ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
site_logo
  • Campus
  • Happening
  • Opinion
  • People
  • News
  • #BeInspired
  • Careers
  • 40 under 40
  • Exams
  • What The FAQ
  • Videos
    • Straight Up
    • Odisha Literary Festival 2020
    • Campus Convo
    • Careers After Corona
    • Express Expressions
    • Q&A With Prabhu Chawla
    • ThinkEdu Awards 2020
  • Web Stories
  • edex_worksEDEXWORKS
ADVERTISEMENT

Published: 26th November 2018     

Why the TN Writers' Association is up in arms against H Raja's tweet about Tiruchy college event

The college was organising an international conference about the gender imbalances as  portrayed in Tamil literature and Raja claimed the event could lead to 'communal tension'

Johanna Deeksha
Edex Live
f_icon t_icon i_icon l_icon koo_icon whatsapp_icon email_icon Google News

Share Via Email

h_raja

St Joseph's College had organised a conference to discuss the violence against women as portrayed in Tamil literature

The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association (TNPWAA)  has condemned the comments made by BJP's H Raja and TN Minister Ma Foi K Pandiarajan against a literary event scheduled to be held at a Tiruchy college. St Joseph's College had organised a conference to discuss the violence against women as portrayed in Tamil literature and had invited paper presentations on the subject from other colleges as well.

 

The international conference was to be held on December 6 and 7and conducted by the Tamil department of the college. The theme - ‘Harassment of women as registered in Tamil literature’ was picked to provide a platform for the discussion of how women who were being abused were depicted in Tamil literature. They believed that such a discussion would help find solutions to how to tackle the crimes against women happening today.

 

 

இது கிறித்தவ St. ஜோசஃப் கல்லூரி தமிழ் மொழி மற்றும் இந்து மதத்திற்கு எதிராக அறிவித்துள்ள போர். இதை எதிர் கொள்ள தயாராவோம். pic.twitter.com/6R9IdQxqHV

— H Raja (@HRajaBJP) November 24, 2018

 

 

However, this did not sit well with the popular BJP leader who claimed the event was being organised by Christian missionaries and urban naxals to spread communal tension. Pandiarajan has also called for the banning of the 'slanderous' event saying that there were numerous Tamil books that glorify women and Tamil culture and that a 'poisonous' idea that Tamil literature demeaned women should not be allowed to be sown. 

 

Speaking about the incident, one of the members of Tamilnadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association said that just by destroying the platform that allows such discussion, doesn't mean that crimes against women will automatically disappear. "Times are changing, perceptions are changing and in the last 2000 years how we perceive women has changed drastically. So now to be against this sort of event and to be against the freedom of expression is very wrong," he said.

 

TN Govt will intervene with the College concerned and ensure this derogatory & slanderous seminar does not happen ! பெண்களை மகிமைப் படுத்தும் எண்ணற்ற இலக்கியப்படைப்புகள் தமிழில் நிறைந்து நிற்கையில், தமிழ்ப்பண்பாடு பெண்களை தாழ்த்தி வைத்தது என்ற நஞ்சுக் கருத்தினை பதிய விடக்கூடாது !

— Pandiarajan K (@mafoikprajan) November 24, 2018

 

 

"If you throw sand over a septic tank to cover it, that doesn't mean the dirt gets cleaned. You have to wash it completely for it to be cleaned. The same applies here, we can try and bury that fact that women faced harassment and discrimination in the past and continue to do so but that doesn't mean that those problems disappear. We have the right to express what we think and what we feel, it is highly condemnable that people are suggesting that the event should be banned," he added.

 

The college has announced that the event has been postponed, when asked for the reason, they claim it is for relief work for Gaja. However, many activists and academics are of the belief that it is the consequence of the ministers' comments. 

telegram

O
P
E
N

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
telegram
ADVERTISEMENT
Write to us!

If you have campus news, views, works of art, photos or just want to reach out to us, just drop us a line.

newsletter_icon
Mailbox
edexlive@gmail.com
fb_icon
Facebook
twitter_icon
Twitter
insta_icon
Instagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT
Tweets by Xpress_edex
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US

The New Indian Express | The Morning Standard | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Cinema Express | Indulgexpress | Events Xpress

Contact Us | About Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Home | Live Now | Live Story | Campus Trip | Coach Calling | Live Take

Copyright - edexlive.com 2023. All rights reserved. Website Designed, Developed & Maintained by Express Network Private Ltd.