Above the fold: Top stories of the day
1. At least 717 people have been killed in a stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
2. The Gujarat government announced a special economic package in a move to appease protesting Patels.
3. The Bharatiya Janata Party has rejected the Muzaffarnagar riots report as "politically motivated".
4. Gujarat’s draconian anti-terror bill has now been cleared by the Centre.
The Big Story: From outlaw to sheriff
Dinanath Batra hit the big time when, in 2010, he sent a notice to American academic Wendy Doniger. Accusing her of “being a woman hungry for sex”, he demanded a withdrawal of her research work, The Hindus. The ridiculous threat worked, and publisher Penguin, fearing for the safety of its employees, decided not only to withdraw the book but also to pulp all its copies.
Batra had earlier forced Delhi University to remove AK Ramanujan's essay, Three Hundred Ramayanas from the syllabus. He has done this under the auspices of an organisation associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Batra’s dystopic crusade against books has led to him being feted within the Sangh Parivar. The Indian Express on Friday reported that six textbooks authored by Batra will now be offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana for classes VII to XII.
The government textbooks will start with the Hindu religious hymn, the Saraswati Vandana, and will have sections on “Indian values” and “nationalism”.
Batra’s textbooks are already a mandatory part of the curriculum in Gujarat and, among other things, inform students that the blowing out of candles on their birthdays is not a good practice since it’s part of western culture. The books also speaks of the ahistorical concept of Akhand Bharat with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Bhtan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar all being a part of it.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day’s biggest story
Aarefa Johri probes Dinanath’s motivations for wanting to destroy books. Dinananth Batra is now also a part of a Rashtriya Swamayamsevak Sangh’s consultative body to ensure that the Narendra Modi government moves ahead with the saffronisation of the country’s education system.
Politicking & Policying
1. Prime Minister Modi dines with Fortune 500 CEOs in New York.
2. Sanjay Dutt remission plea has been rejected by the Maharashtra Governor.
3. Madrasas in Bengal plan a stir against the government for not giving them financial assistance.
4. The Bharatiya Janata Party has given a large number of tickets to party hoppers in Bihar.
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, Alyssa Ayres writes that Modi’s US agenda creates a simultaneous domestic economic reform agenda.
2. In the Business Standard, Bhupesh Bhandari writes about India’s broadband take-off.
3. Gopalkrishna Gandhi explains in the Hindustan Times that this is a history-making election for Bihar.
4. Why does the Hajj see so many distasters? Zack Beuchamp explains in Vox.
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1. At least 717 people have been killed in a stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
2. The Gujarat government announced a special economic package in a move to appease protesting Patels.
3. The Bharatiya Janata Party has rejected the Muzaffarnagar riots report as "politically motivated".
4. Gujarat’s draconian anti-terror bill has now been cleared by the Centre.
The Big Story: From outlaw to sheriff
Dinanath Batra hit the big time when, in 2010, he sent a notice to American academic Wendy Doniger. Accusing her of “being a woman hungry for sex”, he demanded a withdrawal of her research work, The Hindus. The ridiculous threat worked, and publisher Penguin, fearing for the safety of its employees, decided not only to withdraw the book but also to pulp all its copies.
Batra had earlier forced Delhi University to remove AK Ramanujan's essay, Three Hundred Ramayanas from the syllabus. He has done this under the auspices of an organisation associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Batra’s dystopic crusade against books has led to him being feted within the Sangh Parivar. The Indian Express on Friday reported that six textbooks authored by Batra will now be offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana for classes VII to XII.
The government textbooks will start with the Hindu religious hymn, the Saraswati Vandana, and will have sections on “Indian values” and “nationalism”.
Batra’s textbooks are already a mandatory part of the curriculum in Gujarat and, among other things, inform students that the blowing out of candles on their birthdays is not a good practice since it’s part of western culture. The books also speaks of the ahistorical concept of Akhand Bharat with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Bhtan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar all being a part of it.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day’s biggest story
Aarefa Johri probes Dinanath’s motivations for wanting to destroy books. Dinananth Batra is now also a part of a Rashtriya Swamayamsevak Sangh’s consultative body to ensure that the Narendra Modi government moves ahead with the saffronisation of the country’s education system.
Politicking & Policying
1. Prime Minister Modi dines with Fortune 500 CEOs in New York.
2. Sanjay Dutt remission plea has been rejected by the Maharashtra Governor.
3. Madrasas in Bengal plan a stir against the government for not giving them financial assistance.
4. The Bharatiya Janata Party has given a large number of tickets to party hoppers in Bihar.
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, Alyssa Ayres writes that Modi’s US agenda creates a simultaneous domestic economic reform agenda.
2. In the Business Standard, Bhupesh Bhandari writes about India’s broadband take-off.
3. Gopalkrishna Gandhi explains in the Hindustan Times that this is a history-making election for Bihar.
4. Why does the Hajj see so many distasters? Zack Beuchamp explains in Vox.