Scholars slam move to stop reprint of Bipan Chandra’s book
‘NBT’s decision amounts to the assumption that communalism is official doctrine’
A host of scholars from India and abroad have
come out against the National Book Trust’s decision not to reprint the Hindi
version of Bipan Chandra’s book Communalism — A Primer. They have
demanded that the NBT continue publishing the book.
“Professor Bipan Chandra was not only one of
India’s foremost historians but also one of the most uncompromising defenders
of the secular and democratic cause in this country. As chairman of the NBT, he
breathed a new life into it,” a statement signed by the scholars said.
‘We
are shocked’
“We have been shocked to learn that the very
National Book Trust over which he had presided has revoked the reprint order
for the Hindi version of his book…”
The signatories include Irfan Habib, Romila
Thapar, D.N. Jha, Prabhat Patnaik, K.N. Panikkar, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Ravi
Ahuja, Mridula Mukherjee, Ania Loomba and Nivedita Menon.
“Such action by the NBT is a gross violation
of freedom of views and amounts, in effect, to the assumption that communalism
is now the official doctrine of the country and no criticism of it or its
practitioners can be permitted,” the statement said.
NBT sources, however, say the decision not to
reprint the book was part of a routine review exercise, and it did not stem
from any political agenda.
They say the NBT has decided not to reprint
several other books.
‘Revolutionary
terrorist’
Months ago, Delhi University stopped the sale
and publication of Bipan Chandra’s book India’s Struggle for Independence
after complaints that it called Bhagat Singh a “revolutionary terrorist”.
While co-authors Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya
Mukherjee offered to replace the term — which has acquired a pejorative meaning
in recent years — the decision to remove the book from the university’s
reference list stays.
Source | Business Line | 8 September
2016
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
Note | If anybody use these post for forwarding
in any social media coverage or covering in the Newsletter please give due
credit to those who are taking efforts for the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment