A month after getting Penguin India to withdraw Wendy Doniger’s book, The Hindus, the Hindu extremist Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti has turned its ire on another of the American Indologist’s works.
On Saturday, the Samiti served a legal notice to the Aleph Book Company, which published Doniger’s On Hinduism, asking it to withdraw all copies of the book. “If the book is not withdrawn within a week, we will sue Aleph in court,” said Dinanath Batra, convener of the Samiti, a right-wing organisation that works in the field of education and is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Samiti’s objections to the book are almost the same as its grouse with The Hindus: it accuses Doniger of demeaning the Hindu religion by depicting its gods and goddesses in a sexualised manner.
“Her book claims that when Sita was abducted, Ram ji’s tears were fake, while Laxman truly cried because he loved her,” said Batra, citing one of at least 30 “objectionable portions” of the book that his organisation has listed in its notice to Aleph.
Other instances from the book that the Samiti has targeted include Doniger’s suggestion that Karna was born after Kunti was raped and that Lord Shiva told Draupadi she would turn a virgin every month after her menses so she could be with each of her five husbands in turn.
“Doniger also mentions that the RSS was responsible for killing Gandhi, and that Hindus believe there will be a Ram Raj when Muslims and Christians will be sent out of the country,” said Batra.
David Davidar, the head of Aleph, and Wendy Doniger, the author, declined to comment on the issue.
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On Saturday, the Samiti served a legal notice to the Aleph Book Company, which published Doniger’s On Hinduism, asking it to withdraw all copies of the book. “If the book is not withdrawn within a week, we will sue Aleph in court,” said Dinanath Batra, convener of the Samiti, a right-wing organisation that works in the field of education and is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Samiti’s objections to the book are almost the same as its grouse with The Hindus: it accuses Doniger of demeaning the Hindu religion by depicting its gods and goddesses in a sexualised manner.
“Her book claims that when Sita was abducted, Ram ji’s tears were fake, while Laxman truly cried because he loved her,” said Batra, citing one of at least 30 “objectionable portions” of the book that his organisation has listed in its notice to Aleph.
Other instances from the book that the Samiti has targeted include Doniger’s suggestion that Karna was born after Kunti was raped and that Lord Shiva told Draupadi she would turn a virgin every month after her menses so she could be with each of her five husbands in turn.
“Doniger also mentions that the RSS was responsible for killing Gandhi, and that Hindus believe there will be a Ram Raj when Muslims and Christians will be sent out of the country,” said Batra.
David Davidar, the head of Aleph, and Wendy Doniger, the author, declined to comment on the issue.
