Remembering Gauri Lankesh: A round-up of voices

Last year, on September 5, the activist and editor-in-chief of Lankesh Patrike, Gauri Lankesh was murdered at her residence by two people affiliated to Sanatan Sanstha- a Hindu right-wing outfit. Her murder shook the whole nation leading to a huge outcry by the citizens demanding the need to defend ones’ freedom of expression.

Through her works, Gauri critiqued the Hindu fundamentalists, communal politics, and caste system.She was murdered for raising her voice; for defending her ideas; her right to freedom of speech and expression.

To mark Gauri’s first death anniversary, the Indian Cultural Forum brings back from the archives, the events surrounding her murder, messages from her friends and comrades, and more:

Gauri was a Voice of the Voiceless : Kavita Lankesh:
Kavita Lankesh, filmmaker and sister of Gauri Lankesh remembers Gauri and the importance of her activism.

Elegy for a Lost Friend: Gauri Lankesh (1962- 2017):
Pushpamala N. writes: I was preparing to leave Bangalore for three weeks when I got a call from a friend in Mumbai asking me to switch on the TV immediately, saying that Gauri had been shot…By the time we rushed to her house, journalists and other people had already reached, and a crowd began to gather. In the sleepless nights after that evening, an absurd thought ocurred again and again—of Gauri sitting at her desk at the office that night before the edition and calling out, ‘Stop press! Gauri Lankesh has just been killed, we have to cover that!’

We Have Lost Gauri; We Do Not Want to Lose Anyone Else:
Megha Pansare recalls the last time she met Gauri Lankesh, and expresses shock at the brutal murder. She says that the murders of the rationalists, and the brave journalists like Gauri, are planned, and executed to spread terror. The voice of dissent is the biggest fear for the right wing. She draws parallel between the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M. M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh.

‘Protesting on Gauri’s behalf seems like shadow boxing. Whom are we fighting?’:
The one question that urgently demands an answer is: are we now living in a country where people are killed because of their ideology, their beliefs? Are we living in a country where dissent is silenced by a bullet? Gauri was a vehement anti-Hindutva person. She was hated for her views, she was called a Naxal sympathiser, a Hindu hater. But, however strong her views, she posed no threat to those she opposed. Nor were the three men killed earlier any threat. And yet all of them were chosen targets, their murders well-planned. There is only one explanation for this: Gauri and the others were killed to send a message to all those who oppose this idea of India. The message is: if you dissent, we are waiting for you. To kill some and instill fears in many is a way of silencing people.

Hindu Terror Units Killed Gauri Lankesh:
“Let us say it loud and clear. Hindu terror units killed Gauri Lankesh. She opposed the RSS, the BJP and these hindutva forces and this killing is the silencing of that voice against hate politics. It had nothing to do with all the defamation cases filed against her”, said Adv Venkatesh.

Also,
Watch this Moving Documentary on Gauri Lankesh.