Political writing

Banning of Books

Armed Hermit BOOK, Political, Uncategorized , ,

“Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” — Isaac Asimov

 

Banning of books is a form of censorship of material that hurts people’s sentiments. It mainly censors out materials that go against the conventional political, legal, religious or moral thoughts present in a specific region and time. There have been books that were banned in history but is very much acceptable now. This cycle of condemning and accepting is constant. As the views and social norms change with different countries, so do the books that are banned.

There have been many times where books were condemned and supressed. In earlier times there was mass burning of copies of books where the people in power decided that some books were abusive or sensitive to their beliefs. . A short example would be during the Nazi Germany in Hitler’s regimes, close to twenty-five thousand books were burned in Munich. The authorities claimed that these books were “ungermane” and they didn’t want the public to read them.

Books or literature is a social as well as political entity. After the books are published, the author has no control on how the audience is going to perceive it. Every piece of literature can be interpreted in a million ways. Even though the author has power over what he/she writes, they have no power in deciding the interpretations that then general audience will conjure. Writing is very personal ordeal but as soon as it is out in the open it becomes public and the power that the author holds over his text is diminished.

Books have a huge impact on society. It shapes the way people think. It contains a piece of culture and can be considered as an archive of sorts. It carries emotions and values. It also has a sort of ideology that may or may not be very evident. But the fact remained not all individuals or communities need to agree with what is being said in the book, this conflict of interest is one of the main reason for many people challenging a book or banning it.

We are a very diverse group of human beings. Every individual is different and so is their process of thought. Authors write the same way an artists paint. It could be passion, a statement a way of preserving culture or even a way to escape the harsh realities of life. When this piece of writing goes against the popular views or even the values of a small active section of the society, it creates problem. This group of people feel offended and abused, they feel their culture have been disrespected and teased, they think that the author is in some way discriminating them this sort of conflict rises to be an issue.

In any form of art censorship is a real threat. It undermines the value of art/ literature itself. In an age that promises freedom and prosperity, why is it that so many books are challenged so much literature banned all around the world. Even in countries like USA and UK books are being banned from public libraries and schools. The American Library Association keeps a track of all the books that are challenged in various states and keeps a list of books that are banned throughout history.

 

The idea of censorship and challenging books all lead to a lot of questions. What I will be looking at is how and why certain books are banned? What is the politics behind banning a book? How dies it effect the society and what impact does it have om literature and authorship. To conclude, we need to look at the process from two different perspectives. A historical analysis and analysing how it is in our present society. I will also be looking into related topics like freedom of speech and right of expression. Also exploring the various laws and rights that govern the challenging or banning of books.

 

 

History of Banning of Books

 

Books that were banned before or are still banned today are called banned books. After the birth of the printing press and mass production of books started to be more and more regular the conflict in views and disagreement in ideologies also sprang up. It is hard to believe that books like huckleberry fin and harry potter were wildly debated and in someplace banned. The reason we need to look at history is to understand why books are banned today. It is to draw out a comparison to what are the main reasons behind challenging and banning of books.

Books are banned in specific region for specific reasons. Books that are banned in Russia necessarily need not be banned in England. Because of the diversity in thoughts and ideologies of people, books too have received a mixed reception that might not be very uniform. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was one of the first books that was banned by the government. It was banned in the province of Hunan, China for portraying animals with human characteristics. General Ho Chien believed that attributing human language and characters to animals was an insult to humans and feared the adverse effect it would have on the young audience. It is very hard to think of Alice in Wonderland as a book that was banned. In present times this book is considered as a classic in children’s literature.

An Area of Darkness by V S Naipaul caused much controversy in India after its release. The book is an account of his visit to India, his ancestral home. The government banned the book in India because of the reason: “negative portrayal of India and its people”. The book was banned in 1964. The book is a part of trilogy which also includes the books India: A Wounded Civilization and India: A Million Mutinies Now.

George Orwell completed his book Animal Farm in 1943 but it would take him two more years for the book to be finally published. George Orwell couldn’t find anyone to publish his books because the book was a criticism of the USSR who was an important ally of the British during the world war. His political satire was later published in 1945 after the war. After it was published, Animal Farm was banned in USSR and other communist countries. The book was banned in UAE and Korea because it goes against the religious views of Islam. It is also censored in Vietnam.

Bible, the most widely read book in the world has also been banned. There are different versions of bible and it has been translated into various languages. In some countries some versions of the bible are banned. Even the Bible in vernaculars were ordered to be burned by King James I of Aragon. In 2015 Russia banned the import of a version of bible called the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

The Quran was banned in China from the Mao era. It is still banned in North Korea. In 2013 the Russian court censored the translated version of Quran under the country’s ‘extremism’ laws.

