The right to free speech? Yeah, right!

The time has come to stop kidding ourselves. We do not have the right to free speech. I pains me to say this, but we really do not have that right.

All through school, we learned (nay, we celebrated) that we had the right to say whatever we want, because the constitution allows us. Today, however, I am forced to say that we really do not have that freedom.

You want to celebrate free speech? Then let's see you listen to someone taking centrestage and saying something that makes your blood boil. Let's see you acknowledge someone who supports a cause at the top of his voice, something that you would spend your lifetime opposing, at the top of your voice. Then talk about free speech. Let's learn about this in our classrooms. Let's celebrate this in our classrooms.

This blog comes from following the whole Fanaa hoolabaloo in Gujarat. Apparently, Aamir Khan offended the Gujaratis. Frankly, I don't care what Aamir Khan said, and neither should the Gujaratis. Atleast, that is the way it should have been. But no..this is India, isn't it? We have to make a huge issue out if it. If the Gujaratis feel so offended by Aamir Khan, let them not watch the movie. Heck, boycott all Aamir Khan movies from now on. You have the right not to watch a movie. Just as Aamir Khan has the right to say what he wants. Just as he has the right to get his movies screened everywhere permissible. And honestly, do all Gujaratis not want to see the movie? What about the Gujaratis who want to see the movie? Don't they have the right to watch what they want to?

This issue is not limited to Gujarat alone. We have Christian organizations wanting Governments to ban "The da Vinci Code", because their religious sentiments are hurt. We have Hindus wanting M.F. Hussain censured, because of his blasphemous paintings. At this rate, I guess all of us should just shut up, and not make movies, neither should we paint, nor write literature. We don't want people's sentiments to get hurt, do we?

No ladies and gentlemen, we do not have the right to free speech.