History has shown that societies benefit with dissent, not conformity. People speak up, they are heard, opinions are formed, laws are modified, norms change for the better, people become more informed... all because we argue and disagree with each other. Discussion is merely another form of dissent. True patriotism is not abject compliance. In functional democracies, it is also protection of dissent arising from minority voices.

Making a point: Writers and activists on a solidarity march with black gags and arm bands in New Delhi on Friday, after which the Sahitya Akademi condemned the murder of MM Kalburgi. Pic/PTI