Voice Is a Boon

(Published in Banking Services Chronicle April 2005)

Voice or freedom of expression is the greatest gift democracy has bestowed upon mankind. It may be manifested simply in speech or with great ceremony in various art forms.

Irrespective of the mode, freedom of expression is a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution. And India loves this right with a passion. Indira Gandhi once—when she imposed the Emergency—made the mistake of usurping this right and had to pay for it through her nose. The darling of the people turned into a villain and lost even her place in the parliament.

It is unfortunate, however, that in the US, another large democracy, this freedom appears to be lost. Says Prof Mahmood Mamdani, the author of Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: Islam, the USA and the global war against terror: “The big difference between the Vietnam era and now is the capitulation of the media, the end of an effective independent media and the birth of an embedded media as Iraq showed.”
The tradition of debate, where voices come out in the open and ideas clash, has nearly vanished. For what is debate without dissent? If the whims and fancies of a dictator called George W Bush go unchallenged by the media, there must be something seriously wrong. Voices of dissent seem to be lost in the wilderness.

We know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we have to save this power from corrupting, the role of the voice of dissent becomes significant. For it is dissent that makes the world better and stronger. This is where the power of parliamentary debate can be seen. Even if the party in power manages to get a bill passed by virtue of sheer numerical strength, the dissenting voice of the Opposition manages to put many a check and balance.

Voice is what the backward castes were lacking in. And no wonder today they regard Laloo Prasad Yadav as the messiah. His popularity might be waning but there is no gainsaying that it was he who gave voice to them in Bihar. The downside of it is that it was forgotten why people need voice. Is it merely to hurl abuses at the past or is it to chant mantras for the future?

This is where a poet differs from a politician. The politician plays to the gallery and gives the masses the false impression that they have become powerful. He is self-centred and his main aim is to win popular support by hook or by crook. The poet, on the other hand, uses his voice to fight injustice and prepare for a better future. His main interest lies in articulating his ideas to give shape to a society in mess. He is not in the race for votes and can therefore speak without the need to pander to any group.

Mulk Raj Anand was perturbed by the problems of untouchability and poverty. In his Untouchable, he depicts a day in Bakha’s life. A day that speaks volumes for the plight of the untouchables. Bakha feels uncomfortable under the yoke of oppression but finds himself helpless in coming out of it. Or Anand’s coolie, who in the eponymous novel, is destined to fight a losing battle in his struggle for survival.

It is quite tragic, however, that even creative people—writers, artists, musicians, to name a few—forget their responsibility. When they start indulging in art for the sake of art, it becomes a disuse of voice. They forget that aesthetics cannot succeed in a spineless society. As Albert Camus said: “The day when I am just a writer, I will cease to be a writer.”

Voice is a boon for which Michelle in the movie Black tirelessly works. Those of us who are gifted with it should not treat it as a trifle.