BeautifulGame Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 A critically acclaimed Indian novelist has announced his death as a creative artist following threats and protests by rightwing Hindu and caste groups prompted by his book about a woman’s efforts to get pregnant with a stranger through a religious ritual. Perumal Murugan, whose sensitive portrayals of rural life in a little-known corner of India have won plaudits from literary commentators, announced on Facebook this week*that he planned to stop writing*and ask his publishers to withdraw all seven of his works of fiction from sale. “Writer Perumal Murugan is dead … He will continue to live as a teacher,” he wrote. The author’s decision follows an 18-day campaign of protests in Tamil Nadu about his novel Madhorubagan (One Part Woman), first published in 2010 and in English in 2013. The campaign forced him to seek police protection for his family. “It is a very, very sad story,” said AR Venkatachalapathy, a local historian and friend of the author. “He is a gentle soul who deeply loves his land and his people. He has succumbed to the pressure from a whole range of vested interests. The only way he could continue to write is to leave this place. But that he cannot do.” Murugan is the latest in a series of creative artists to be targeted by activists in*India, raising questions about freedom of expression in the world’s largest democracy. In February last year, conservatives forced the removal from sale of a book on Hinduism by the US academic Wendy Doniger, claiming it was insulting to the faith. An editorial in the Times of India newspaper at the time condemned “the growing power of bullying self-appointed censors” displaying “a Victorian hangover with a Taliban temperament”. Hindu nationalist groups also demanded the withdrawal from cinemas of a remake of Hamlet that they said was unpatriotic. That campaign wasunsuccessful*however. One Part Woman tells the story of a happy but childless couple in Thiruchengode, the author’s home town, and the woman’s plan to become pregnant through consensual sex with a stranger as part of a carnivalesque traditional ritual at a local temple. It explores the tensions between the husband and wife and is set more than a century ago. Officials from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and the hardline Hindu*Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh*(RSS) alleged in a petition that the book denigrated a major Hindu deity and female devotees who had taken part in the festival described in the work. Shops in Thiruchengode shut for a day this week in support of the call for the book’s withdrawal. Murugan’s publisher, Kannan Sundaram, said he was legally free to continue to sell the book, but would stop doing so out of respect for the author’s wishes. As for reprints in the future, that would depend on Murugan’s decision, he said. “I will stand by him and I am prepared to take all legal consequences, but he has been deeply hurt and humiliated. He has said he wants all his books to go out of print. I have been his publisher for 20 years and he is my friend, so I respect that, but we will see what he decides.”*Kongu Vellalar caste community, which has significant electoral weight locally. There is a long history of clashes over culture in India. The sale of Salman Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses remains proscribed in India and its author was unable to appear at the Jaipur literary festival in 2012 after Muslim organisations protested. Politicians have repeatedly sought to ban or restrict the sale or production of specific books. In 2010, MPs loyal to Sonia Gandhi threatened legal action to stop the sale of a “fictionalised biography” of the Congress party leader, and last year the government of Tamil Nadu blocked the release of a film after complaints that it portrayed the Tamil Tigers, the violent Sri Lankan separatist group, as terrorists. In 2011, the state of Gujarat banned Joseph Lelyveld’s biography of Gandhi after reviewers complained the book suggested Gandhi had a homosexual relationship. In a recent interview, Murugan said he had ideas for at least 10 more novels. “The last four to five years have been very important for my writing career. It was a period when the urge to write took over me. I have so much to write about,”*he said. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/15/indian-author-perumal-murugan-hindu-protests Slowly these hindutva outifts are making Hinduism as intolerant as Islam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precambrian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Seriously? Can give criticism but can't take? Better that he stopped writing. Obviously people didn't like what he wrote so they burnt his books. And people lobbied for a ban. If he had guts he'd continue to defend and practise his profession. This is a democratic country and freedom of expression applies to freedom of expressing disagreement as well. It seems liberals' idea of freedom of expression is just give and not take. Put simply, the writer chickened out. We see effigy burnings of hundreds of politicians every day. If them all quit alleging this would the effigy burners be booked? Ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precambrian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The situation is comparable to say Stuart Broad quitting cricket alleging boos by Australian spectators last time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adi B Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 What a stupid statement to say op!