"Gandhi is an icon of liberalism, not an icon of perfection," said Sagarika Ghose, one of the most prominent figures in Indian journalism in her discussion with Anjana Shankar at the fourth edition of Kerala Literature Festival. She was responding to the question regarding the constant backlash against Mahatma Gandhi. She commented that Gandhi's struggle with himself to overcome his flaws is what makes him a heroic figure.
Sagarika strongly criticised elected authoritarianism and pointed out how democracy has become an enemy of itself. She was also critical about broadcast journalism and asked people not to watch television.
The session concluded with Sagarika labelling Narendra Modi as the non-biological son of Indhira Gandhi, referring to his autocratic leadership.