Its launch video gives a good idea of our side of the story. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Why a hindu activist targeted wendy doniger s book. Beginning with british philology in the colonial period, hindu studies has been practiced largely by westerners, due in part to the lack of a distinct department for religion in indian academia. 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. Academic hinduphobia a critique of wendy donigers erotic. Yes, penguin has withdrawn the book, because a small group of hindus found that it violated their view of hinduism. Rajiv malhotra, left, a constant critic of wendy doniger and what he calls her chicago school of writers and thinkers, retired at age 44 some 20 years ago and put. Infinity foundation is organising swadeshi indology conference part 3 in iit madras, chennai, tamil nadu from 22 dec 24 dec 2017. After deliberation for nearly four years, penguin india compromised on february 4, 2014 in an out of court settlement to withdraw and pulp within the next six months the remaining copies of us chicago professor, wendy doniger s book, the hindus. Contained lots of factual errors, erroneous mapsthey have withdrawn the book knowing the tide is now against the missionaries with support from their masters aka u. Seventythreeyearold doniger is an american jewish indologist who has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. I usually try to distance myself from religious debates on rindia but your question is an important one.
An alternative history, as part of a court settlement. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book. I am a hindu and am eager to know and read anything which exists and wants to exist. Feb 05, 2014 a list of the numerous errors in wendy s book has been compiled by vishal agarwal, an indoamerican engineer writing in his spare time. All hindus seek is a neutral platform and debate and dialogu. Reviewed by mamta madhavan for readers favorite many many many gods of hinduism. Hindu civilization dialogue wendy doniger and alternative. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in the u. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned.
A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in india. Penguin india agrees to recall and destroy all remaining copies of wendy donigers book the hindus after claims it was offensive, reports say. India bans vulgar book by university of chicago scholar. Wendys hinduphobia withdrawal of book and antihindu. Wendy doniger holds two doctorates in sanskrit and indian studies from harvard and oxford. The recall of us author wendy donigers book on hinduism by publisher penguin books has been received with much outrage. Bushs state of the union address in 2001, on david loys buddhist appeal, just after 911, for a pacific approach to the problem of terrorism. 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. News when westerners make fun of our gods, theyre instigating trouble when westerners make fun of our gods, theyre instigating trouble february 17, 2014 10. Penguin books india pulls controversial book on hinduism. She is the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago. Wendy doniger s enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. Jan 27, 2010 i have mixed feelings on seeing wendy donigers book the hindus.
Demolishing wendy donigers book against dharma a talk by dr. An alternative history as one of the finalists for the national book critics circle award. Controversy regarding wendy doniger and her book on hinduism. Scholars and intellectuals across the board are critical and worried about penguins decision to withdraw the book and pulp the remaining copies. Vigilant hindu groups have stopped penguin from publishing a derogatory book insulting and offending hindus.
And although the official decision to withdraw the book tilted the hindus. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. Penguin india settles a civil suit with dinanath batra over wendy donigers controversial book on hinduism. Wendy doniger oflaherty is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. 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. The release of wendy donigers recent book the hindus. Hindu studies is the study of the traditions and practices of the indian subcontinent, especially hinduism. An alternative history, by the usbased academic wendy doniger, as part of a settlement after a group of hindu conservative nationalists filed a case against the publisher. I hope this subreddit allows me to ask this question, as it also affects me as an indian. Penguin books india has said this week that it will destroy all available copies of the 2009 book by the indologist wendy doniger, the hindus. Rushdie by our representative the author of the satanic verses, banned in india just nine days after it was published on september 26, 1988, for alleged blasphemy under pressure from extremist islamic groups, has taken strong exception to penguin. Jun, 2009 rich, i recently got hold of a book called invading the sacred, which i was hoping was going to be a reasoned response to what appear to be some legitimate concerns about hinduism studies in america. For those who will not be able to attend the conference and.
Sparked off by sunthar visuvalingams followup observations, in the light of george w. Wendy donigers book the hindus withdrawn by penguin. Wendy book on hindus latest breaking news, pictures, photos and video news. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly.
Dont throw the book at the publisher times of india blog. It is whether we can afford not to have it, says the writer of penguins controversial decision to withdraw wendy donigers book. A simple perusal of the american library associations banned book list, for example, will yield countless examples of religious objections to the content within books. Attack on wendys book on hinduism suggests casualness of. 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. An alternative history that she wrote a few years ago, was banned for its controversial content, raising a debate over the. An alternative history has outraged hindus around the world, insulting indians and offending hindus.
Report on wendy donigers the hindu and the alternative history controversy posted on october 2, 2014 october 3, 2014 by divyasharma06 the book the hindu. Doniger, 73, is a jewish american indologist and has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. Critics keep on implying i wrote the book and mark tully did not. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy doniger withdrawn by penguin over lawsuit 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.
