National
No state role in FIR against poet, publisher: Parrikar
Panaji, Oct 20 (IANS) Under attack for allegedly targeting the author of a poetry anthology, “Sudhir Sukta”, which is critical of Goa’s elite Gaud Saraswat Brahmin caste, and scrapping the state award for which it was shortlisted, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said his government had no role in the FIR filed against the poet.
Author of the anthology Vishnu Wagh is also a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator.
Parrikar, clarifying for the first time since the controversy over Wagh’s book erupted two months back, said a section of the media did not project the issue properly and even suggested that there could be vested interests involved in stoking the controversy.
“Some people are trying to give it a different colour,” Parrikar told a press conference on Friday, distancing his government from the FIR against Wagh and the book publisher Hema Naik, which was filed by a women activist.
“As far as the FIR (is concerned), it has nothing to do with government, though some media outlets at the national level tried to hint that the government has done something.
“We have to be very clear. I believe in freedom of expression, one can write anything, but everything is subject to decisions by apex court and law,” Parrikar said, adding that as far filing of FIRs is concerned, the police followed the procedure laid down by the Supreme Court of India.
The FIR was filed by activist Auda Viegas, who alleged that some of the poems were disrespectful to women.
“An FIR cannot be avoided. You go into the details, find out if law has been broken and take appropriate action. Based on that police on their own took a decision…and I do not interfere with investigating officers,” Parrikar said.
“Sudhir Sukta” is a collection of poems penned by Wagh, a former BJP MLA from St. Andre constituency, which took graphics and at times raunchy potshots at the state’s influential Goud Saraswat Brahmin community, and brought to fore faultlines in Goa’s relatively insidious, but omnipresent caste hierarchy.
The book was incidentally released by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2013, who also hails from the same community.
The book was shortlisted for an award by the Goa Konkani Academy, but two weeks back, after the controversy emerged, the state government scrapped all more than 21 state awards, including the one for which Sudhir Sukta was shortlisted.
Parrikar now claims that a host of state literary awards were cancelled because of conflict of interest issues and not because of the controversial anthology of poems.
“In this case, we found that there was substantial conflict of interest. Therefore, full process has been declared null and void,” Parrikar said, there were instances where those writers whose books had been shortlisted for awards, were also involved in the selection process for the state awards.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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