On the Importance of Reclaiming Chowk

Dear all,

I first started visiting Chowk in the dying years of the last millennium and regard it as one of the more intelligent, necessary and valuable spaces for interaction on the Internet.

At chowk, it says, all are welcome to read, write and think. The central goal of Chowk, it is claimed, is ...”to promote dialog (american spelling?) , discussion (and) debate on issues which are important to us as people, community, and society at large. These issues sometimes challenge our social, religious, political and or moral beliefs and therefore are not always comfortable. But we believe as long as we can continue to bring them in the open and discuss them in a civil manner we make progress as a whole.”

That’s very laudable. It is with great reluctance that Chowk decides to deny posting privileges to a member: one instance is gujjubaniya, who raged rampant across forum after forum, spilling venom in every direction before he was barred and his posts deleted.

I want to regard Chowk as a fruitful space for frank, even brutal discussion, as long as the discussions remain cordial. I don’t want to have to deal with insults and invective, and have to prove my loyalty to my country or to show that I have paid my obligatory “floral tribute”, as it were, to the pet cause of some bilemonger.

Chowk’s rules for interaction, which it lays down in an almost diffident manner are such:

Please refrain from abusive language and swear words
Please refrain from personal attacks on writers and respondents
Please refrain from frivolous statements that are inflammatory towards any race, nationality, ethnicity or religion
Please refrain from abusing the interaction spaces with plugs and unsolicited publicity for other websites and on-line and off-line services

The rules for interaction in chowk are simple and laudable. I ask that they be enforced, even if the painful decision to ban someone has to be taken. I can understand the circumstances under which people manage chowk: it is a labour of love which people who shun the limelight perform, without request for recognition or recompense. In doing so, they have constructed a space for people to read, write and think, to laugh, to play, to muse, to feel, to debate, to retract, to share and to grow.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to do any of the above, that is, it is difficult to speak freely, if the atmosphere is vitiated by those who take advantage of the reluctance with which the power to restrict speech is exercised, in order to insult, provoke, stereotype, incite, defame, aggress, destroy, undermine and vilify.

My plea is not directed against any person or persons, or against any post in particular. I have undertaken to follow the guidelines for interaction in this site. I expect that the guidelines be enforced for all.

Refrain from acting, and you chowkidars will ensure that your labour of love is deserted, except for a herd of abuse-hurlers and those with exceptionally thick skins.

Enforce the Interact Guidelines!

Cheers,

Aha_Snark a.k.a Aniruddha Shankar a.k.a. Karim