Eminent historian Romila Thapar has said the media should investigate claims made by sections of society that their religious sentiments had been hurt to justify their demand for banning books.
When some organisations claim that the religious sentiment of an entire community had been hurt by a book, “the media's first reaction should be to investigate the claim. Which organisation is making the claim, which fraction of the community has been hurt, and more than that, are there factions within the organisation that are using the book as ammunition to attack other factions?,” Prof. Thapar, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said in a lecture at the 12 convocation of the Asian College of Journalism on Thursday, which was observed as World Press Freedom Day.
The recorded version of her Lawrence Dana Pinkham Memorial Lecture for 2012 was played for the audience. Speaking on ‘Reporting History – Early India,' she explained why reporting on historical subjects is an intellectual challenge, if its intention is to project the kind of knowledge that historians are exploring.
“Though we proclaim to be a democratic culture that nurtures freedom of expression, we do not stop to think before we rush to ban books,” she said. And she went on: “Curiously, the core reason for banning a book usually has to do with something historical. What is the historicity of Satanic Verses in Salman Rushdie's book? Was James Laine correct in questioning Shivaji's origins however indirectly, or Joseph Lelvyveld in speaking of Gandhi's friendship with a gay friend? Should Ramanujam have discussed the many versions of the Ramayanas? Should Peter Heehs be prohibited from staying in India because he has written what some think is a critical book on Aurobindo?”
Prof. Thapar said the politics behind the demand for banning a book should be identified, as such demands were motivated by groups competing for authority, however localised it might be. “We have not questioned the statement of colonial writing that Indian identities are religious identities, so we also do not question the right of any religious organisation to claim that it is speaking on behalf of an entire religious community,” the historian said.
She was of the view that instead of continuing to see ourselves primarily in terms of religious and caste groups fighting for community rights, “should we not be demanding, with much greater emphasis, a society that gives priority to social justice as a right in itself?” And rethinking one's identity, she said, should be through a thoughtful, questioning and evaluating process involving sensitivity to both the past and the present.
A total of 144 students received their diplomas from N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , and director, Kasturi and Sons. Nalini Rajan, Dean of Studies, Asian College of Journalism, welcomed the gathering.
The introductory remarks were given by Sashi Kumar, Chairman, Media Development Foundation.