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detonator Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 lol, the media morons and some libtards hopping on the freedom of speech bandwagon without even knowing the content of the book. The biggest problem is that he claims the book is not completely a work of fiction. Only the story is a fiction, and the rest of the facts are written to expose the community. He claimed as the story happens in an actual town and the characters are the ancestors of an actual community. The author even claims he had done some research, and states that this book as an evidence. Let's see what are the things that he claimed to have happened for real centuries ago. The story happened before 2 centuries where it's acceptable that married women of the dominant community can have sex with numerous men. And a lot of women does that. Basically he claims all women belong to that community are *****s. The reason for this practice is many of the men of the upper caste are impotent so their wives slept with other men (so called dalits) for conceiving a child. The men who gave the child is God for them. Hence a child which was this way will be given a name that means "God's Child". (Swami-Nathan for e.g.) So literally all swami nathans are SOBs. He also claims that it incest is very common among these communities. Like the father in law can have sex with daughter in laws, brother in laws can impregnate sister in laws. So according to him all men of the communities who are born in those times were either bastards, or impotents or rapists who rape their daughters, and women are lustful nymphos or *****s. And the dalits are sperm donors and their Gods. It's not the "Hindutva" elements who banned this book lol. And the author chickened out because he wrote such a monstrosity that he quit writing. It's shouldn't be banned, it should be sold in porn book stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khalpat Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Wait a minute! he writes a novel, their are certain controversial things against a particular community that particular community protests against the book without damaging any public property and in a non violent way. The writer quits writing and it is somehow blamed to the Hindu outfits. Am I missing something as the examples use in the OP are following: There is a long history of clashes over culture in India. The sale of Salman Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses remains proscribed in India and its author was unable to appear at the Jaipur literary festival in 2012 after Muslim organisations protested. Politicians have repeatedly sought to ban or restrict the sale or production of specific books. In 2010, MPs loyal to Sonia Gandhi threatened legal action to stop the sale of a “fictionalised biography” of the Congress party leader, and last year the government of Tamil Nadu blocked the release of a film after complaints that it portrayed the Tamil Tigers, the violent Sri Lankan separatist group, as terrorists. In 2011, the state of Gujarat banned Joseph Lelyveld’s biography of Gandhi after reviewers complained the book suggested Gandhi had a homosexual relationship. Are the Hindu outfits responsible for the above censorship or is it now been advised that Hindu outfits cannot protest against anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 lol, the media morons and some libtards hopping on the freedom of speech bandwagon without even knowing the content of the book. The biggest problem is that he claims the book is not completely a work of fiction. Only the story is a fiction, and the rest of the facts are written to expose the community. He claimed as the story happens in an actual town and the characters are the ancestors of an actual community. The author even claims he had done some research, and states that this book as an evidence. Let's see what are the things that he claimed to have happened for real centuries ago. The story happened before 2 centuries where it's acceptable that married women of the dominant community can have sex with numerous men. And a lot of women does that. Basically he claims all women belong to that community are *****s. The reason for this practice is many of the men of the upper caste are impotent so their wives slept with other men (so called dalits) for conceiving a child. The men who gave the child is God for them. Hence a child which was this way will be given a name that means "God's Child". (Swami-Nathan for e.g.) So literally all swami nathans are SOBs. He also claims that it incest is very common among these communities. Like the father in law can have sex with daughter in laws, brother in laws can impregnate sister in laws. So according to him all men of the communities who are born in those times were either bastards, or impotents or rapists who rape their daughters, and women are lustful nymphos or *****s. And the dalits are sperm donors and their Gods. It's not the "Hindutva" elements who banned this book lol. And the author chickened out because he wrote such a monstrosity that he quit writing. It's shouldn't be banned, it should be sold in porn book stores. Wow No wonder the writer stopped writing he may have got offers to move to porn industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moniker Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Seriously? Can give criticism but can't take? Better that he stopped writing. Obviously people didn't like what he wrote so they burnt his books. And people lobbied for a ban. If he had guts he'd continue to defend and practise his profession. This is a democratic country and freedom of expression applies to freedom of expressing disagreement as well. It seems liberals' idea of freedom of expression is just give and not take. Put simply, the writer chickened out. We see effigy burnings of hundreds of politicians every day. If them all quit alleging this would the effigy burners be booked? Ridiculous. Wait a minute! he writes a novel, their are certain controversial things against a particular community that particular community protests against the book without damaging any public property and in a non violent way. The writer quits writing and it is somehow blamed to the Hindu outfits. Am I missing something as the examples use in the OP are following: Are the Hindu outfits responsible for the above censorship or is it now been advised that Hindu outfits cannot protest against anything? I'm all for the right to protest peacefully, but the article does say that the author was threatened and that he sought protection from