The Readers Should be Responsible (Editorial)

Abstract

How can we define freedom today? The acclaimed poet in Malayalam, Kumaranasan questioned the freedom of the nation in his poem ‘Thiyyakkuttiyude Vicharam’ (‘Thoughts of a Thiyya [Ezhava/ lower caste] Boy’):
“Why should you cry, Mother India?
Slavery is your destiny, when
Your children, blinded by caste, die fighting each other
Why do you yearn for Swaraj?” 
[The idea of ‘Swaraj’/ Indian Home rule was part of nationalist struggles led by M. K. Gandhi]
The poet doubted the provisions of Swaraj/ freedom in a society where caste discrimination is highly practised. Writer Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer, who envisaged the world as a prison, puts forward a similar question in his novel Mathilukal: “Why should I be free?” 
How can we equate the changing governmental policies of driving out its citizens from the homeland to freedom from foreign rule? When the citizens run out of fear, we have witnessed the media celebrating freedom. It is quite evident that even academic councils like ICHR have excluded the names of some Freedom fighters not out of philosophical questions or contradicting binaries on freedom. The communal hatred behind this act is explicit to the public. When power interrupts academic levels, the motif should be feared. It is advisable to keep an eye on our freedom as power slowly starts to interrupt every aspect of freedom. The readers are also responsible for critiquing the interpretations of historical documents and the sources of historical records used. Time demands us to be cautious of our critical reading skills and historical research methods.