The case is bizarre as the publisher itself agreed to withdraw the book along with pulping of all unsold copies post an out-of-court settlement with an “outraged” Hindu group headed by Dina Nath Batra, convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan (Save Education Movement), who filed criminal and civil cases against Doniger and Penguin USA and Penguin India in 2011.

The incident evoked recent memories of historical essays by eminent poet and historian, A.K. Ramanujan being withdrawn from syllabus of Delhi University when right wing activists unleashed threats against its inclusion.

(Right): Cover of "The Hindus: An Alternative History" written by Prof. Wendy Doniger. [Wikimedia Commons]

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Reacting to the settlement, Batra’s counsel, Monika Arora claimed, “The withdrawal of this book is an outcome of a ‘valid, legal battle’ fought by people in this vibrant democracy” while the publishing giant issued a statement justifying its voluntary recall stating: “A publishing company has the same obligation as any other organization to respect the laws of the land in which it operates, however intolerant and restrictive those laws may be… We also have a moral responsibility to protect our employees against threats and harassment where we can.”

Just as shocking as the claims of alleged maligning of Hindu sentiments is, so is the pusillanimity of a top publisher to have succumbed to the opponents of freedom of free speech without defending itself more vigorously.

Many like the award winning author, Arundhati Roy, historian Ramachandra Guha and eminent journalists expressed dismay and anger that the publisher could have done much more than submitting to right-wing pressure groups.

Sections 153A, 298 and 295A of the Indian Penal Code when corralled together deal with ‘the law of offended feelings’ and make “deliberate outrage or insult of religious feelings of any class by spoken or written words, a criminal offence.”

This may be the basis of truth in Penguin’s decision, which explains the dilemma of both authors and publishers who remain vulnerable and exposed to the attack both by street-censors and also anachronistic laws.

Thus by far several stories remain untold: a publisher withdrew Jitendra Bhargava’s book on Air India when ex-civil aviation minister Praful Patel threatened it with a libel suit; a High Court disallowed Jaico from publishing Tamal Bandyopadhyay’s Sahara: The Untold Story when Subroto Roy, chief of Sahara India, slapped a Rs.2 billion defamation suit against it; the mighty industrialists, Ambanis prevented HarperCollins India from releasing The Polyester Prince: The Rise of Dhirubhai Ambani by Hamish McDonald; and, Abhishek Manu Singhvi legally challenged Spanish author Javier Moro for his El Sari Rojo (The Red Sari) on Sonia Gandhi for “attempting to exploit a person’s privacy for personal and commercial profits.”

This policy of appeasement of fringe lumpens started in 1988 when Salman Rushdie’s blasphemous Satanic Verses was banned by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

But then the same Penguin that is facing heavy criticism for its actions today took on the murderous mobs.

Whether Doniger’s work was the inevitable communal fodder to the right-wing hate-mongers who constantly search for “excuses of attacks on religion and tradition,” the fact remains that modern establishments ultimately cater to the protection of sensibility of this fringe.

The 779 pages of The Hindus – An Alternative History (2009) by Doniger, a Professor of History of Religions of global acclaim at the University of Chicago, is a body of work that has seen the light of day after four decades of her intense study of Sanskrit and Indian studies, translation of Kamasutra, certainly not for cheap amusement of filthy minds which are sold at street sides and railway book stalls, and authorship of several books on Hinduism like the brilliant translation of Rig Veda.

A journey through the contents of this tome reveals the scholar’s personal narration of Hindu traditions and culture and her eclectic and psycho-sexual understanding of its elements albeit with an amount of floundering of facts and omissions of explanations for her interpretations at many points.

She delves into topics like the significant contribution of women and untouchables in the shaping of traditions as what is perceived in line with conventional understanding which in no way be considered immoral, or striving to denude beliefs or disrespect divinities.

Perhaps some may regard the work to be an “interesting alien fare” to a Western layperson to the wisdom and knowledge of the Hindu dharma, who would be more compliant to a linear and speedy grasp of the subject and this is a matter that might invite a degree of scholastic disagreement and discussions.

Upholding the need for engaging counter views is not new to India as not too long back Mahatma Gandhi revered as the Father of the Nation was noted for his search for the ‘Truth’ when he would be questioned on aspects relating to both his public and private life.

The world’s largest democracy, as it stands today, is facing a socio-cultural-political churning at all levels and people are getting increasingly aware of rights that are fundamental to their existence, life and liberty and as guaranteed to them by the Constitution makers being denied to them on one pretext or the other due to some pressure group or the other.

The progression, evolution and survival of the Hindu dharma rests on its civilizational philosophies, being derived from contemporaneous arguments and dissenting expressions that is acquiring a doctrinal validity.

Devoid of a singular interpretation or holy books like the Bible or Koran to set terms for a resolution, the dharma looks upon its followers to breathe fresh ideas and interpretations into discourse.

And for safeguarding this essence of the dharma the insects of chauvinism, communalism, bigotry and irresponsible censorship cannot be allowed to eat into the fine fabric of liberalism and intellectual tolerance.

What is at stake is not Doniger’s authority at interpreting cultures, which in any case cannot be the final word, but the very idea of an unfathomably diverse India. Therefore, would it not be more appropriate if reviewers of all hues and harshness be allowed to choose between a royal snub and an intellectual countering of the book’s contents?

For all those who wish to ban books in future, they need a good reality check which is that Doniger’s book has been selling like hot cakes on the Internet and ranks among the international best sellers, all thanks to the attention generated by this controversy.