Religions have an uncanny knack for making people intellectually blind. The latest example for religious blindness is the withdrawal by its publishers (Penguin) of Wendy Doniger’s book, The Hindus: An Alternative History . Doniger quotes in a letter to the press : “An example at random, from the lawsuit in question: ‘That YOU NOTICEE has hurt the religious feelings of millions of Hindus by declaring that Ramayana is a fiction. “Placing the Ramayan in its historical contexts demonstrates that it is a work of fiction, created by human authors, who lived at various times……….” (P.662) This breaches section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). ‘ Doniger is an accomplished scholar on Hinduism. It is absurd that ignorant people are questioning her scholarship and trying to ban it from public access. Ramayana may not be the only bone of contention in this case. However, since Doniger has mentioned that explicitly in her letter, let me quote some relevant passages from
Cerebrate and Celebrate