer,
only an unspoken, haunting fear of the establishment.
What Does This Reflect?
This incident exposes the ugliest truth of today's corporate media:
1. Intellectual Helplessness: Mainstream editors no longer
possess the independence to publish an innocent literary essay if it mentions
someone whose family is questioning the system.
2. Politics Over Art: The worth of a poet's thoughts
is no longer judged by her words, but by the protest her family is involved in.
3. Fear of the Truth: The establishment and its media
are so terrified of dissenting voices that they want to silence even their
literature.
My Daughter’s Stand
As a writer and a poet,She cannot trade her artistic honesty. This bouquet of
thoughts belongs to all 8 poetes/poetesses, and it is complete only with Anupam
Ji's words. She will never allow my work to be mutilated out of someone else's
political fear.
She has decided not to allow the altered version to
be published in 'Aaj Tak'. This piece will very soon be published in its
original, unedited form on an independent platform that respects freedom of
thought.
Mainstream media may shut its eyes, but in this
digital age, truth cannot be blocked. I look forward to your support.
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