“Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, debate and dissent”

On 13 of August 2021, Books and Beyond Kumaraguru conducted an online book discussion event named “Tug of Words” between 6 pm and 7 pm. Google Meet was utilised as the online platform. Tug of words is a space where people can come along and share their views, perceptions and perspectives about a specific book or an article or a short story.

The short story/article that was chosen for our open discussion was “Kalliasseri: In search of Sukuman ” by P.Sainath. The event commenced at 6 pm. A brief welcome address was delivered following a recitation of the article’s summary.

About 12 participants enthusiastically participated and shared their personal vantage points. It was an eye-opening session. Some serious discussions were happening on the topic of discussion in the story. Everyone took turns to express their thoughts and it was made sure everybody had their chance to speak. They expressed their conceptions about the severity of caste discrimination and untouchability and the solutions we can try to solve them and they also talked about the reservation system and its pros and cons. To make the session more interesting session they also talked about movies like “Devaramgan” and “Pariyerum Perumal” which have a connection with the above-mentioned article.

It was a very insightful and eye-opening session overall. In conclusion, they all agreed that the Indian caste system is not good for our development as a nation. Society does more harm than good while following casteism. The session came to an end by 7 pm. Feedback forms were circulated and post-event opinions were obtained.

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