K'taka teen joins chorus of protesting writers, returns Sahitya Akademi award

Shimoga (Karnataka), Oct. 16 (ANI): 17-year-old author Ria Vithasha, known by her pen name Muddu Thirthahalli, joined the chorus of authors protesting against the growing cases of rising intolerance by returning her Sahitya Akademi award.

"I am returning the award because there have been killings in the region. Many Sahitya people are being threatened but I want to fight against this. They are attacking the people's freedom," Vithasha told ANI here.

Thirthahalli, a first PUC (11th standard) student of Sahayadri High School in Shimoga district of Karnataka, returned the Sahitya Akademy award she got in 2011 for a collection of her essays.

Writers, artists and literary icons are being criticized by political leaders for returning the awards, saying that it was not the 'right platform' for them to stage their protest and that they should take up their complaint with the state government or the Centre. (ANI).

Khattar sparks fresh row, says Muslims must give up beef to live in India

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar courted controversy with his statement that the Muslim community needs to give up consuming beef in order to continue living in India, since the cow is an 'article of faith' for the majority here.
"They can be Muslim even after they stop eating beef, can't they? It is written nowhere that Muslims have to eat beef, nor is it written anywhere in Christianity that they have to eat beef," Khattar said in an interview to a leading National daily.
Khattar further said that the Bhagvad Gita and Saraswati are articles of faith in the Hindu-majority country and that the minorities must not violate their religious beliefs.
Branding the Dadri lynching case as an incident of 'misunderstanding', Khattar said that 'both sides' had committed wrongs.
"The victim made a comment about the cow hurting sentiments of people. I say that attacking and killing the person was also wrong. Those who were responsible for it could be prosecuted under several sections of the law," he said.
The 61-year-old leader added that 'democracy has freedoms, but those freedoms have limitation. Eating beef hurts the sentiments of another community, even constitutionally one cannot do this'.
"The Constitution says you cannot do something that offends me, I cannot do something that offends you," Khattar said. (ANI)


Why, may I ask is this not the right platform.
The State Governments and the Centre are the instigators of these crimes against rationalist and the minority. Taking the matter to them is useless. At least these resignations will bring to focus the type of Freedom, we in India enjoy since the BJP government has come to power.
My family is complete vegetarian, not even taking eggs or even onions.
But I do not believe that we should force our eating habits on any one.
How would these people like, if Hindus living abroad were forced to eat beef. After all, the majority of the world population and meat eaters.
It is not what goes into our mouths that is important but what comes out of our mouths. 
What goes in affects just you but what comes out, affects society.
The the utterings of Ashok Singal, Parvin Togadia, Modi, Khattat and a host of other leaders are doing more harm to the country than can be imagined.
I supported the BJP when Atal was there.
Thank God, I did not vote for the BJP in the last election.