Penguin india agrees to withdraw controversial book on. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. Although she is a wellknown authority on hinduism, her bestseller book has been pointed out to have many factual errors and her perspective of things. Rajiv malhotra shares foreword of his book academic hinduphobic doniger struck a new alliance to help her make a dramatic comeback. After deliberation for nearly four years, penguin india compromised on february 4, 2014 in an out of court settlement to withdraw and pulp within the next six months the remaining copies of us chicago professor, wendy donigers book, the hindus. This debate pits traditionalist hindus against american indologists around the work and personality of prof. In response to what i felt was a onesided portrayal of the events, i compiled a new book, titled, invading the sacred. Recently, i chanced to read an article authored by wendy doniger, distinguished professor at the university of chicago, usa, about hinduism and its cow history. She has taken stray observations, opinions of all manner of writers giving them the same weightage as to a serious historian or to a solid, primary text. An alternative history, is a 2011 book from the longtime divinity professor and noted hinduism scholar that offers a new way of understanding one of the world. The hindu tantrism tradition is one of the aspects of the religion explored by wendy donigers book. Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. Scholars who study hinduism and india face hostile climate.
However, the whole book had this screechy, reactionary tone, which was a pity because it detracted from some very genuine concerns raised by the book. I am a hindu myself, and we should know better than to ban books which try to give you an alternative view. Feb 21, 2014 hindus do not seek book banning and book burning. An alternative history, has been back on bookshelves in india for a few months. American professor wendy donigers controversial book the hindus. Penguin withdraws controversial hinduism book huffpost. Find wendy book on hindus news headlines, photos, videos, comments, blog posts and opinion at the indian express. Penguin books india has agreed to recall and pulp all copies in india of the hindus. Wendy doniger book to be recalled by penguin india bbc. How is wendy donigers book the hindu in its quality of. Apr 12, 2016 in wendys child syndrome, malhotra criticizes what he considers to be the eroticization of hinduism and the use of freudian interpretative frameworks by doniger the wendy of the title, alternately described as the queen and several other scholars he considers to be under her influence wendys children. Sarah caldwell is also afflicted by wendys child syndrome xxxiv, and is another powerful leader of risa. In a conversation with time, shiksha bachao andolan president dinanath batra explains why he thinks donigers book hurts hindu sentiments and is propagating lies about hindu deities and national. These errors and misrepresentations are bound and perhaps intended to mislead students of indian and hindu history.
Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy. She is a winner of the prestigious robert stoller award for her scholarship on the hindu goddess, and is amongst the elite who decide which papers and topics get included at academic conferences on hinduism. This is a serious attack on freedom of speech in india. An alternative history, first published in 2009, was recalled and pulped by penguin. Rajiv malhotra, one of wendy doniger s most vociferous critics, speaks to s arthur j pais about the prejudices created by american scholars about hindu gods and hinduism. Wendy is known for her controversial position about hinduism. This strange tendency of malhotra s he keeps referring to wendy s child syndrome almost begs us to reverse psychoanalyze him, specifically his weird obsession with western female scholars of hinduism. I read a few excerpts, i realized they can seem offensive, but are they a lie. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in.
An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in. After half a century of studying and engaging with hinduism, im not about to be silenced by a few bad eggs, academic wendy doniger wrote in her latest book on hinduism, published last year. An alternative history book online at best prices in india on. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations. 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 microblogging website. Wendy donigers the hindus is courageous, controversial and a capstone to a brilliant career updated jan 12, 2019. What the controversy around my book says about modern india. Consequently, her antagonism towards the hindutva forces which includes modi, rss, and the bjp is understandable. But leave your speculations about their personal sexuality out of it. A scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions, her major works include, asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of siva. Wendy doniger holds doctorates in sanskrit and indian studies from harvard and oxford. 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. The hindutva, sex and adventures continuing controversy.
The book makes certain claims which certain segments of hindus believe portray hinduism in a bad light. Of course, anyone with a computer can get the kindle edition of the hindus from penguin, ny, and it s probably cheaper, too. Wendy doniger dropped a bombshell on indian intellectual circles with her 2009 book the hindus an alternative history. Foreword in the late 1990s, a major controversy broke when i started to critique wendy donigers depictions of hinduism which most hindus found vulgar and outright insulting. And while shes delighted about it, the professor of history of religions at university of chicago is wary of coming to the country. No sooner the news of the out of court settlement for withdrawing copies of wendy donigers controversial book, the hindus. The scholarship of certain sections of the academic. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity.
