The SKUNK Rajiv Malhotra (allegedly a “scholar”) fights for the “truth” by blocking alternative views

A few years ago a friend wrote to me that Rajiv Malhotra is worth reading. I never got around to reading him, but after what I’ve discovered today will NEVER read this skunk.

He is allegedly a “scholar” but has no respect for the basics of academic discussion and debate. And NO RESPECT for freedom of speech.

Apparently he is the person who led to this online petition and court case that forced Penguin to withdraw the Doniger book.

I’m extracting from my discussion with Sandeep:

Sandeep:

Rajiv Malhotra is respected scholar, and he went by the law. They won a case in court,

My comments:

Sandeep

99 per cent of ALL religious literature is FALSE. Does it mean one has to stop its publication?

99 per cent of what Hitler wrote is FALSE. Does it mean his book, Mein Kampf should be prohibited from being sold?

etc.

NO SCHOLAR WILL EVER do what Malhotra has done. I’ve lost ALL respect for him now (since you tell me he went to court). Scholars are entitled to publish their rebuttals, not entitled to stop others from publishing their work.

This is SHAMEFUL AND DISTATESFUL.

I will NEVER read Malhotra in my life, given what you’ve told me about him. He is a LOWLY SKUNK who has no concept of academic debate.

And I’m not justifying Wendy’s book. I don’t need to. Let those who know debate such things. But only SKUNKS can think of shutting other people’s mouth.

I’m sure Wendy will become 100000 TIMES MORE POPULAR now.

And Rajiv Malhotra will rot in his “HINDU” Hell.

These Hindutva fanatics DON’T UNDERSTAND THE BASICS OF HINDUISM.

Wendy has pinpointed the key flaw: the INDIAN LAWS which allow such matters to be even considered by the courts. Section 295A of the IPC is unconstitutional and must go.

Wendy Doniger’s statement:

I was thrilled and moved by the great number of messages of support that I received, not merely from friends and colleagues but from people in India that I have never met, who had read and loved The Hindus, and by news and media people, all of whom expressed their outrage and sadness and their wish to help me in any way they could. I was, of course, angry and disappointed to see this happen, and I am deeply troubled by what it foretells for free speech in India in the present, and steadily worsening, political climate. And as a publisher’s daughter, I particularly wince at the knowledge that the existing books (unless they are bought out quickly by people intrigued by all the brouhaha) will be pulped. But I do not blame Penguin Books, India. Other publishers have just quietly withdrawn other books without making the effort that Penguin made to save this book. Penguin, India, took this book on knowing that it would stir anger in the Hindutva ranks, and they defended it in the courts for four years, both as a civil and as a criminal suit.

They were finally defeated by the true villain of this piece-the Indian law that makes it a criminal rather than civil offense to publish a book that offends any Hindu, a law that jeopardizes the physical safety of any publisher, no matter how ludicrous the accusation brought against a book. 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).’

Finally, I am glad that, in the age of the Internet, it is no longer possible to suppress a book. The Hindus is available on Kindle; and if legal means of publication fail, the Internet has other ways of keeping books in circulation. People in India will always be able to read books of all sorts, including some that may offend some Hindus.