Penguin india defends its decision to recall and destroy copies of a book on hinduism by a top us scholar, saying it had to respect the laws of the land. Doniger, a professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago, is. India today story gives a few more examples of the inaccuracies contained in the. India bans vulgar book by university of chicago scholar chicago. The decision by penguin india to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book,the hindus. Penguin india to recall book on hinduism news al jazeera.
At the very least, attention drawn to the controversy has been good for business. Penguin india, an arm of usbased publisher penguin random house, is to withdraw from india a book about hindu mythology written by a prominent american scholar, after rightwing hindu. A book, a controversy, and the ominous aftermath in 2009, penguin books published the hindus. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book on. They discussed at length on faith and religion, and he accused her of sexualising and defaming some of the holiest passages in the hindu scriptures. The book is insulting to indian gods and goddesses, religious leaders. The recall of us author wendy donigers book on hinduism by publisher penguin books has been received with much outrage. When local protesters got in touch with batra, he read the book and was enraged. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india the book was criticized in india, and in february 2014 it was the subject of. I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here.
In march 2010, hindu american foundation cofounder aseem shukla debated various elements from the book with doniger herself on a washington postsponsored blog. An alternative history, first published in 2009, was. Let me start off by saying that this is an introduction to hinduism, as a religion or religious movement, culture and way of life. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world like never before for allegedly insulting and offending hindus. If youre looking for a source of unique baby names you can see the painstaking work and research carried out to bring this book.
Penguins withdrawal of the hindus causes international outcry. Doniger, a professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago, is no stranger to this kind of. An invaluable encyclopedia of hinduismhinduism is one of the worlds oldest religions. Penguin withdraws book by american scholar of hinduism to. The 800page book includes over 50 pages of references and covers a vast history that spans 50 million yearsa magnum opus from a highly acclaimed scholar of hindu traditions. Penguin to destroy copies of wendy donigers book the. Penguin withdraws hindu book after complaints financial. The book is crossreferenced to make it easier to use. The book had attracted protests in 2010 in new york, where it had been nominated for an award. Scholars and intellectuals across the board are critical and worried about penguins decision to withdraw the book and pulp the remaining copies.
Amid controversy, penguin india recalls western book on. India bans vulgar book by university of chicago scholar. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in the u.
The latest twist in the tale is the notice served to aleph book company, the publisher of donigers previous book, on hinduism. Penguin toed the line before it was even drawn as it saw the writing on the wall. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in india. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a tweak wendy donigers book was booted from india after conservative hindu activists cried foul. An alternative history to settle a court battle, penguin. Penguin india has agreed to withdraw american indologist wendy donigers book the hindus. An alternative history, which is subject to a legal challenge by hindu campaign group. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguin s indian subsidiary, penguin india the book was criticized in india, and in february 2014 it was the subject of litigation in.
Dina nath batra, who heads shiksha bacho andolan, a hindu educational organization in new delhi, filed the lawsuit against penguin in 2011. Doniger allegedly offered a sexbased interpretation of certain texts. Penguins settlement of the case has been read by many as a capitulation. Contained lots of factual errors, erroneous mapsthey have withdrawn the book knowing the tide is now against the missionaries with support from their masters aka u. A university of chicago scholars alternative history of hinduism will. Amid controversy, penguin india recalls western book on hinduism. The meaning of each of the approximately 20,000 names in the volume is extensively discussed and information on sources and usage is also provided. Penguin indias decision to withdraw from the indian market and pulp the remaining copies of americanindologist wendy donigers book the hindus. An alternative history from the market within six months. Penguin books india agreed to withdraw the book from circulation in india as well as destroy every copy of the book. An alternative history, has, not unsurprisingly, elicited a huge volume and range of responses.
Wendy donigers the hindus recalled by penguin india time. Penguin defends pulping book on hindus in india after row. Penguin withdraws book by american scholar of hinduism to settle. Wendy donigers book the hindus withdrawn by penguin.
Penguin pulls book from shelves in india because of hurt. Its a thin book that only covers the very basic cores of the hindu faith. Dalrymple and neil gaiman have condemned penguins controversial removal of wendy donigers book the hindus from circulation in india. The notice demanded that the publisher withdraw this book too. Dinanath batra has armtwisted publisher penguin india into recalling and destroying american scholar wendy donigers book, the hindus. You need to know about the hindu textbook controversy. Doniger decried the decision, denounced the indian law which supposedly criminalizes the publication of a book that offends any hindu, and alleged that penguin withdrew the book fearing it would stir anger. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in. Penguin withdraws controversial hinduism book huffpost. An alternative history was made on february 4, twitter has been overflowing with strong criticism, thus making the book title a trending topic on the micro. Bangalore penguin books india, a unit of penguin random house, has agreed to withdraw and destroy all copies of a 2009 book on hinduism by an american scholar to settle a lawsuit by a hindu nationalist group that had objected to the books portrayal of the religion. Penguins decision spotlights other books that met with. An alternative history by the us based academic scholar, wendy doniger came under fierce assault,in february 2014, by the shiksha bachao andolan samiti of india which consequently made penguin india concede to the withdrawing of the book. Outcry as penguin india pulps alternative history of hindus world.
