Remember, remember the 5th of September...

Falah Faisal

Bengaluru

We all remember where we were when we found out Gauri Lankesh had died. It was a seismic event that shook the city when she was gunned down outside her house by assailants while returning from work. And what was her crime? Speaking truth to power in her mother tongue – Kannada. Because there is nothing that scares people in power more than someone who can connect with the people and inform them about the goings-on in the world around them.

 When she was killed five years ago, not just the city but the entire country erupted in protest. I was traveling in eastern UP and every town I visited had a protest of their own and simply having met her once over a smoke and being from Bengaluru was enough association for people to make you feel included in her circle.

Now, even five years after she passed away, her killers haven’t been brought to justice. But the forces of resistance are gathering behind her name with writer and activist Arundhati Roy, actor Prakash Rai and recently released journalist Mohammed Zubair coming together to Remember Gauri at the Scouts and Guides Auditorium, Palace Road, this evening.

 “Getting murdered is a crime, being poor is a crime and fighting in support of the poor is altogether a conspiracy against the government,” says Arundhati Roy speaking of the times we live in. A great time to honour our fallen heroes and September 5 is a date we should never forget.

Where: Scouts & Guides Auditorium, Palace Road

When: September 5, 5 pm