(Shobhaa De is an established writer, columnist, opinion shaper and social commentator, who is considered an authority on popular culture.)Aaah - The tyranny of notoriety! Tarun Tejpal has always been something of a rogue. There. I said it. So what? A rogue's life is never easy... and eventually things catch up. As they did in Tejpal's case (let me not bore everybody with tedious details of 'that' dreadful incident in Goa last year). Tarun was accused by a junior female colleague of indulging in some pretty loathsome sexual misdemeanours - okay - rape. After which,all hell broke loose, with Tarun making it worse and worse for himself, till finally the Goan authorities did what the law of the land dictates and the swashbuckling Tejpal found himself in a grotty local lock up - disgraced and isolated for the most part.
That's the brief history.
I am not going into whether or not he 'did it' (let the courts decide). Neither am I going to join the over-heated feminist debate regarding the victim's trauma. For me, this nasty scandal was less about sex and more about abuse of power - an even worse offence. Let Tarun and his lawyers figure out how to extricate him out of this monumental mess.
This piece is about a specific invitation extended to Tarun by the organizers of the annual Times of India Literary Carnival to be held in Mumbai from December 5th to 7th. The furor that was generated by Tarun's inclusion as a panelist in a topic aptly titled, "The Tyranny of Power," was such that the invitation was promptly withdrawn, albeit with a jaunty if weak explanation ("....the reaction to his inclusion suggests that our litfest was in danger of being overwhelmed by an extraneous issue.") Oh well... that's elegant understatement for you! 'Extraneous issue'??? That's a pretty cheeky euphemism for a much-discussed sexual assault case!
Here's the thing. It was an audacious move on the part of co-organisers Bachi Karkaria and Namita Devidayal (both veteran journalists with the TOI) to have invited one of the most despised and notorious men in India to the Litfest. It was even more audacious of Tarun to have accepted. This is the amazing part. Did the organizers really believe Mumbai is 'cool' enough to handle his presence without protest? Was that their only miscalculation? After all, it was a perfect fit - the subject and the moderator (Manu Joseph) would have ensured a full house on 6th December. Controversy never killed a Litfest - right? But the accusations both ladies faced on social media were different. They were suspected of being part of a complex 'rehabilitation' programme.
This is rubbish! What would they gain by 'rehabilitating' Tarun??? Come on! Then there was the other thing about displaying insensitivity towards the victim, when the case is sub-judice .What nonsense! I don't think there was ever a deep, dark, devilish plan to 'exonerate' Tejpal by giving him some respectability at a Litfest. I'd say all they were probably doing was providing Tarun a platform. That's what Lit fests are about it - or ought to be. Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that says only pure, untarnished saints can be invited to Lit fests?? How dull and boring that would make these events! Is Tejpal the only person with a dodgy reputation to be extended such an invitation? Hell, no! Half the people who draw readers to Lit Fests are pretty colourful characters, some with criminal records, others who have made being offensive in public their main objective in life.
Tarun Tejpal would not have broken any law by attending the TOI Literary Carnival. Neither would the organizers. And that's the whole point. People who have issues with Tejpal (I certainly do) were free to stay away, stage protests, boo. Ditto for writers taking the high moral ground. By buckling to pressure, the organizers have surrendered a fundamental right, and given in to shrill public opinion. I so wish Bachi and Namita had stuck to their guns and boldly fought this round. Instead Bachi fell for the bait and responded to media's taunts by saying, "We are not film stars or a gossip magazine. The Litfest is serious business." Oh dear. I wonder how invited film stars to this Litfest are going to feel after this?
Well.... someone has to self-lacerate and recuse himself/herself.
If not Tarun, then....?
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