Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. 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. You have to also understand how it is practised and how the people who practise it, see it and interpret it. Consequently, her antagonism towards the hindutva forces which includes modi, rss, and the bjp is understandable. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduism s complexity, not an insult. An alternative history as one of the finalists for the national book critics circle award. 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. Contained lots of factual errors, erroneous mapsthey have withdrawn the book knowing the tide is now against the missionaries with support from their masters aka u. What the controversy around my book says about modern india. But leave your speculations about their personal sexuality out of it. Scholars who study hinduism and india face hostile climate. This book caricatures hinduism in a grossly offensive and degrading manner.
Seventythreeyearold doniger is an americanjewish indologist who has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. Controversial book, the hindus, by religious scholar wendy. Hindu studies is the study of the traditions and practices of the indian subcontinent, especially hinduism. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture.
I am a hindu myself, and we should know better than to ban books which try to give you an alternative view. No sooner the news of the out of court settlement for withdrawing copies of wendy donigers controversial book, the hindus. Its launch video gives a good idea of our side of the story. Dont throw the book at the publisher times of india blog. Wendy doniger tries to remedy the enduring impression of a unified hinduism created in large part by the first british scholars of india. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might offend hindutva. Penguin books india agreed this week to withdraw from sale and pulp all copies of the hindus. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world like never before for allegedly insulting and offending hindus. Another controversial psychoanalytical is by paul b. Mar 03, 2014 wendys hinduphobia dhiru shah withdrawal of book and antihindu propaganda. Reviewed by mamta madhavan for readers favorite many many many gods of hinduism. 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. Penguins withdrawal of wendy donigers celebrated book on hinduism is a bleak reminder of how the thought police is being allowed to run.
Penguin books india has decided to withdraw all copies of a book on hinduism by us indologist wendy doniger following an outofcourt settlement with the petitioners who had claimed that it. History revisited some of the hate mail is chilling. An alternative history, first published in 2009, was recalled and pulped by penguin. Feb 21, 2014 hindus do not seek book banning and book burning.
An analysis of hinduism studies in america, and it was published in 2007. Controversial book on hindus wendy donigers book the hindus. An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. 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. An alternative history penguin,2009has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. Updated july 10, 2019 wendy donigers controversial book the hindus. Wendy doniger book to be recalled by penguin india bbc. The next year, the hindu right government in the state of maharashtra banned james laines book shivaji. Penguin to axe wendy donigers controversial book the. Wendys unhistory making history hindu janajagruti samiti. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity. 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. Jan 27, 2010 i have mixed feelings on seeing wendy donigers book the hindus. Doniger wants this book to be used as a basic textbook on hinduism and india.
This is a serious attack on freedom of speech in india. Penguin india has agreed to recall and destroy all remaining copies of wendy donigers 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. 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. Infinity foundations swadeshi indology conference to be held.
No stranger to controversy, batra had earlier taken on indian. A publisher agreed to pulp a controversial book after rightwing hindus filed suit. Penguin to withdraw wendy donigers controversial book. Hindu king in islamic india oup, 2003 was banned, i was amazed at the reaction, and have reflected on the increasing tendency for certain hindus to feel the need to police. The book was criticized in india, and in february 2014 it was the subject of litigation in india for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the feelings of any religious community. Academic hinduphobia a critique of wendy donigers erotic. Penguin books india pulls controversial book on hinduism. 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.
This is the original version of the article that caused microsoft to replace encartas article on hinduism. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in indiawith a tweak. The world of wendy donigers translations indiafactsindiafacts.
One of the biggest drawbacks of wendy donigers controversial book, the hindus is its reliance on tertiary, not even secondary, sources. Whats in us academic wendy donigers latest book on hinduism that has so upset her critics. No hindus will believe the concepts given in a book about hinduism written by a nonhindu. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. Controversy over books on hinduism by religion scholar wendy doniger continues to grow. Feb 01, 2014 a lot of controversy is going on about pulping a book the hindus. 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. I have been thinking of the question, and i think that pk actually proved hindu god exists or for that matter god exist lets see, the logical atheist way would have been to take service of sherlock holmes or byomkesh. Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. The real reason wendy doniger s book on hindus was banned in india. Rajiv malhotra shares foreword of his book academic hinduphobic. Penguin india settles a civil suit with dinanath batra over wendy donigers controversial book on hinduism. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations.
