TOUCH- ME- NOTS OF INTOLERANT INDIA
Some iconic figures have become holier than their historical worth
On May 13, Parliament was rocked by a row over a ‘ derogatory’ cartoon of B. R. Ambedkar in NCERT’s Class XI political science textbook. In 1949, when the cartoon by Shankar featuring Ambedkar astride a snail and Jawaharlal Nehru holding a whip was first published, it evoked no protest from either of them. Now politicians cutting across the spectrum want no cartoons in textbooks. In April in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, a Jadavpur University professor, Ambika Mahapatra, was arrested for circulating an ‘ anti- Mamata’ cartoon on the Net. Delhi University has scrapped A. K. Ramanujan’s essay on the Ramayana from its history syllabus and American historian Peter Heehs was nearly deported for his critical study of Aurobindo. Academic scrutiny of certain historical icons is increasingly becoming blasphemy. That is why in Gujarat, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is only an object of veneration but not examination; in Tamil Nadu, any unpleasant questions about the poet Subramanya Bharathi won’t be tolerated by Dravidian groups; in Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shivaji brooks no criticism; and in West Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose are too idolised to be criticised. The list goes on. In intolerant India, certain iconic figures from the past have become holier than their historical worth— and questions are taboo.
RAJASTHAN
Maharana Pratap and Jodhabai are not to be trifled with. Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2008 movie Jodhaa Akbar wasn’t released in the state after a group of Rajputs protested against ‘ inaccuracies’ in the film.
GUJARAT
It was just a rumour about the portrayal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by
Jaswant Singh in his book Jinnah— India, Partition, Independence that prompted Chief Minister Narendra Modi to ban the book in Gujarat and accelerated the process of Singh’s expulsion from BJP in 2009. Even the Congress supported the ban. The Sardar’s aura is so overwhelming that not only the Patels but even Dalits idolise him.
MAHARASHTRA
Chhatrapati Shivaji is too venerable to be academically scrutinised. US scholar James Laine’s 2003 book on the Maratha warrior, Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, led to a riot- like situation in the state. The book was banned by the state government. The state is now considering a law which prohibits any material showing Shivaji and his mother Jijabai in poor light. In 2007, a plan to construct toilets in front of the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai was scrapped because of a Shivaji statue in the vicinity.
KARNATAKA
The Lingayats tolerate no critical reference to the 12th century poetphilosopher and reformer Basaveshwara, also known as Basavanna. Aserial and three books have been banned in Karnataka since 1991 for their “derogatory’’ references to Basavanna and his family.
UTTAR PRADESH
B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution and a Dalit icon, is revered by Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. Any reference to him perceived as derogatory is met with instant protests, as in Parliament early in May over a cartoon in the NCERT Class XI political science textbook.
ANDHRAPRADESH
Adverse references to Potti Sriramulu, whose death in Madras in December 1952 after a long fast for a Telugu speaking state led to the formation of Andhra Pradesh, are not tolerated in the state. A mix of admiration for his cinematic roles and his politics of “Telugu pride” has also led to the deification of N. T. Rama Rao.
TAMIL NADU
The Wikipedia entry of early 20th century poet Subramanya Bharathi, who spoke against casteism and espoused women’s emancipation, was edited in 2008 and critical references taken out. E. V. Ramaswami Naicker and C. N. Annadurai are also beyond criticism. In nearby Puducherry, members of the Aurobindo ashram took offence to American historian Peter Heehs’s book The Lives of Sri Aurobindo.
ASSAM
Lachit Borphukan, the 17th century Ahom general who defeated Aurangzeb’s army, is revered by the Assamese. Medieval- era Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardev and Britishera cultural icons Bishnu Prasad Rabha as well as Jyoti Prasad Agarwala are other figures above scrutiny.
WESTBENGAL
The genius Rabindranath Tagore is unquestioned, but is he beyond criticism? For some Bengalis, yes. When Hillary Clinton presented a kantha mat to Mamata Banerjee on May 5, there was instant controversy over a few spelling mistakes in the inscribed Tagore song. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is another icon not to be messed with. The latest touch- me- not is Mamata herself. She has targeted cartoonists, and complained to Washington Post that Marxists and Maoists were plotting to kill her in league with the ISI, North Korea, Venezuela and Hungary.