Dear Minister
Greetings from the All India catholic Union
(of the 1.6 Crore Laity), the All India Christian
Council and the United Christian Action which
I have the honour to represent.
I watched TV news carefully, and with growing
disbelief, when you addressed the media after
seeing the controversial Da Vinci Code film
at a special screening with Catholic and other
some other Church leaders as you said "..
As a film in technique etc, it was all right."
You went on to say you had given the Church
leaders time till the next morning to give their
considered comment, after which the Board of
Film Censorship would decide the issue. You
went on to say "The decision will be taken
by the Censor Board. Its decision will be the
decision of the Government of India."
Dear Minister, you are well aware that the
Censor Board clears films on content, not on
their artistic or aesthetic qualities. I wish
it were so, for viewers would be spared much
trash. [Quality is tested in film festivals
ands similar peer competitions by qualified
juries]. The Censor Board, as long as it exists,
has clear cut charter and comes down heavily
on gratuitous sex and violence, anti-national
activities, and even on cruelty to animals.
It is also deeply concerned with the integrity
and security of India, and issues of community
sentiments. That is why it does not show cow
slaughter which injures sentiments of Hindus,
nor does it allow extolling insult to the nation,
the Armed forces and so on.
Censorship by the Board is a suo motu action.
It takes cognizance of lapses and violations
of the code under the Cinematographic Act on
its own, without waiting for anyone to complain,
or protest.
The Board has been singularly guilty of abdicating
its responsibilities when in the first instance
it cleared da Vinci Code with an A Certificate
without understanding head or tail of its story
line which is an anathema to the Christian community
at large because of its obnoxious attack on
fundamentals of the Faith and for making falsifications,
concoctions and inventions in script [and book]
pass of as fact. The insistence of the Author
and film makers that they were presenting investigative
History made it worse.
The global protest on the film has been repeated
in India. Instead of taking stock of the gravity
of the protest by the people of all denominations
of the rich Christian faith in India, government
has sought to pass the buck to the Church leadership
by involving them in the censorship process.
This does set a bad precedent. More than that,
it puts unnecessary pressure on the Church leadership
which is also witnessing an orchestrated campaign
by commercial film distribution interests, aided
and abetted by vested interests in the media.
It is shocking that certain editorials today
dare compare the Catholic Church with the Taliban.
This is singularly the result of what transpired
yesterday.
The Church and the people want the government
and the Censor board not to abdicate their separate
and joint responsibility.
We oppose, in principle, any curbs on freedom
of speech, and of faith, as guaranteed in the
Constitution of India. We certainly are opposed
to violent demands for banning films, books
or plays. Violence is the work of fascist groups.
We are also sure of our Faith and that our God
has survived two thousand years of calumny --
Arun Shourie and da Vinci Code are the most
recent. They will too be consigned to the dust
heap of history.
The questions that arise are to be answered
not by us, but by the governments of the day
at the Centre and in the states -- Why do governments
have two faced, double-standard policy on issues
of cultural and religious sensitivity.
Government now have an opportunity to prove
that India has the same set of standards - in
all spheres of governance including censorship
for all communities and equal respect for their
sentiments. Fiction must NOT be allowed to pass
of as fact in cinema, which in technology and
technique does call for, and induce, a suspension
of reality and belief, and even makes a comic
character such as Spiderman look real. Credulous
viewers, particularly those no Christians, may
take the myth of da Vinci to be the truth of
Christianity, with serious and severe consequences
on the secular integrity.
I am enclosing opinions by Global experts which
conclusively show that da Vinci Code is malicious
fiction masquerading as fact. The film's producers,
distributors and exhibitors must state this
clearly and categorically as they seek to cash
in on the hype they have generated.
With warm personal regards
John Dayal