An ndtv report on the same issue said in their legal notice to ms doniger and penguin, the group slammed the book as a shallow, distorted, nonserious presentation of hinduism that is filled with heresies and has been written with a christian missionary zeal reminded me of this edit. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. This is a great piece of scholarly work a vast compilation of hindu names. If youve been dreaming of putting a little bit of yourselfand your bookout there for the world to see, do allow us to introduce ourselves. In 2010, a petition was signed online and submitted to the penguin usa. The product of several years of research, the penguin book of hindu names is a comprehensive compilation of hindu names in current use.
The doniger controversy and the need for hindu theologians 03102014 07. The latest country to join the censorship bandwagon is india, where publisher penguin books india recently agreed to withdraw a book about hinduism. Penguin books india has decided to withdraw copies of us indologist wendy donigers book the hindus. On one side are those who see the issue solely as one of freedom of expression and worry that penguins capitulation undermines free speech.
Monika arora, a new delhibased lawyer representing the conservative hindu activists, said that under the court settlement, penguin books india would withdraw the book from publication and the. In a notice to the author and penguin group usa, batra said he, found the book to be a shallow, distorted and non serious presentation of hinduism. Penguin books india has agreed to withdraw a controversial book on hinduism as settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2011, the new york times reported. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india. The wendy doniger controversy and the need for hindu. Controversy over books on hinduism by religion scholar wendy doniger continues to grow. As the bbc reports, the hindu nationalist group shiksha bachao andolan filed two criminal complaints and a civil suit against penguin over the book, the first in 2010. Vigilant hindu groups have stopped penguin from publishing a derogatory book insulting and offending hindus.
An alternative history from the indian market following an outofcourt settlement with delhibased. Major authors from arundhati roy to william dalrymple and neil gaiman have condemned penguins controversial removal of wendy donigers book the hindus from circulation in india, a withdrawal. The hindu conservative group went haywire because the book, as the group claims. Penguin india reached an agreement with a litigant and agreed to voluntarily withdraw wendy donigers the hindus. A copy of a settlement agreement between penguin and an organisation called shiksha bachao andolan that found the book insulting to hindus, leaked on the documentsharing website. Penguin to axe wendy donigers controversial book the. Its a good book,one who wants sanskrit names for babies,this book includes names for both boys and girls. Penguin books india pulls controversial book on hinduism penguin books india agreed to withdraw the book from circulation in india as well as destroy every copy of the book. And although the official decision to withdraw the book tilted the hindus. Hindu culture rallies together to pull book by angela. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy.
This is not the only controversy that wendy donigers book the hindus has faced. It concerns how india and hinduism is portrayed in social studies books. Time magazine reports that in 2011, the hindu nationalist group shiksha bachao andolan filed a civil suit against penguin india over the book, claiming that the book. Balbir punj, a vicepresident of the bjp, who is seen as close to modi, said that in principle books should not be banned. And, though the few pages are wellused, any such book will never fully give an image of the vastness of hindu dharma. With penguins decision to withdraw the book, it has become a fullblown scandal. The doniger controversy and the need for hindu theologians. Penguin books india would withdraw the book from publication and. Penguin india agrees to withdraw controversial book on. Hindu culture rallies together to pull book the book was pulled as part of a settlement because a group belonging to hindu conservative nationalists filed a case against the publisher.
The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. Publisher penguin friday blamed indias intolerant laws for its decision to pull and pulp a book on hinduism in the country that sparked a furious free speech row. One aggrieved group, the committee to campaign to protect education, sent penguin a legal notice, saying the book should be withdrawn because it offended hindu sentiments, particularly in the way in which ms. An alternative history following a courtbacked settlement with a delhibased. Days after agreeing to withdraw a 2009 book the hindus.
Penguin books india pulls controversial book on hinduism. Nothing of the sort happened in wendy donigers case, and yet the publishers thought it prudent to withdraw the book before they were coerced into doing so. According to multiple sources, penguin books india has agreed to recall and destroy all copies of american indoligist wendy donigers book the hindus. Penguin books india has reportedly agreed to recall and destroy all copies in india of a book about hinduism by a u. It was cofounded in 1935 by sir allen lane with his brothers richard and john, as a line of the publishers the bodley head, only becoming a separate company the following year. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its inexpensive paperbacks, sold through woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. The book is light weight,contains 522pages,paperback form,pages are of pretty good quality. An alphabetical guide illuminates complex philosophical concepts through lucid definitions, a historical perspective and incisive analyses. Though the potted biographies of mughal emperors seem superfluous in a long book, donigers chapter on the centuries of muslim rule over india helps dilute the lurid mythology of hindu nationalists.
Taslima nasreens lajja, too, had its share of controversy in bangladesh. The petition was backed by the sarasvati research trust and demanded that the book be withdrawn. Penguin books india has agreed to withdraw from sale all copies of a book that takes an unorthodox view of hinduism, and will destroy them as part of a. Apparently hindu fascists are not so into, you know, alternatives. Founded in 1985, penguin india today publishes across a whole range of subjects and genres.
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