GHHF Applauds Batra, condemns Wendy Doniger and denounces the Liberals
“The Hindus: The Alternative History,” book is withdrawn from Bharat
“In all the ills that befall us, we are more concerned by the intention than the result. A tile that falls off a roof may injure us more seriously, but it will not wound us so deeply as a stone thrown deliberately by a malevolent hand. The blow may miss, but the intention always strikes home.” ― Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Reveries of the Solitary Walker.”
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation [GHHF] applauds Dinanath Batra, representing an organization called Shiksha Bachao Andolan, who filed a case against Penguin Books India in 2010. He demanded that the book entitled “The Hindus: An Alternative History,” written by Wendy Doniger be withdrawn from circulation. Batra felt offended by the hateful, sexual, maligned, evil, and repulsive presentation of Hindu scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas. He could not even finish reading even few pages of this inciteful, irrational, vulgar and demeaning book. Instead of sitting quietly and swallowing the disgusting and vicious content of the book, he rightfully exercised his right to challenge the content of the book legally. He filed a petition in the court listing hundreds of statements that were either false or misinterpreted.
The petitioner, Mr. Batra, also listed numerous statements, which are considered insulting and humiliating to the sentiments of Hindus, that dealt with the sexual desires of Gods and Goddesses in Hindu mythology. Wendy Doniger even maligned Mahabharata by saying that all the stories and the characters are fictional work. The petition also included the grave inaccuracies such as the exclusion of Kashmir from India map and exclusion of a territorial area that is in dispute with Pakistan.
The summary of the case filed against the Penguin Publisher is as follows: "Clumsily written, each chapter is a shocking and appalling series of anecdotes which denigrate, distort and misrepresent Hinduism and the history of India and Hindus. Doniger uses selective quotations from obscure and non-original, peripheral and ignorant references with a bizarre emphasis on sexuality and eroticism. Cited below are only a handful of quotes along with our understanding and interpretation, with references from Hindu scripture."
After years of litigation, instead of referring the case to the Supreme Court, The Penguin Publishers have agreed to withdraw the book. On February 4, Penguin Books India issued the following agreement with the petitioner and the legal counsels:
“Penguin India shall with immediate effect recall and withdraw all copies of the book, Wendy Doniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History, from Bharat (Indian territory.). It also goes on to note that Penguin will no longer go on to sell, distribute, the book and that all recalled/withdrawn/unsold copies of the book shall be 'pulped' by Penguin at its own cost.”
As expected Wendy Doniger was not happy with the settlement. One wonders why would she agree to the settlement if she is angry? Why did she not pursue the case until the legal system takes it’s time to make decision? Why did she not defend her book in the courts?
Wendy Doniger knows the Indian Penal Code. She knows she has violated the article 295 and she does not want to defend her own book in the courts of law. Her only purpose of writing the book with subtitle “An Alternative History” is to mislead, misinterpret, demean, falsify and lie about Hindu scriptures and insult the sentiments of Hindus. It is called alternative history, not factual, objective and accurate history. What is the article 295 section-A that may have put her away for years?
“Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.— Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise], insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
It is clear that the “great scholar” would have been in prison if she was found guilty of affronting the sentiments of the Hindus. She did not have the courage to defend her “alternative history” in the court of law. If she thought that her scholarly book was really based on objectivity, rationality and scientific facts, why would she dodge the bullet?
Wendy Doniger is ANGRY. She issued the following statement about the Penguin agreement:
“I was, of course, angry and disappointed to see this happen, and I am deeply troubled by what it foretells for free speech in India in the present, and steadily worsening, political climate." (Wendy Doniger statement to India Today Group.)
Why is she angry? Is it because that she is not able to denigrate the sentiments of Hindus? Is it because the Hindus stood up to challenge the “distinguished scholar” about her hateful, distasteful and disgusting book? Was it because of her assumption that Hindus have been tolerant of terror, rampage, killings, pillages, rapes, kidnappings and lootings for more than 13 centuries that they would not protest, terrorize and take law into their hands? Of course that has not happened as she may have expected. But she never imagined that some brave Hindu would take appropriate legal action demanding withdrawal of the book from circulation in India.
GHHF condemned the book in March 2010 and requested The Penguin Publishers to withdraw it from the circulation. You may click on the following link to read our protest against the atrocious book.
Freedom of Expression VS Freedom of Hate
Article 19 of the Indian Constitution of India guarantees freedom of profession, occupation, trade or business. It says, “All citizens shall have the right, to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business… Nothing in sub-clause shall affect the operation of any existing law in so for as it imposes; or prevent the State from making any law imposing; in the interests of the general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause….”
If Wendy Doniger is as scholarly as all the liberals, media, and the University Chicago claim, nearly 40 years of an academician cannot fathom the phrase “reasonable restrictions” apply in any given country as per the Constitution. Even in the United States the First Amendment would not guaranty unbridled freedom to say what one wants to say. In the United States, national security, justice, personal safety and / or obscenity override the freedom of expression. Justice Holmes, speaking for the unanimous Supreme Court, stated, “The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.” Simple lesson is that one should balance the freedom of expression with due respect for religious sentiments.
Many jaundice eyed liberals, incoherent communists, incomprehensible media, and religions that demand exclusive dominance over Hindu faith keep harping on Hindus as fundamentalists, saffron terrorists, Hindutvawadis, Hindu nationalists. They criticize the withdrawal of the book as an example of infringing on the freedom of expression. Unfortunately, they used blinders when The Satanic Verses, Lajja and Da Vinci Code books were banned in India or in parts of India and applauded the authorities for protecting the sentiments of Muslims and Christians. When Dr. Subramanian Swamy wrote an article “How to Wipe out Islamic Terrorism,” where were all the liberals, academicians and communists? In fact all these liberals and so-called minorities charged him with inciting religious sentiments in the court of law.
Even The University of Chicago started defending the freedom of expression by Wendy Doniger by saying that it “vigorously defends” her right to publish and discuss her work, calling the professor a distinguished scholar at the highly-selective school. “As it has been for more than a century, the engagement of our scholars and that of the University is anchored in our fundamental commitment to free inquiry and free argumentation around scholarly ideas,” the university said. Now, the University of Chicago has joined the most “selective” educational institutions such as Harvard University that has not issued teaching contract to Dr. Subramanian Swamy because the Muslims, Christians and Liberals thought he was anti-Muslim denying him the same privilege that they are demanding for Wendy Doniger. The same group of people also denied the freedom of expression privilege to Narendra Modi when the “prestigious” Wharton School cancelled his speech through Video Conference. They were jubilant when the freedom of speech was denied to Dr. Swamy and Narendra Modi while they are gloomy, gluttony and gummy when Wendy Doniger agreed to withdraw her book from BHARAT.
GHHF congratulates Dinanath Batra and the legal team for their successful efforts in making The Penguin Book Group to withdraw the book and pulp them from the circulation from the land of Bharat. Every Hindu should be on the look out for such “scholars”, liberals, communists, and media who have unbridled thirst for attacking and hurting the sentiments of Hindus. Hindus need to Wake up, Get up, Get United, and Stand up for their rights before they are snatched away from them.
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