There are many notable books that were banned throughout history. After printing became a mass-production enterprise in the early 16th century, lots of books were published. Anything that was against the state or church were heavily scrutinized and burned in public. There was always a fear of what would be considered offensive ranging from literature about socio-political issues to religion and sex. Government and the church played a crucial role in deciding what was accepted and what was not. The social norms back then were set by the religious faith that most people believed. In recent times, most of western countries are secular and open to all religious texts.

In India, religion still plays a major role in deciding what is wrong and what is right. Even though we are a mixed society with various religious beliefs, the government takes into consideration the beliefs of the majority. Two of the religious mythologies in India are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It should be noted that there are many versions of the text but the ones most Indians follow are Mahabharata by Vyasa and Ramayana by Valmiki. These are the socially accepted versions that Indian upper caste Hindus follow. Other versions are not available in India and are sometimes considered anti Hindu.

 

 

 

 

 

Constitution and Banning/Censorship

 

This era has been an age of free speech and freedom. But there is no such thing as absolute freedom. There are always literature or words that will come under fire. As long as the people are diverse so will their social norms. This leads to disagreements and criticism. The French government has a long history of censorship and banning books. While the constitution today allows freedom of speech and expression. The intervention of government bodies in these matters are very minimal.

Here is a list of books that were banned and censored by the French government.

 

Voltaire during his time was one of the most widely criticised and challenged writer. He was banned from the state a couple of times due to his works. The French monarchy was adamant on keeping his works in the dark. The reason I took the example of Voltaire is to show the fact that when a group of artists or writers goes against the popular beliefs, their works are heavily scrutinized. Voltaire belonged to the age of Enlightenment where a lot of artists went against the structures of power and class divide in Europe. Even though most of the works are considered classics now, they were back then, discarded and banned.

Three years into the exile, Voltaire returned to France where he met Emilie du Chatelet. At the same time as this Voltaire collected all his writings criticizing France’s government and published it in France. His work, “Philosophical Letters on the English,” was published without the French court’s approval. It was immediately banned and burned in France and caused Voltaire to be banished once again.[2]

At present times the constitution of France offers Freedom of Speech and Expression. Since France is a part of the European Court of Human Right, the court has control over what should be censored and not. The books can be challenged in the court of law, but cases like that are very rare and there haven’t been any recent banning’s or challenges in France.

 

In the United States of America, there were many controversies relating to challenging books in school and public libraries. Books are mainly challenged for the reasons:

  • The material was considered to be “sexually explicit”.
  • The material contained “offensive language”.
  • The material was “unsuited to any age group”.[3]

American Library Organisation is a group that controls the books that are assigned in libraries. Any challenges can be brought to the organisation and they will be reviewing each book. The justification that many people give for banning is that children should not be exposed to the different scenarios in the books, like sex or violence.

The Constitution of USA in its first amendment clearly talks about the freedom of speech and expression. It lays forward the freedom of press.

”That Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and consult for their common good, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”[4]

Even though the constitution provides these rights there have been many instances where books have been banned, censored and removed from the library., even the classics like How to Kill a Mockingbird was challenged on the grounds of having explicit content not fit for public. There are many bylaws that govern what is fit for general viewing and what is not. Any books can be challenged, and the matter can be taken up to the court of law.

Since America is a Federal Democracy, the states have absolute power in controlling the contents of books published. Books banned and challenged in different states vary accordingly. There have been instances where the ban was over turned and books that were challenged again.

The constitution of India guarantees its citizens the same rights. The right to freedom of speech and expression.

“In 2018, the Freedom in the World report by Freedom House gave India a freedom rating of 2.5, a civil liberties rating of 3, and a political rights rating of 2, earning it the designation of free. The rating scale runs from 1 (most free) to 7 (least free). Analysts from Reporters Without Borders rank India 8th in the world in their 2017 Press Freedom Index. In 2016, the report Freedom of the Press by Freedom House gave India a press freedom rating of “Partly Free”, with a Press Freedom Score of 41 (0-100 scale, lower is better).”[5]

Even with so many provisions for free thoughts and expression. We have almost banned everything that goes against common beliefs, from various versions of Ramayana and Mahabharata to Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Because of our diversity, our government have to please a lot of different groups of people to expand their vote bank. So, when a community, (majority or minority) is offended because of a book, the political leaders make the issue a statement as their respect to the community rather than a proper review.

