Rationalists, seers and students stage a protest in Hubballi seeking the arrest of the accused in Dr. M.M. Kalburgi murder case.
New Delhi: Eminent writers and authors are continuing to raise their voice on the functioning of the Narendra Modi government even as Dastangoi artiste Murtaza Danish Husaini on Monday said he is returning the Sangeet Natak Akademi award as it is becoming “increasingly difficult” to speak up in public places without being “harangued”.
He is the second performing artiste, after Maya Krishna Rao, to return the award from the national academy of music, dance and drama.
Over the past few weeks, at least 34 writers have handed over their Sahitya Akademi awards in the aftermath of the killing of Kannada writer M.M. Kalburgi and Dadri lynching incident, among other issues.
“There is a growing atmosphere of intolerance. It is becoming increasingly difficult to speak up in public places without being harangued,” Mr Husaini said.
The 44-year-old artist received the award in 2010 jointly with Mahmood Farooqui for Dastangoi, a folk narrative of Uttar Pradesh.
