Click to play videoNew Delhi: If you are an artist or a peace activist in Gujarat, chances are the story you will tell will not be a pleasant one.
Sample this story that peace activist, Shabnam Hashmi who belongs to the ANHAD group, has to tell.
"When we reached Gujarat in 2004 April, I was travelling with about 30 young students across India. The students were addressing press conferences, carrying with them messages of peace and harmony. But in Baroda, we were surrounded immediately by VHP goons and atatcked. All our vehicles were smashed and many young students were physically attacked. Their clothes were torn and all kinds of dirty abuses were used against us. It became a very dirty scene."
Artistic freedom has been a major casualty in BJP-ruled Gujarat. Though unwritten, censorship laws have prevailed through the Narendra Modi rule.
Among the first victims was noted dancer Mallika Sarabhai. She runs Gujarat's famous Darpana dance academy in Ahmedabad.
In October 2003, a criminal case was filed charging her of fraud and human trafficking.
The issue, which seemed to be a case of witch-hunting, ended when the police failed to come up with evidence to prove the charges.
But what might seem like madness has a distinct method to it.
It was the ban on last year's blockbuster Fanaa that shocked many. The film's lead actor, Aamir Khan was among the few who spoke out loud and clear against Modi.
He also stood alongside Medha Patkar, adding star value to the Narmada Bachao Andolan. That was more then enough for the rampaging to begin.
It is another matter that once the cultural policing is done, it also sometimes helps those who have been targeted. CDs and DVDs of Fanaa had sold like hotcakes after the film's screening was banned.
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