There is hue and cry by the self-appointed Intelligentsia , Free Media and Secularists on the decision of Penguin Books deciding to withdraw a book The Hindus An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger an American Author,
The author is reported to be a great researcher and her books have been acclaimed by some Indian Scholars.
My points.
1.The Lady in question seems to have Catherine Mayo Mentality.
The difference is that she has been clever enough to have her accepted as an author of some credibility by writing an Anthology of Rig Veda.
This, some have declared as very good, as if we have no other Books on Rig Veda.
There is nothing earth-shaking about this Book.
But to gain international Fame, most Indian authors do it, to sell their present or future Books abroad,though their grasp of the Subject is questionable.
This applies to the encomiums on this author.
Some foreign joker went to the extent of Psychoanalyzing the Hindus’ reaction by saying,
“a kind of lightning rod for the censure that these scholars receive from freelance critics and ‘watch-dog’ organizations that claim to represent the sentiments of Hindus.[13]”
2.Look at some among her Portfolio.
Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva;
The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mytholog
The effort seems to portray Hinduism as a sort of Cheap erotic fiction.
As Karunanidhi did Tholkappiyam into an Erotic Book!
3.Insulting is know the insensitive interview in TIME with this author.
Excerpt.
”
According to her book, when Ramrajya [an idyllic vision of state propounded by Mahatma Gandhi] comes to India, then Christians and Muslims will be driven out of India. We all know that Gandhiji’s vision was about unity; he dreamed of a state where there would be no discrimination based on religion or wealth. Her book will incite hatred among communities. Furthermore, Doniger says [in the book] that when Sanskrit scriptures were written, Indian society favored open sexuality. The jacket of her book shows Lord Krishna sitting on the buttocks of nude women. She equates the shivlingam, worshipped all over India by millions, with sex and calls it an erect penis. She calls Gandhiji strange and says he used to sleep with young girls.
So, it is primarily the juxtaposition of sex and Hinduism in the book that bothers you?
The entire book is objectionable, but yes, that is one of our main objections. She is insulting our gods and goddesses and religious leaders and texts and even our freedom fighters. I don’t have any objection to sex and neither does our religion, as long as it’s within the parameters of religion.
Why does it matter so much to you about what someone writes about Hinduism?
If someone makes a cartoon of the prophet Mohammad, Muslims are outraged around the world. So why should anyone write anything against Hinduism and get away with it? It matters because this book is hurting the sentiments of Hindus all over the world. I am a Hindu. When I read the book, I felt hurt. It hurt my sentiments.’
Who is to be concerned if Hinduism is denigrated?
4.Excerpts from the Book, as available now.
“The jacket of her book shows Lord Krishna sitting on the buttocks of nude women. She equates the shivlingam, worshipped all over India by millions, with sex and calls it an erect penis. She calls Gandhiji strange and says he used to sleep with young girls…
He finds it objectionable that Doniger writes in the book that independence hero Mahatma Gandhi had a “habit of sleeping beside girls young enough to be called jailbait in the United States”; and that 19th Century Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda “set himself against all forms of caste distinction and advised people to eat beef”.’
“
Maps in front pages: Maps titled Indias Geographical Features and India from 600 CE to 1600 CE
COMMENT: In the first map, the Waziristan Hills area is marked erroneously as Kirthar Range. The Kirthar Range is at least 200 miles further south. In the third map, Janakpur, Nagarkot, Mandu and Haldighati are marked several hundred miles from their correct geographical location.
Pg. 67 – It is claimed that the entire Harappan culture had a population of 40,000!
COMMENT: This is estimated as the population of Mohenjo-Daro alone. The population of the entire culture is estimated around 500,000.
Pg 130 – The author claims that there are no Gods in the Vedas who are Shudras.
COMMENT: It is anachronistic to assign castes to Rigvedic deities, but nevertheless, Pushan, Vesmapati and others have been considered Shudra deities in later times.
Pg 450- It is claimed that Emperor Ala-ud-Din Khalji did not sack temples in Devagiri.
COMMENT: His contemporary Amir Khusro clearly mentions that the Emperor sacked numerous temples and raised mosques instead.
Pg 552 – The book claims that the Ramcharitmanas was written at Varanasi.
COMMENT: Both modern scholarship as well as tradition accept that the work (or at least most of it) was written in Ayodhya.
Pg 128 – The book likens the Vedic devotee worshipping different Vedic deities to a lying and a philandering boyfriend cheating on his girlfriend(s).
COMMENT: This is offensive and ignores that fact that in the Rigveda, the gods are said to be all united, born of one another, and from the same source.(India Today)
5.Why is it that writing on Islam, even a hint of Prophet’s Image.would hurt Religious sentiments ?
Satanic Verses by Rushdie was banned for much less and a booty was announced to kill the author.
6.The Da Vinci Code was initially banned for portraying History as found in Christianity.
7.Are these secularists prepared to publish a Book on Muhammad marrying a Widow with a child,
Or marrying a nine-year old,
or The practice of Thighing in Islam where children are raped as a practice?
Or Mary of Magdalene was the wife , to put it politely,of Jesus?
8.I have a good collection of Posts on the History of Islam, Christianity, American wiping out the Indians,Debauchery of the British Monarchy.
Any body there to publish them in the interest of Truth and History?
Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-26148875
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Doniger
http://ramanisblog.in/2013/03/29/islam-and-women-thighing-and-some-sayings-of-khomeini/
https://ramanisblog.in/2013/03/31/the-prophet-and-his-wifenine-year-old/
Reblogged this on HINDUISM SANSKRIT and commented:
HINDUS NEEDS TO DO SAME ,SHOWING JESUS CHRIST FONDLING PRIVATE ORGANS OF MEN AND WOMEN TO TEACH THESE CHRISTIANS, SO CALLED CATHS WHO GO TO CHURCH ,WHOSE FATHERS ARE KNOWN FOR PEDOPHILIA AND VATICAN HEAD IN ITALY IS DOING NOT MUCH AS RECENT UN ALLEGATION AGAINST CATHOLICS.