police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diga Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 http://swarajyamag.com/culture/leftist-media-slanders-rss-bjp-to-uphold-freedom-of-libel/ some facts: - he was paid Rs 3,28,500 over two years for research towards the writing of a novelised history of Tiruchengode, - ngo which funded his research was India Foundation for the Arts (IFA). - after it was translated to English , this novel has turned into a document of the existence of ‘traditional free consensual sex rituals’ in Tiruchengode! - The claim of the residents of the temple town that even a nonagenarian community leader has never heard of such a tradition in the area would never reach the ivory towers of such academic institutions. When such an asymmetry in the power of narrative exists in our academic institutions — both within India and abroad — it becomes important for a healthy democracy and a vibrant academic discourse that the community targeted is given a chance to challenge the narrative through absolutely legal and democratic means. And in such a situation, the writer should and does have a moral right to prove the factual nature of what he had written. If the writer can come up with proper documentary and properly recorded oral traditions, the community should look inwards and make an unqualified apology to the writer. Freedom of expression is sacrosanct in any civil society and more so in Indian society, which has traditionally nurtured diversity and has considered loving irreverence and even blasphemy as a rightful form of adoration of the divine. On the other hand, if the writer cannot substantiate what he had written, he must tender an unqualified apology, not for hurting anyone’s sentiments, but for libel against the people living in the town. After all, the grant says clearly that he is not writing a historical novel, but novelising history, and that “in the course of writing a historical account of Tiruchengode, the author will document references to the town in literature, folklore and mythology, analyse the town’s design and study its ritual and religious life.†Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precambrian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm all for the right to protest peacefully' date=' but the article does say that the author was threatened and that he sought protection from police.[/quote'] Did the state agree to give him protection? If yes, why then he needs to stop writing? He has the state's support and what more does he need? If no, and that's the reason he stopped writing out of fear to his own life, isn't the state more culpable? As it failed to protect its citizens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sachin=GOD Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Last month, unexpectedly, local groups led protests about the book - they said the "fictitious" extramarital sex ritual at the centre of the plot insulted the town, its temple and its women. Copies of the novel were burnt, residents shut down shops, and a petition sought the arrest of the author http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-30785930 Meanwhile, it is the students of Perumal Murugan, a Tamil professor at the Government Arts College, Namakkal, who are providing round-the-clock security to his family residing in Kongu Nagar for the past one month. Perumal Murugan’s wife is also a writer and works in the same Tamil Department. “The family has been receiving threat calls. Therefore, we are with them,” says a former student. “He taught us to overcome fear in life. We thought it is our duty to be with him in this difficult time,” he said. Though the writer sought protection and submitted petition to Superintendent of Police, no security cover has been provided and hence a group of former students took up the task, he adds. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/hounded-by-caste-outfits/article6787062.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diga Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Please note that he was asked to write a novelised history of temple town.. not a work of fiction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sachin=GOD Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Did the state agree to give him protection? If yes, why then he needs to stop writing? He has the state's support and what more does he need? If no, and that's the reason he stopped writing out of fear to his own life, isn't the state more culpable? As it failed to protect its citizens? No, they didn't provide him protection. Yeah, sure....the fault lies with the author for writing the book and for the state for not protecting him but not with those who burnt copies bcoz they didnt like what he wrote or those who threatened his life for the same reason!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulGame Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 lol, the media morons and some libtards hopping on the freedom of speech bandwagon without even knowing the content of the book. The biggest problem is that he claims the book is not completely a work of fiction. Only the story is a fiction, and the rest of the facts are written to expose the community. He claimed as the story happens in an actual town and the characters are the ancestors of an actual community. The author even claims he had done some research, and states that this book as an evidence. Let's see what are the things that he claimed to have happened for real centuries ago. The story happened before 2 centuries where it's acceptable that married women of the dominant community can have sex with numerous men. And a lot of women does that. Basically he claims all women belong to that community are *****s. The reason for this practice is many of the men of the upper caste are impotent so their wives slept with other men (so called dalits) for conceiving a child. The men who gave the child is God for them. Hence a child which was this way will be given a name that means "God's Child". (Swami-Nathan for e.g.) So literally all swami nathans are SOBs. He also claims that it incest