Why did the movie pk attack core ideologies of hinduism only. 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. 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. An alternative history, which is subject to a legal challenge by hindu campaign group. Outcry as penguin india pulps alternative history of. Historian audrey truschke on the backlash to her aurangzeb book the mughal emperor is controversial not. I hope this subreddit allows me to ask this question, as it also affects me as an indian. 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. Science, culture and integral yoga much ado about ganesha. 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. Jul 03, 2010 wendy donigers hoax exposed by a vedic scholar. An alternative history by wendy doniger, a professor at university of chicago. Penguin withdraws controversial hinduism book huffpost. 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.
Hindu civilization dialogue wendy doniger and alternative. Of course, anyone with a computer can get the kindle edition of the hindus from penguin, ny, and it s probably cheaper, too. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in the u. An alternative history, which was published in 2009.
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. 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. These errors and misrepresentations are bound and perhaps intended to mislead students of indian and hindu history. Wendy donigers the hindus is courageous, controversial and a capstone to a brilliant career updated jan 12, 2019. When westerners make fun of our gods, theyre instigating. He speaks about the depth of religion and spirituality and its profound effect on people. Jul 01, 2015 hinduisms growing chasm with liberal values. Anyone who cares about free speech in the worlds largest democracy should worry. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on hinduism. Wendy doniger s enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. In 1995, the book won the american academy of religion award.
Turning believers into nonbelievers and nonbelievers into believers by swami achuthananda is a spiritual venture. For those who will not be able to attend the conference and. Penguin to axe wendy donigers controversial book the hindus. Wendy donigers the hindus is courageous, controversial.
Infinity foundation is organising swadeshi indology conference part 3 in iit madras, chennai, tamil nadu from 22 dec 24 dec 2017. 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. Indian publishers nervous about taking books that might. Wendy donigers enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a. Wendy doniger, target of hindutva ire, is a scholars scholar. Right or wrong, wendy donigers the hindus should be. Vigilant hindu groups have stopped penguin from publishing a derogatory book insulting and offending hindus. Some were too embarrassed to face them while many others found it too controversial to go public with their feelings. Wendys hinduphobia withdrawal of book and antihindu. 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. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman. 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.
It is whether we can afford not to have it, says the writer of penguins controversial decision to withdraw wendy donigers book. Wendy doniger, a professor of history of religion at university of chicago, is a prizewinning author of book, the hindus. Rajiv malhotra shares foreword of his book academic hinduphobic doniger struck a new alliance to help her make a dramatic comeback. Wendy donigers book is a tribute to hinduisms complexity, not an. 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. A controversial book on hinduism is back in print in india. This debate pits traditionalist hindus against american indologists around the work and personality of prof.
An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy. Sparked off by sunthar visuvalingams followup observations, in the light of george w. Penguin india agrees to withdraw controversial book on. 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. Feb, 2014 wendy doniger, target of hindutva ire, is a scholars scholar. An alternative history that she wrote a few years ago, was banned for its controversial content, raising a debate over the. 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. I had written this for facebook, reproducing it here. Hinduism is not a religion of the book where you can learn everything by reading a text. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in india.
Rajiv malhotras interview on the issue of wendy donigers. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. Yes, penguin has withdrawn the book, because a small group of hindus found that it violated their view of hinduism. The book became controversial and kripal himself became deeply involved in discussing the book with hindu critics and western scholars. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned in. In response to what i felt was a onesided portrayal of the events, i compiled a new book, titled, invading the sacred. The scholarship of certain sections of the academic.
And leave off referring to professor doniger as wendy. 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. Wendy is known for her controversial position about hinduism. 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. All hindus seek is a neutral platform and debate and dialogu. 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. The publisher has agreed to destroy all copies as part of a settlement. 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. An alternative history, by university of chicago divinity school professor wendy doniger, was published in. In 2009, sanskrit scholar wendy doniger published an alternative history of hinduism, drawing upon perspectives of women, animals, outcasts and dalits to contradict the sanitised, patriarchal views of hinduism. An alternative history, by the usbased academic wendy doniger, as. Hindu king in islamic india outlook india magazine. Wendy doniger after her book was banned in india and a criminal case filed against her, the.
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