Turning believers into nonbelievers and nonbelievers into believers by swami achuthananda is a spiritual venture. Right or wrong, wendy donigers the hindus should be. History revisited some of the hate mail is chilling. In an interview on the impact programme with lucy hockings, he spoke out against the controversial law which has led to copies of wendy donigers book the hindus.
An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. Feb 01, 2014 a lot of controversy is going on about pulping a book the hindus. Penguin to axe wendy donigers controversial book the hindus. Not only will this book subject students to a warped, false and bigoted version of hinduism, it will also expose indianamerican youth to ridicule and bigotry. One of the biggest drawbacks of wendy donigers controversial book, the hindus is its reliance on tertiary, not even secondary, sources. What i can gather from various news reports the book was published in 2009, in 2010 a group of people who thought that the book offends religious sentiments of hindus in india filed civil and criminal cases and in cases like these throws every.
Jul 01, 2015 hinduisms growing chasm with liberal values. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman. Wendy donigers book was booted from india after conservative hindu activists cried foul. Infinity foundations swadeshi indology conference to be held. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an.
Some were too embarrassed to face them while many others found it too controversial to go public with their feelings. This is not the only controversy that wendy donigers book the hindus has faced. The real reason wendy doniger s book on hindus was banned in india. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world like never before for allegedly insulting and offending hindus. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on hinduism. An analysis of hinduism studies in america, and it was published in 2007. All you wanted to know about the controversy surrounding. Subramanian swamy interview on hinduism with cts tv. An alternative history, which has been both revered and reviled by different sections of society, stirred up a huge controversy. This is the original version of the article that caused microsoft to replace encartas article on hinduism. An alternative history was out, there was scramble for the copies of the book. Hindus in india dont have a problem with it because a very small minority knows about it.
Penguin maintained a studied silence on the matter and refused to comment, though author doniger replied by email to some news outlets. It was used by encarta for reference now many of us may agree most indians feel a work is validated. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india. Rajiv malhotras interview on the issue of wendy donigers. The petition was backed by the sarasvati research trust and demanded that the book be withdrawn. Historian audrey truschke on the backlash to her aurangzeb book the mughal emperor is controversial not. Most of all, he has shown how her book s treatment of hinduism is unconscientious and flippant to a degree that would never be accepted from a professor of her rank for more established religions.
An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy. Controversy over books on hinduism by religion scholar wendy doniger continues to grow. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a. An alternative history, which is subject to a legal challenge by hindu campaign group. She is the author of several translations of sanskrit texts, including penguin classics editions of hindu myths and the rig veda, as well as many books about hinduism. This book caricatures hinduism in a grossly offensive and degrading manner. Jul 03, 2010 wendy donigers hoax exposed by a vedic scholar. Rajiv malhotra shares foreword of his book academic hinduphobic. Science, culture and integral yoga much ado about ganesha. Perhaps it might make more people read the book, i tell myself, and more americans will get a better understanding of hinduism, instead of thinking of it as just. An alternative history by wendy doniger, a professor at university of chicago.
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 litigation in. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture. Wendy donigers the hindus is courageous, controversial. Doniger, a professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago, is no stranger to this kind of controversy. Penguins withdrawal of wendy donigers celebrated book on hinduism is a bleak reminder of how the thought police is being allowed to run. Attack on wendy s book on hinduism suggests casualness of attacks on the arts in india. No stranger to controversy, batra had earlier taken on indian. Wendys unhistory making history hindu janajagruti samiti. Penguin india has agreed to recall and destroy all remaining copies of wendy donigers book the hindus.
This book was considered an important piece and a was considered authoritative work on hinduism. Penguin books india agreed this week to withdraw from sale and pulp all copies of the hindus. In 2010, a petition was signed online and submitted to the penguin usa. Apr 27, 2010 the controversy over who wrote hindutva, sex and adventuresroly books, new delhi. Mar 03, 2014 wendys hinduphobia dhiru shah withdrawal of book and antihindu propaganda. Inside wendy donigers banned book on the hindus learn religions. He speaks about the depth of religion and spirituality and its profound effect on people. I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here.
When westerners make fun of our gods, theyre instigating. Wendy doniger, a professor of history of religion at university of chicago, is a prizewinning author of book, the hindus. The publisher has agreed to destroy all copies as part of a settlement. But the book and many of her articles over a 40year academic career misinterpret facts or pick and choose incidents that conveniently fit a narrative of an erotic, exotic, mythologically rife. Why the outrage on wendy donigers controversial book. In fact, it is far more complex than a simple case of book banning, and ironically, the outcome was more mutual than in a typical case of censorship. It is shoddy, it peddles the lies of its predecessors and tries to convert a lie into a fact by repeating it over multiple times. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult. Wendy donigers the hindus is a classic example of leftliberal scholarship on hinduism. The world of wendy donigers translations indiafactsindiafacts.
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