Writer Wendy Dongier's book The Hindus: an Alternative History – which has attracted criticism from several quarters – has run into problem with petitioners asking for its withdrawal. The Pioneer has this article according to which:
"An online campaign has been launched to demand the withdrawal of Wendy Doniger's book, 'Hindus: An Alternative History' on the grounds that the book was "rife with numerous errors… perhaps intended to mislead students of Indian and Hindu history".
This does sound like an appalling book but at the same time there are tons of appalling books out there that talk a load of rubbish about a lot of subjects. We can't get them all withdrawn.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that most books of Indian history are full of inaccuracies and agendas. We have to get rid of it all and start again with a sincere quest for knowledge and all the scientific methods at our disposal.
Jai
hinduism and indian history has been re-written so many times that no accurate records remain. indian history is terrible when it comes to events and names of people involved. which ever govt is in control, the indian history gets a makeover. we do not have an accurate data of events which led to partition and the birth of this nation. and this is merely 62 year old history. i have not come across any two persons who agree on the origins and practice of hinduism. until dan brown, no one questioned the true nature of christianity's origin. any religion which does not encourage debate about its nature and practise, will never succeed as a major religion. if even hindus do not understand their own faith and do not have the freedom to question its principles, how can an "outsider" be allowed to comment on it? where is the freedom of speech that we demand of others? is the faith so brittle that it will crumble when faced with a single doubt? i remember asking my mother about hindu mythology and was told about the numerous gods. every question about myths was answered with a mention of some deity or the other. i have now understood that for hindus , no line of demarcation exists between religion and mythology, they are so intricately entwined that where one ends, the other begins. and hindu history? how separate is it from indian history? i admire anyone who has the patience to go through the billions of misleading facts and myths and arrive at some conclusion and then have the courage to put it in a book form. we can keep the hindus in a confused state, wrapped up in a blinding blanket of ignorance, but the rest of the world knows the truth and will force them to confront it too. go, wendy, go!
ReplyDelete