Dakshinayan movement : Ganesh Devy

Padma Shri Dr Ganesh Devy, literary critic, activist and one of the writers who returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards, is leaving Vadodara, his home of 36 years, to Dharwad in Karnataka.

Devy, founder and former director of the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre and the Adivasi Academy in Tejgadh, Gujarat, had spearheaded a first-of-its-kind study of tribal communities and led the research of 800 Indian languages through People’s Linguistic Survey of India in 2010. In this interview, he talks of his plans and a movement he has launched, Dakshinayan, and a conclave in Dandi on January 30. 

The ‘Dakshinayan Abhiyan’, a movement that sprung up last year through a collective desire to forge solidarity between all progressive forces, will hold a national convention in Goa from November 18 to 20.

Describing Goa as the most suitable place for the convention because of its immense cultural diversity and peaceful coexistence of diverse communites, renowned writer and national convener Ganesh Devy said, “It is a struggle for the freedom of creative expression that foregrounds tolerance and dialogue.” It is an attempt to deepen rational thinking as being pivotal to society that is genuinely equal, just and respectful of diversity, said the writer, who last year surrendered his Sahitya Akademi award over the issue of intolerance. 

Dakshinayan is the long-awaited initiative to go beyond caste, class, creed, gender, language, form and genre, to cross borders between identities to nurture imagination without narrow borders and to celebrate the voice that frees the mind from limits imposed by ideologies, credos, partisan institutions and movements, he said.

“We expect over 900 delegates, 600 of which would be from different parts of the country, and will include writers, journalists, filmmakers and others,” said writer and thinker Datta D. Naik.

The convention will begin at Margao in South Goa on November 18 with a ‘Sankalp Yatra’, a procession which will culminate at the historic Lohia Maidan at 6 p.m. This will be followed by a public meeting addressed by Hamid Dabholkar, Medha Pansare, Shrivijay Kalburgi, K. Sadchidanand, Dhanaji Gurav, Uttam Parmar, K. Neela and Manan Kumar Mandal.

The inaugural session on November 19 will have speeches by Ganesh Devy, Leela Samson and Bezwada Wilson. A symposium on ‘Have Indian Intellectuals failed India?’ will be presided over by Fr. Victor Ferrao. Atmajit Singh, Peter D’Souza and Suresh Dwadashiwar will take part.

In the afternoon session, there will be a symposium called ‘Dichotomy between Development & Environment’ featuring Claude Alvares and Dattaprasad Dabholkar, among others.

In the evening, there will be a talk on ‘Kashmir: Beyond Bullets’presided over by Suresh Dwadeshiwar, editor of Marathi daily Lokmat (Nagpur). Shafeeq Shaunk from Kashmir will participate.

There will also be a multilingual poetry session presided by Vasant Abaji Dahake, in which leading poets from all over India will take part.

The concluding day will have a session on ‘Superstitions & Social consciousness in Indian Folklore’, which will be presided over by Jose Lourenco, and will feature Tara Bhavalkar and Anand Patwardhan.

The day will also see an interview of Amol Palekar, Rajdeep Sardesai and Nikhil Wagle in the session ‘Media: Freedom & promiscuity’, and a talk by Yogendra Yadav on ‘India at Crossroads’, followed by a discussion in which Raosaheb Kasabe will take part.

Anand Karandikar, Harsha Badkar and others will participate in the concluding session ‘Action plan to fight communalism’.