Long Live the Struggle of our friends
of FTII!
They are scared of our songs...and of our silence too!
Friends
and Comrades!
The
arena of art and culture has always remained one of the prime targets of the
Barbarians. Attacks on art take myriad forms. One of them is to destroy works
of art, statues, films, books, etc. The other and more effective way to attack
art is to put people like Gajendra Chauhan at the top of premiere institutions
of art and culture. FTII has given us numerous progressive and democratic
film-makers. Their work of art has introduced a number of generations to human
essence. Probably that is the reason why the Fascist forces in power want to
hand over the leadership of such an institute to an "actor" of
C-grade soft-porn movies! However, the struggle of our young friends of FTII
has instilled young artists of entire country with inspiration and enthusiasm.
We, the students of Mumbai University also have fought and are fighting against
the Fascist forces at every step and we have learnt a lot from your struggle.
Let us take this opportunity to say to you with all our heartfelt feelings:
Come what may! Don't give up, comrades! We are with you!
Friends!
It is worthy of our consideration why the Fascist saffron gang under the
leadership of Narendra Modi has begun its project of saffronization of various
institutions of art, literature, culture, eductation etc as soon as it came to
power? First they changed the NCERT curriculum, then destroyed Indian Council
of Historical Research and other research institutions and now they have fixed
their eyes on FTII! Why the hell are they so scared of art and history? The
reason for this is the fact that history is their enemy as it exposes their
entire geneology, and true art also is their nemesis as it represents human
essence, that is, every refined and beautiful thing that humanity has produced.
That is the reason why Fascists all over the world attack artists, try to
hegemonize institutions of art and culture, murder musicians and imprison
film-makers. When Mussolini heard Federico Garcia Lorca singing he said that
this voice must be silenced as soon as possible!
German thinker Walter Benjamin had once said
that Fascism aesthetizes politics and the revolutionary responds by
politicizing aesthetics. It is essential for Fascism to take over the spheres
of art, film, music etc. Because these spheres become the principal instruments
for the aesthetization of politics, creations of myths and turning of these
myths into common-sense. The assault on FTII is not an isolated event but a
part of a sinister trend. It is an important part of the Fascist agenda,
precisely like attack on the rights and livelihood of workers and poor peasants
and making the entire country a grazing ground for open loot and plunder of Ambanis-Adanis.
Consequently, our struggle also cannot be isolated. Bertold Brecht wrote in
1937, "We didn’t realize quickly or directly enough that
the destruction of unions and that of cathedrals and other monuments of culture
meant the same thing. And yet that was precisely where culture was
attacked...If this is the way things are...if one and the same wave of violence
can take from a people both butter and sonnets; and if, finally, culture is
something so truly material, what must be done to defend it?" And finally
Brecht himself answers this cardinal question, "...that culture is itself
not only an emanation of the spirit but also and above all a material thing.
And it is with material weapons that it must be defended." Friends, these
words are as true as ever. You too understand that our fight cannot be limited
to one institution or research council. Today, FTII is their prime target,
tomorrow it will be the art academies and the day after it will be every
museum, art gallery, universtiy and music institutes!
And that is why we
must organize! The invasion of the barbarians has begun. This attack is on
everything that is beautiful, that is sensitive, that is justice-loving, that
is humane, that is egalitarian! As as artist we must decide where do we stand! We
should unite with each and every force that is being targeted by these Fascist
barbarians! This is no common barbarism. When various artists were stupefied by
the sheer scale of barbarism committed by the Nazis and were discussing this
barbarism, Brecht had famously commented, "Brutality does not come from
brutality, but from the business deals which can no longer be made without
it." In order to shamelessly server the corporate houses and to destroy
the lives of millions of toiling masses, it is necessary for the Fascist Sangha
Parivaar to build opinin in the middle classes of the country. And in order to
do so, it is imperative for it to hegemonize every summit of art, literature,
education, academics and culture! Your creativity, our friends, is an impediment
in the way of the Fascists and that is why you are on their hit-list!
Therefore, our struggle too, must be directed against this entire dangerous
agenda, entire Fascist state, ideology, politics and "culture". If we
succeed in doing so ,we shall prevail! We, students of Mumbai University under
the banner of our organization 'University Community for Democracy and
Equality' assure you that you will find us besides you on every step!
With Revolutionary
Greetings,
University Community for Democracy and Equality (UCDE)
Contact - Virat 9619039793 Narayan
9769903589 Pushkar 9730539815
Email - ucde.mu@gmail.com
blog - http://ucde-mu.blogspot.in/
Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/ucdemu
