'Gauri Lankesh's journalism flowed from her activism'
New Delhi, July 25: Firebrand writer Gauri Lankesh's journalism was "mandatory" and flowed from her activism, her former husband and author of "Illiberal India: Gauri Lankesh and the Age of Unreason" Chidanand Rajghatta said on Wednesday.
The book (Westland/Rs 299/242 pages) examines the lives of two people -- his own and that of Lankesh -- against the "volatile backdrop of an increasingly fractious and intolerant India".
"The two strands come together in the gutting death of a courageous woman who took on these forces and fought for a more equitable society, a better India," the publisher said in a statement.
"Following in the method of previous murders of rationalists M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, Lankesh's murder chilled the nation, sparking off protests across India," it said, adding that the larger forces that killed these four activists continue to grow.
Saying Lankesh was working close to the ground, the author of this personal-is-political narrative added that she became an activist-journalist from a journalist-activist.
Rajghatta and Lankesh had remained friends after ending their 5-year marriage.
An open critic of the "burgeoning Hindutva faction in Karnataka and elsewhere in India, and a strident supporter of separate-religion status for Lingayats", Lankesh was shot dead on September 5, 2017.
US-based Rajghatta is the foreign editor of The Times of India, and has authored "The Horse That Flew: How India's Silicon Gurus Spread Their Wings" earlier.
"Illiberal India: Gauri Lankesh and the Age of Unreason" is published by Westland under their new literary imprint, Context.
The book launch was followed by a discussion with Rajghatta and senior journalist Manoj Mitta.
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Shiv temple reopens in Muzaffarnagar after 1992 Ayodhya incident, Muslims shower flowers
Muzaffarnagar (UP) (PTI): A Shiv temple in Ludhawala, a predominantly Muslim locality under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station, was reopened on Monday with a 'havan' and Muslims showering flowers on a procession by Hindus.
The Shiv temple was built in 1971. However, during the communal tensions triggered by the Ayodhya incident in 1992, Hindu families from the locality migrated, taking the temple's idols and 'shivling' with them. Since then, the temple had remained closed.
City Magistrate Vikas Kashyap confirmed that the reopening and associated ceremonies were conducted peacefully.
"All functions in the temple were conducted without any disturbance. The atmosphere was cordial and Hindu activists, led by Swami Yashvir Maharaj, returned in a peaceful manner," Kashyap told PTI.
In a remarkable display of harmony, local Muslims welcomed the procession of Hindu activists by showering flowers on them as they made their way to the temple.
Swami Yashvir Maharaj led the purification ceremony in the temple, which involved performing a 'havan' and other rituals. "This is a significant moment for us. The Shiv temple has been closed for years, but today it has been reopened after proper purification," he remarked.
The swami had announced last week that the temple would reopen on December 23 after a purification ceremony.
The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peace in the area. The police patrolled the locality to avoid any untoward incident during the event.
About 200 km away from Muzaffarnagar, excavations are going on in Sambhal after the reopening on December 13 of the Bhasma Shankar Temple, which had been closed for over 46 years.
Last week, an old temple structure was found in Khurja town of this district, sparking demands from right-wing outfits for its renovation.
Uttar Pradesh: In Muzaffarnagar, Swami Yashveer Maharaj conducted a Havan Poojan to purify a 54-year-old Shiva temple that had fallen into ruins. The ceremony was attended by both Hindus and Muslims pic.twitter.com/3ou0nelKgz
— IANS (@ians_india) December 23, 2024
