By the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

Recently, the argument of freedom of expression was again pushed onto our TV screens. This time Delhi University (DU) became the hotbed of activity both for media and student politics but the suspects were the usual figures form JNU. I won’t go into the details or arguments of SFI, ABVP, Gurmeher or any other person or organizations. I believe in freedom and right of an individual to express themselves but where the right ends and responsibility starts, who’ll decide that?

You have right to drive on road, you have right to drink alcohol above a certain age but authorities will hold you accountable if you were to be caught drunk driving. You have a right to earn a living by legal means but you also have a responsibility to pay your due share of tax. Right is empowering and responsibility comes with it. Freedom of expression is like a two edge sword, you can incite a riot, you can threaten a group of people but you can also appeal to mobilize for a just cause. You can appeal for cleanliness; you can raise awareness or join millions of voices against corruption just like “India against Corruption” movement in 2011.

Now coming to the twitter uproar that came after a video of a 20 year old girl who doesn’t consider Pakistan the murderer of her father, I think threatening her with rape or violence is wrong and unacceptable but what does she has to say about the taunts of cutting the country in pieces. What about people who have lost their loved ones to Pakistan sponsored terrorism? What about her own father, had our neighbor respected our boundaries and not tortured our soldiers, would there be a Kargil war? Yes, wars are bad but don’t we have a right to defend our country. The names from JNU who were leading the media frenzy in the name of dissent, where are these people when it comes to opposing terrorism, where do they go when we talk about uniform civil code, why not choosing people based on merit and spearing awareness about equality. What about student loans or aid for students from low income families. What about the unity of country?

Yes, there are problems, there are hundreds of reasons to fight for, there are thousands of causes to protest but there is not one single cause for which I’ll support the breakup of India. There is no one reason which is above our motherland. However good or bad one may say, it is and always will be, home.