At SCMC, Pune, students enthusiastically grilled politicians, actors and activists with sharp questions.
From internet shutdowns to the controversy about Aadhaar and a suggestion for Arvind Kejriwal, students in Pune enthusiastically grilled all speakers with sharp questions at the eighth edition of Democracy Wall.
Democracy Wall is a monthly free speech campus initiative organised by ThePrint in collaboration with Facebook. The eighth edition was held at the Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication, Pune. The event featured speakers such as actor Kay Kay Menon, politician Raghav Chadha, senior researcher Richa Sekhani, rapper Feyago, comedian Abhineet Mishra and ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta.
Democracy Wall, Edition 8, Pune: Abhineet Mishra
Abhineet Mishra at Democracy WallRead here: bit.ly/2uChhW7 Our sponsors: YES BANK Paytm Parker Pens DA MILANOWhat is Democracy Wall?
ThePrint यांनी वर पोस्ट केले शुक्रवार, २७ जुलै, २०१८
The audience especially posed tough questions for AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha. They grilled him about the party’s work in Delhi, actual scope for dissent within the party with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal seemingly taking all the calls, and why the utopia about the party seems to have faded.
“What you call infighting is basically differences of opinion, and AAP allows the space for its members to express themselves freely, like a truly democratic party,” Chadha said in response. He also explained how the party actually went against Kejriwal when it decided to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha from as many seats as possible across the country. Kejriwal had suggested the party should focus on a handful of key seats.
Also read: Fighting pollution doesn’t get you votes, but common man suffers: AAP’s Raghav Chadha
The discussion ended on a constructive note as the young AAP politician agreed to take a suggestion back to his party after an intense argument with a student over it. One student quizzed Chadha on why the Delhi CM attends swearing-in ceremonies and embraces politicians from brands of politics that he vows to fight. The student said attending and encouraging such swearing-in ceremonies is incorrect because they always turn into a show of strength.
After some back-and-forth on the subject, Chadha agreed that such functions are indeed political shows of strength at the cost of the public exchequer and that he will suggest to his party that AAP should take a stand against such ceremonies.
This, for us, was one of the highlights of the event as Democracy Wall is about exchanging ideas and opening up new perspectives.
With Sekhani, a researcher at ICRIER, students debated the merits and demerits of internet shutdowns. Many were also surprised to know that as per Sekhani’s research, India ranks the first in the number of internet shutdowns in the world. One student even expressed curiosity on why China, which heavily censors online content, does not have more shutdowns than India. Sekhani explained that though people loosely compare India with China on a number of counts, in reality, China is way ahead in its technology and perhaps that is why it does not need to resort to shutdowns.
Democracy Wall, Edition 8 : Richa Sekhani
India witnessed the highest number of Internet shutdowns across the world in the past year : Richa SekhaniRead here: bit.ly/2NvayEp Our Sponsors: YES BANK Paytm Parker Pens DA MILANO
ThePrint यांनी वर पोस्ट केले शनिवार, २१ जुलै, २०१८
Also read: India saw highest number of Internet shutdowns in past year: Richa Sekhani
Students also did not shy away from questioning ThePrint’s stand on issues such as Aadhaar. One student asked whether the organisation’s favourable approach to Aadhaar is due to former UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani’s investment in the venture. We explained that the company’s policies are such that no investor has a large enough stake to be able to dictate coverage. The students were told that organisations like IndiaSpend and The Wire, which have criticized Aadhaar, also have investments from Nilekani.
Democracy Wall, Edition 8 : Shekhar Gupta
The system of licensing for TV is perverse, unfair and corrupt : Shekhar GuptaOur Sponsors: Paytm YES BANK DA MILANO Parker Pens
ThePrint यांनी वर पोस्ट केले रविवार, २२ जुलै, २०१८
Actor Kay Kay Menon, who will soon make his debut in a Marathi film, charmed the audience with a dialogue in Marathi. He said that the much-hyped nepotism in the film industry was something that he has accepted as a way of life. Menon told students about how people need to be smart in their criticism and not just be “nonsensically rebellious,” and how the concept of freedom works only when it has certain boundaries.
Democracy Wall, Edition 8 : Kay Kay Menon
In content driven movies, you have to dissolve your ego and in mainstream cinema, you need to triple your ego : Kay Kay MenonRead here: bit.ly/2uChhW7 Our Sponsors: Paytm Parker Pens DA MILANO Yes Bank
ThePrint यांनी वर पोस्ट केले रविवार, २२ जुलै, २०१८
“The concept of freedom needs to be adjusted in the head. Freedom is different from free for all,” he said.
Also read: Nepotism exists in Bollywood because Indians love lineage: Kay Kay Menon
Rapper Feyago sang about the need for peace between India and Pakistan, two countries with the same people and similar issues. His song spoke about how people were happier before the British arrived, and how the invaders created divide and conflict, which we continue to carry it with us even today while the world mocks us.
Comedian Abhineet Mishra ended the event on a lighter note by poking innocent fun at politicians, including Chadha, the film industry and even members of the audience. While he was joking about the recently-released Salman Khan-starrer Race 3, a true-blue Khan fan stood up from among the audience and made his way to the stage, walking with the same wide-chested gait as that of the actor. Amid jokes and laughter, the Khan fan had the last laugh with one of the actor’s trademark dance moves.