This quote powerfully conveys that remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing is not neutral, but an active contribution to harm. It suggests that choosing not to speak up against injustice effectively supports it, making one implicitly complicit in its perpetuation, challenging moral neutrality.
Quote by Nayantara Sahgal: “Silence can be a form of violence, a complicity with injustice.”
Silence can be a form of violence, a complicity with injustice.
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Historical Context
Following India's Emergency (1975-77), Sahgal became a vocal critic of censorship and authoritarianism. Her work, including 'Rich Like Us,' explored the moral compromises made during oppressive regimes.
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Indian novelist and political writer, niece of Jawaharlal Nehru, whose fiction and essays have engaged critically with Indian politics, democratic decline, and authoritarianism since independence. She returned her Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015 in protest against rising intolerance in India. Her novel Rich Like Us won the Sinclair Prize in 1986.
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