On January 30th, the Sarv Bhasha Samvad, convened last year by Gujarati literary critic and activist Ganesh Devy, was held in Dandi. In an interview with the Indian Express, Devy said:
If somebody looks at it as mainly or only an anti-government activity, which it is not, then it is difficult to imagine its future. But if it is seen as a larger literary and a social movement, which it actually is, then it will last … It also has elements that seek to protect the fundamental rights of expression and dignity of human life and so it has a long future. I am steering this movement and, for one, am absolutely clear that it shall not become a small political movement, but a large cultural and social movement … It is not a leftist or a rightist forum but it is a forum for dialogue. So Dandi was chosen…
In November 2015, writers, artists and activists of the collective from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa visited the bereaved families of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M. M. Kalburgi in Pune, Kolhapur and Dharwad. They also addressed large public meetings of intellectuals, activists, scientists, writers, artists and film-makers in these three cities.
Images courtesy Sarv Bhasha Samvad. Background on SBS courtesy Sabrang.