READERS’ COMMENTS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN INDIA

[Sallie G. from New York said freedom of speech in India had died when “it became the first nation to ban Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” after threats of violence by Indian Muslims.” Mr. Rushdie’s book was banned in India in 1988 after a flurry of criticism that the book decried Islam and its tenets.]

By Vishnu Varma

Kuni Takahashi for The New York TimesDinanath Batra, the man who filed the lawsuit against Penguin and the American scholar Wendy Doniger for her book “The Hindus: An Alternative History”, at his office in New Delhi on Feb. 12.

NEW DELHI — Last week, Penguin, one of India’s biggest publishing houses, declared that it would withdraw and destroy remaining copies of a book on Hinduism written by Wendy Doniger after Dinanath Batra, a right-wing campaigner filed a lawsuit terming the book “dirty” and “perverse.”

In response to the story, we asked readers whether they think freedom of speech is undergoing a gradual and cumulative attack in India. We received an overwhelming response, with close to 400 comments on the website when the comments thread was finally closed. Many also logged into Facebook to post their views.

Many of the readers agreed that censorship was not the appropriate response to “bad speech” and that Penguin should never have caved into pressure.

“All over the world, personal freedom and free expression are under increasing attack by democratic and nondemocratic regimes,” wrote Uziel from Florianópolis, Brazil.

The reader also said the practice continues in the United States – “bulwark of those basic rights after the events of 9/11.”

“It will be a sad day for India if Mr. Batra succeeds in his crusade to outlaw and replace every book that he finds offensive,” a reader with the user name scb919f7 said. “Some people seem to have forgotten that books can and should do more than simply confirm their own opinions and worldviews.”

Sirajul Islam, a reader from Dhaka, Bangladesh, remarked that the political climate is worsening in India.

“Decisions like this (both the writing and publishing a book on Hindu extremism at a sensitive time and then withdrawal/destruction of the print copies) imply that the liberal space in Hinduism as well as in Indian politics is being pruned, and what used to be the fringe is starting to become the mainstream,” Mr. Islam said.

Sallie G. from New York said freedom of speech in India had died when “it became the first nation to ban Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” after threats of violence by Indian Muslims.” Mr. Rushdie’s book was banned in India in 1988 after a flurry of criticism that the book decried Islam and its tenets.

Readers like Anuradha Mukherjee said on Facebook that the book “contained a lot of factual errors and misinterpretations,” and that the issue was blown out of proportion. However, she agreed that there was no need to destroy the book.

Pradeep from Ontario, Canada, said he believed that Penguin’s decision was more of a corporate one in response to “peaceful protests.”

“Peaceful protest of the contents of a book or speech is a civil right and an act of free speech itself,” said Pradeep. “Had the government banned the book’s publication, that would have been a clear violation of free speech. Had the protests been violent, it would have been a blow to India’s liberal orientation. Fortunately, none of the above happened.”

However, Vikas Sharma, a reader from the United States, said it was wrong to vilify Mr. Batra for what was “a fair and legal campaign against a publishing powerhouse with millions in profit and an army of lawyers.” He also said that since Penguin acceded to the lawsuit, then there must be something wrong with the book.

More reader perspectives and opinions can be found here and also on Facebook.

@ The New York Times

WENDY DONIGER'S BOOK: 'YOU MUST TELL US WHAT TERRIFIED YOU', ARUNDHATI ROY WRITES TO PENGUIN INDIA
[The elections are still a few months away. The fascists are, thus far, only campaigning. Yes, it's looking bad, but they are not in power. Not yet. And you've already succumbed?]

A letter to Penguin India (my publishers)

Everybody is shocked at what you have gone and done—at your out-of-court settlement with an unknown Hindu fanatic outfit—in which you seem to have agreed to take Wendy Donniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History off the bookshelves of 'Bharat' and pulp it. There will soon no doubt be protestors gathered outside your office, expressing their dismay.

Tell us, please, what is it that scared you so? Have you forgotten who you are? You are part of one of the oldest, grandest publishing houses in the world. You existed long before publishing became just another business, and long before books became products like any other perishable product in the market—mosquito repellent or scented soap. You have published some of the greatest writers in history. You have stood by them as publishers should, you have fought for free speech against the most violent and terrifying odds. And now, even though there was no fatwa, no ban, not even a court order, you have not only caved in, you have humiliated yourself abjectly before a fly-by-night outfit by signing settlement. Why? You have all the resources anybody could possibly need to fight a legal battle. Had you stood your ground, you would have had the weight of enlightened public opinion behind you, and the support of most—if not all—of your writers. You must tell us what happened. What was it that terrified you? You owe us, your writers an explanation at the very least.

The elections are still a few months away. The fascists are, thus far, only campaigning. Yes, it's looking bad, but they are not in power. Not yet. And you've already succumbed?

What are we to make of this? Must we now write only pro-Hindutva books? Or risk being pulled off the bookshelves in 'Bharat' (as your 'settlement' puts it) and pulped? Will there be some editorial guide-lines perhaps, for writers who publish with Penguin? Is there a policy statement?

Frankly I don't believe this has happened. Tell us it's just propaganda from a rival publishing house. Or an April Fool's day prank that got leaked early. Please say something. Tell us it's not true.

So far I have had been more than happy to be published by Penguin. But now?

What you have done affects us all.

Arundhati Roy

(Author of The God of Small Things, Listening to Grasshoppers, Broken Republic and other books all of which are published by Penguin India)

@ The Times of India