is very common among these communities. Like the father in law can have sex with daughter in laws, brother in laws can impregnate sister in laws. So according to him all men of the communities who are born in those times were either bastards, or impotents or rapists who rape their daughters, and women are lustful nymphos or *****s. And the dalits are sperm donors and their Gods. It's not the "Hindutva" elements who banned this book lol. And the author chickened out because he wrote such a monstrosity that he quit writing. It's shouldn't be banned, it should be sold in porn book stores. Yeah I read that boo years ago and found most of that stuff ridiculous and offensive .Particularly so as I belong to the KVG community described in the book. Regardless of all that content how does it justify threatening to kill him and his family as response ? Why have they suddenly woken after all these years if there were offended by the book released after four 4 years. Yes it is mainly offensive about the KVG caste but almost all these protests are carried out by local hindutva communities along with KVP party. P.S Have u heard the Annamar story (Sankar -Ponnar) and how degrading it is about Vettuva Gounder community ?Whom we consider God. Should they threaten to kill every one in our community who prays to him.or writes book about him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sachin=GOD Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Seriously? Can give criticism but can't take? Better that he stopped writing. Obviously people didn't like what he wrote so they burnt his books. And people lobbied for a ban. If he had guts he'd continue to defend and practise his profession. This is a democratic country and freedom of expression applies to freedom of expressing disagreement as well. It seems liberals' idea of freedom of expression is just give and not take. Put simply, the writer chickened out. We see effigy burnings of hundreds of politicians every day. If them all quit alleging this would the effigy burners be booked? Ridiculous. Nice!!!! You might not have noticed it with the blinders on, but his and his family's life was threatened - somehow "guts" take a backseat in such situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulGame Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Wait a minute! he writes a novel, their are certain controversial things against a particular community that particular community protests against the book without damaging any public property and in a non violent way. The writer quits writing and it is somehow blamed to the Hindu outfits. Am I missing something as the examples use in the OP are following: Are the Hindu outfits responsible for the above censorship or is it now been advised that Hindu outfits cannot protest against anything? The hindutva outfits are culpable becoz they r the ones (Like Hindu munnani etc) who gave him death threats and carrying out the protest along with pretty non existent party KVP And WTF are these outfits protesting after 4 years the book released ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishra Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 So, In the book, author claims that he has historical evidence that a whole community is SOB/Bas_ta_rds and their women acted like s_ex predators and were who_r_es. Well. No wonder he is giving up on writting. The publisher should sued as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diga Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 So, In the book, author claims that he has historical evidence that a whole community is SOB/Bas_ta_rds and their women acted like s_ex predators and were who_r_es. Well. No wonder he is giving up on writting. The publisher should sued as well he was given a grant to write a novelised history of the town Tiruchengode and he produces this work.. once it gets translated to english, protests start as the fictionalised novel becomes the actual history of the town http://swarajyamag.com/culture/leftist-media-slanders-rss-bjp-to-uphold-freedom-of-libel/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulGame Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 So, In the book, author claims that he has historical evidence that a whole community is SOB/Bas_ta_rds and their women acted like s_ex predators and were who_r_es. Well. No wonder he is giving up on writting. The publisher should sued as well What he claimed was there was practise in which women who couldn't be conceived by their husbands will approach men called Ardhanareeswarans (Son of god or half women ) and conceive child with them We have folk songs where people who don't have child will pray to Arthanareewarar (God Shiva with half of his body given to Parvathi ) and he will bless them with child . The author literally interpreted in as having sex with another man to conceive which is pathetic. I doubt u can successfully sue for literally interpreting folk songs in a different version . As for Men considering most of them forced and enjoyed the Devdasi system probably they deserve to be called bastards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precambrian Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 No, they didn't provide him protection. Yeah, sure....the fault lies with the author for writing the book and for the state for not protecting him but not with those who burnt copies bcoz they didnt like what he wrote or those who threatened his life for the same reason!!!!! Anyone can threaten him. Has there been one instance of attack aimed at causing physical injury at him so far? The state completely failed to protect a person who is claiming to be threatened by some pro hindutva guys but did they? You are talking like pre crime police in Minority Report and blaming people even before a crime has been conducted. The funniest thing is linking the acts of a few miscreants and generalizing them into "hindutva terror" and then somehow linking them to Modi sarkar. Totally forgetting the ground reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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