The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation

Introduction
About Books
About Ravish Kumar

BY: Ravish Kumar

RAVISH KUMAR, writer, journalist and social commentator, is Senior Executive Editor with NDTV India. He is also the author of Ishq Mein Shehar Hona (published in English as A City Happens in Love) and Dekhte Rahiye. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2019.

Praise for The Free Voice

The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation

“Kumar’s India is not in the least pretty, it is a country of a brutal and fearful citizenry and he obsessively speaks of the need to seek a better world, a nation that is free of hatred and violence… The Free Voice is passionate, sincere and strikes a chord, and will hopefully open up debate on the way forward. Geeta Seshu, Biblio

‘Ravish Kumar’s book highlights the state of the nation, investigating the threat to free expression and how the fear of institutional, physical and psychological violence is being used to replace debate, dialogue and social harmony… A journalist is not supposed to be a fence-sitter; he is supposed to take sides. Irrespective of whether one agrees with his views or not, it cannot be denied that Ravish Kumar excels in his pursuit as a journalist. The lines from Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar sum up his endeavour: “Samar sesh hai nahin paap ka bhagi kewal vyaghra, jo tatastha hai samay likhega unka bhi apradh.” (It is not the evil-doer alone who is to blame, all those who are indifferent are equal sinners).’-Sandeep Sinha, The Tribune
‘Ravish Kumar reminds us on every page of the dangers th people face today, he poses a simple queston: Should y report the truth and run the risk of being dubbed peddler fake news, or should you settle down to being a cheerlead of the government in power and win praise? In settlin down for the former, Kumar puts himself out for bein singled out by the government… [This book] is a mirror our times. Anuradha Raman, The Hindu

‘[The Free Voice] needs to be read, engaged with and discusse at great length. This is a book that every opinion maker an journalist should read carefully, and be inspired.’-Chits Ahanthem, Imphal Free Press

“The Free Voice presents an incisive critique of the contemporan state of affairs in India… [Its] publication could not have been more opportune. It serves both as a mirror and a siren. On th one hand, it reflects the complex social realities in the country today without the least exaggeration. On the other, it warns citizens of the dire consequences of the deification of political leaders and the further erosion of democratic and constitutional values. [Kumar’s] attempt to initiate political conservation is commendable: the lucid language will particularly appeal to young people… [T]his is a must-read for students, social scientists, activists and, more importantly, citizens, who should be concerned with upholding democratic values and institutions no matter which government is voted into power.’-Aishwarya Bhuta, LSE Review of Books

These are some introductions to Mr. Ravish Kumar and the book The Free Voice. In this article, I will suggest why you should read this book if you wanna become a journalist.

In this book and series, I will be guiding you on how to change the system and how to do unbiased journalism against the government if it did anything wrong.

The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation