The unfinished work on Wendy Doniger

The unfinished work on Wendy Doniger

Wendy Doniger's 2009 book, "The Hindus: An Alternative History" for the last four years was involved in a legal battle, with Hindus for the  "defamatory, insulting and objectionable" reference to Gandhi and the Hindu gods a violation. In a recent court order, the publishers of the book Penguin India have been asked to destroy all copies of the book.

While Doniger has expressed hope that while the courts may 'pulp' the copies, the internet will keep the book in circulation. Yes she is write, that the internet will keep the book alive; but it will also remind everyone, what happened to the book. Even without internet, Ramayana is alive till date and everyone knows what happened to Suparnakha.

Ramayana doesn't ends with Suparnakha, but begins. And, similarly the pulping of book should not be considered an end but the beginning of fight against evil.

Wendy Doniger, was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award for 'The Hindus: An Alternative History'. Looking at the Ramnath Goenka's leaning and interest one can easily conclude that he would have never approved of the award to Wendy Doniger. The person to be blamed for this should be non other than Sekhar Gupta, editor-in-chief of The Indian Express.

This is not the only anti Hindu activity of Sekhar Gupta. He has been on it. Just to site an example:  Editors like Shkehar Gupta play a advisory role particularly in the subjects of Pakistan and Kashmir writes J N Dixit in his book "Makers of India’s Foreign Policy". What does Shekhar Gupta writes : Get out, leave Af to Pak, Indian Express, 19 November 2011. The news says 'What kind of strategic importance does Afghanistan have for us now? Yes, we need transit to Central Asia. But to reach Afghanistan, we have to first persuade the Pakistanis to grant us transit. The more we jostle with them for influence in Afghanistan, the lesser the chances of their being so nice to us. ...' . In reality India Share 80 KM boundry with Afganistan; yes, it is currently occupied by Pakistan. But it has not given up its right over it. But the advisor to government of India has given it to Pakistan.

So the unfinished work are:

1. Asking Indian Express to withdraw the Ramnath Goenka Award given to Wendy Doniger.

2. Asking Indian Express to remove Sekhar Gupta from Indian Express.

The above two actions will not salvage the Ramnath Goenka Award from the depth it has gone to. To get the award it's glory back, it needs to be accepted by an eminent author.

I could think of Shri Rajiv Malhotra to be that author. Not because he first exposed Wendy with his work and coined the term “Wendy’s Child Syndrome” but for his seminal work on Hinduism. (It might be humongous task to persuade Shri Rajiv Malhotra to accept the award.)

The greatness of Ramayana and Mahabharat is the ability to Rama and Krishna to finish the task, take it to its logical end. When Kings like Prithviraj Chouhan forgot this, it's not only they who paid the price through their life but the price was also paid by India as well as Hindus and is being paid till now.

Hope and pray, we Hindus learn to take the task to its logical end.