Mainstream Weekly

In Order to Avoid 'Controversy'!

Bharati Jaganathan — 2012-05-22T00:29:25Z

On January 29, 2012, The Hindu reported that Symbiosis University, Pune, had cancelled a screening of Sanjay Kak's film, Jashn-e-azadi, following protests registered by some Right-wing organisations. I could not help but recall the shameful removal of an excellent essay by A.K. Ramanujan on the richly diverse Ramayana tradition by the Academic Council of Delhi University in October 2011, supposedly because of its potential to hurt Hindu religious sentiments. And the deplorable ‘exile' of (…)

- 2012

Let a Thousand Ramayanas Bloom

Bharati Jaganathan — 2011-11-27T11:33:49Z

The arbitrary deletion of A.K. Ramanujan's ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation' from the syllabus of a concurrent course taught by the History Department by the Academic Council of the University of Delhi has understandably sparked off a major debate. The prehistory of this step is to be traced to early 2008 when ABVP activists attacked and vandalised the office of the History Department in the presence of (invited) media- persons. An independent panel (…)

- 2011

Terrorism: Some Questions

Bharati Jaganathan — 2009-02-11T03:22:39Z

After all the newsprint devoted to the terror attack in Mumbai, it seems that there could be little left to say about the event and its aftermath. And yet, there remain unasked questions and unformulated concerns.
My starting point is the centrality of the event in popular discourse even two months after its occurrence. Public anger and popular outpouring of anxiety and grief over the terrorist attack continues unabated. It is no doubt true that some of this centrality springs from its (…)

- February 2009