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My Friend Sancho

My first novel, My Friend Sancho, is now on the stands across India. It is a contemporary love story set in Mumbai, and was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008. To learn more about the book, click here.


To buy it online from the US, click here.


I am currently on a book tour to promote the book. Please check out our schedule of city launches. India Uncut readers are invited to all of them, no pass required, so do drop in and say hello.


If you're interested, do join the Facebook group for My Friend Sancho


Click here for more about my publisher, Hachette India.


And ah, my posts on India Uncut about My Friend Sancho can be found here.


Bastiat Prize 2007 Winner

Recent entries

Another Independence Day

July 2, 2009—mark this day. It’s a big day in the history of independent India because today was the…

Savita Bhabhi Fights Censorship

A dull government office. A pot-bellied bureaucrat in a safari suit sits behind a table on which many dusty…

‘My Mother’s Fault’

My friend Salil Tripathi was in Bombay this week to promote his marvellous new book, “Offence: The Hindu Case.”…

Spelling It Out

I’m just back from dinner with a few friends of mine, among them Anand Ramachandran and Salil Tripathi. They…

No More Pockets

Archana Sinha writes in: Nepal has ordered its customs officials to wear pocketless pants, with a view to discouraging…

04 March, 2008

Two Things I Oppose

1. Raj Thackeray and his brand of politics.

2. The gag order on Raj Thackeray.

We should punish Thackeray, I believe, for his actions—he should be prosecuted for his part in the violence committed by MNS activists last month. However, if we seek to silence him, then we are no better than him.

However odious Thackeray’s opinions are, he should be allowed to air them. He thinks North Indians should be kicked out from Mumbai. I think Raj Thackeray should be made to listen to 48 hours of nonstop Himesh Reshammiya. Both of us have a right to our opinions—but if either of us tries to force it upon others, we are overstepping our bounds, and should be punished.

Yes, I know, one might argue that the gag order makes sense because Thackeray’s words incite others to violence. Well, let’s stop condescending to those moved to violence, and hold them responsible for their actions rather than pass the buck somewhere else. If someone riots, put him in prison and let the law take its course. Do that often enough, and well enough, and the words of demagogues like Raj Thackeray won’t matter, as his followers will refrain from breaking the law out of self-preservation. 

Thus, I agree with the Bollywood and theatre people who have signed a petition opposing the gag order on Thackeray. I just hope they’re not doing so because they agree with him.

(Link via Dilip D’Souza.

Also read: Mobs are Above the Law.)

Posted by Amit Varma in Freedom | India | Politics

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