Thoughts on banning books

Well-known novelists, creative authors, erudite thinkers and even authoritative dissertation writers are sometimes faced with questions about their works when the question of their publication arises: publish or perish; publish and be banned; publish and be damned, or be challenged?

- M R DUA

Seriously confronting these issues is extremely crucial; particularly for reputed authors as also for publishers and booksellers worldwide. The fact of the matter is that it is only complaisant, adroit and mature minds which conceive and publish their creative works, after months and years of effort. These works are awaited eagerly, read, cherished and remembered. Moreover, these works generally acquire a permanent, eternal station in global literature. Even a cursory glance at the literature of any world language will bear this out.

And, once in a while a piece of creative writing is suddenly deemed to be too good to be accepted. It gets the attention of lumpen crowds who dislike and condemn its content, decry and prevent its sale, and demand state restrictions on its distribution. Then follow unruly mobs and ugly demonstrations. The protesters demand a ban on the publication saying it disturbs the values of our society, our country.

Not long ago, senior BJP leader and the late former defence minister, Jaswant Singh, authored a book titled: “Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence”. It was banned in Gujarat in 2009. The ban was later ordered lifted by the court. In another case in 2016, a Tamil book, “Madhorubhajan’’ by Perumal Murugan was banned, but the court ordered against it saying: “The choice to read the book is always with the reader. If you do not like a book, throw it away. There is no compulsion to read a book.”