Banu Mushtaq and Dasara

Dasara Festival is celebrated as ನಾಡ ಹಬ್ಬ (Nāḍa habba), which translates to state festival, following India’s transition to a republic. It’s sponsored and run by the GoK using tax money. It’s not the private affair of the ex-royal¹ family of Mysore, or any other individual. In fact, the ex-royal family is allowed a private durbar of their own to celebrate it privately.

It is customary that the chief guests for Dasara are invited based on their contributions to the land and language, rather than other factors. Hence, you would have seen K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Hampana, Droupadi Murmu, Sudha Murty, SM Krishna, etc, inaugurating it.

So when Banu Mushtaq got invited and accepted it, I was not surprised. She brought laurels and awards to the country, state, and the language that we speak. It was only natural that she got invited to inaugurate the Dasara Festival.

But a section of Karnataka thinks the language Kannada belongs only to Hindus; it’s a fringe but loud. When they heard her old and good speech, in which she speaks about how by making the Kannada language a Hindu goddess, this fringe is trying to keep it out of the reach of the rest, they got triggered. There are many reasons for it, as I perceive.

1. She is a Muslim
2. She is a woman
3. She is a Muslim woman loved by Kanndigas across the world
4. She is a Muslim woman and probably the most popular Kannadiga currently. She represents Kannadigas outside India currently
5. And she is bold enough to speak her mind
6. And she is practical enough to see a language as a language. And see the shortcomings in seeing it as god

I watched the speech that she and others shared after a part of it became viral recently. I don’t see any problem with what she is saying. Some people considered it essential to go to the High Court to stop her from inaugurating. When they got dismissed, they went to the Supreme Court to get dismissed again.

I am happy the courts found the selection logical. I know there will be communal and hate posts against Banu Mushtaq, Karnataka, and Kannada. I have seen this happening to Kerala and Malayalam. It’s not new. Also, if you have not read her, maybe it’s time.

Senior Advocate PB Suresh, for the petitioner, submitted that a non-Hindu person cannot be allowed to perform the pujas. Justice Nath then pronounced, “Dismissed.”

Suresh then submitted that puja inside a temple cannot be regarded as a secular act. “It’s purely political…no reason why they should be brought inside temple for religious activity…,”he said. Justice Nath then repeated, “Dismissed.”

The senior counsel, undeterred, further alleged that the invitee had made certain objectionable remarks in the past hurting religious sentiments and said that such a person cannot be invited. Justice Nath repeated that the matter has been dismissed.

“We have said ‘dismissed’ 3 times. How many dismissals are required?” Justice Nath commented.