The book includes excerpts of writings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare and scholar M M Kalburgi, who were killed by fundamentalists, besides articles and speeches by eminent public figures like Markandey Katju, Shyam Saran, Nayantara Sahgal and Keki Daruwalla. Titled "Words Matter: Writings Against Silence" (Penguin Random House India), the book has been edited by award-winning poet and scholar K Satchidanandan. The dynamism of Indian culture has kept it open to influences and has stood the test of time," the book says. The book emphasises the need for intellectuals to take the responsibility of safeguarding the democratic nature of the nation and advocates free speech. It contains essays written by scholars and writers including Romila Thapar, Githa Hariharan, Pankaj Mishra, Salil Tripathi and Ananya Vajpeyi among others.

Source: Mid-Day June 10, 2016 09:33 UTC