gujarati world

neerav patel,
may 23, 2009

dear urvishbhai,

i had missed both the comments - yours in this blog as well as the one by dankesh oza published in 'naya marg'. chandubhai had also insisted to write in 'dalit adhikar'on how do i feel on being honoured by the govt award.

there was in fact lot to write about but i thought i would write at appropriate time. since the award had already become controversial and my hard-hitting reply to the '(dis)honour' would have been unbearable not only by modis but also by chandubhais and dankeshes and urvishes and generated more controversies. and the tendencies of the editors/ bloggers is to close the debate
after one or two issues - disturbing the hornet's nest and then not allotting space to the participants.

on the saner note, i believe i am yet to begin serious writing on dalit problem, both in creative genres as also journalistic ones. and my responding to such controversies at this stage would be like too much sound without fury. i would be taken as a hollow man raising too much dust.

but i respect you all three very much - not that i always agree with you and therefore i do feel i owe sincere clarification. but that should wait till i make my literary stature sufficiently strong.

i have to however recall an event of ambedkar jayanti celebrations where dankesh oza as the representative of guj govt was trumpeting the then chief minister shankarsinh vaghela and was also insisting me to greet him on the occasion which i had declined. at least our good friend dankesh has no moral ground to criticise other officials when he himself plays double standard.

urvish, there are lot of skeletons that can tumble from the cupboard and i do not want to offend my friends. there are friends who criticise me for accepting the award, but they are the ones who are not ashamed of demanding party from me or seeking some donation/ contribution for some cause/magazine from the kitty.

urvish, i have a grievance with you too. many a time i have found you fanatic, extremist in your views and diction. and not a genuine rationalist
or humanist as you claim to be. you are as dogmatic as any righitist or leftist - not open to other ideas or opinions or point of views. and that gives chance to people like gunvant shahs to brand you as 'pseudo-secular'.

as i mentioned earlior, it is a long debate and i do not want to enter into that at this stage.

hope you are not offended and be friends as ever.

very sincerely yours,

neerav patel