In India any book can be challenged in the court of law. The God of Small Things was challenged in Kerala high court on grounds of obscenity. For a country that boasts about freedom, we seem to be really sensitive to literature. Even a smallest nudge in our believes seems to send us into a frenzy.

This is just an example of the fact that even if the countries have a constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and expression. There are always amendments that somehow control what is being circulated and published. There are always provisions for censorship and bans. What we read, what we see and what we hear is all censored by the government to make sure that there is no friction between sections of society.

But, is it necessary to ban a book because it offends a section of the society or criticises a government in power? Isn’t literature supposed to be in a way, against what the people usually believe in?

 

 

Perumal Murugan – One Part Woman 

 

 

One-part Woman is a book written by Perumal Murugan in Tamil and was later translated to English. The book was the subject of a lot of controversy and debate. An eighteen-day protests against Perumal Murugan and his book that was published in Tiruchengode in Tamil Nadu by Hindutva outfits. The protest concluded after Perumal Murugan announced that he was not going to write anymore novels and asked the publishing company to stop the sales of his books. In this strange series of events, what fascinates me the most is the fact that it wasn’t an organization or a government that banned or censored the book rather it was the author’s self-censorship.

In a Facebook statement Perumal Murugan announced “Perumal Murugan the writer is dead. As he is no God, he is not going to resurrect himself. He also has no faith in rebirth. An ordinary teacher, he will live as P. Murugan. Leave him alone.”[6]

One-part woman or Madhorubhagan as it is called in Tamil, is set on Kongunadu, an aspirant state in Tamil Nadu. The story surrounds a childless couple, Kalli and Ponna who have been married from more than 12 years but they don’t have any children. Muthu is Kalli’s childhood friend and Ponna is Muthu’s sister. Both of them long for a child. They feel incomplete without a child. The rest of the society looks down on them because they don’t have any children. Ponna and Kalli takes part in a lot of rituals and superstitious undertakings to convince the gods to bless them with a child. None of them are fruitful. There is a practice in Tiruchengode temple, on the 14th day of the vikasi festival, childless married woman can have consensual sex with young men around the temple ground to have children. Men on that night were considered gods and this act was more of duty than pleasure.

Ponna is convinced by Muthu and her mother to attend the 14th day of the festival. Kalli doesn’t know about this. He eventually finds out thinking that Ponna went to the 14th day festival without telling him. He falls into a fit of anger and hate. Meanwhile, Muthu had convinced Ponna that Kalli had given her his permission, and that’s how Ponna agrees to take part in the ritual. This is the summary of the story.

In the end, Murugan leaves us hanging with a lot of unanswered questions. He wrote two books that are a sequel to one-part woman. Both of them in Tamil. These books aren’t translated to English. In one book Kalli kills himself and it talks about how Ponna brings up the boy on her own and how the society looks at it. In the other version, Kalli accepts the child that is born, and it talks about how they raise the child together and somehow, they drift apart.

In the book Perumal Murugan talks about this temple that worship Ardhanareeswara which is a half-man half-woman representation of Shiva and Parvati. The plot revolves around Ponna and Kalli. They are childless and have tried out everything that they possibly could to have a child. The book talks about a ritual in Kailasanathar Temple during the annual visaki festival where men are gods. During that night childless woman can have consensual sex with anyone to become pregnant. It should be noted that this ritual has been depicted in the book after thorough research and explorations. Murugan’s PhD thesis was on a Kongu author. It should be taken to consideration that he knows what he’s writing about.

There are many idols on the Thiruchengodu hill, each one capable of giving a specific boon. One of them is the Ardhanareeswarar, an idol of Shiva who has given the left part of his body to his consort, Parvathi. It is said that this is the only place where Shiva is sacralised in this mythical form. Murugan was intrigued on encountering several men in the region past the age of 50 who were called Ardhanari (Half-woman) or Sami Pillai (God-given child). On digging further, he found out that till as recently as 50 years ago, on a particular evening of the annual chariot festival in the temple of Ardhanareeswara, childless women would come alone to the area alive with festival revelries. Each woman was free to couple with a male stranger of her choice, who was considered an incarnation of god. If the woman got pregnant, the child was considered a gift from god and accepted as such by the family, including her husband.[7]

Murugan didn’t just create a fictional place that never existed. He did his research and recreated a part of culture that some people are trying very hard to forget. Is it right to supress an historical cultural ritual of a community just because you are ashamed of it now? Is it right to take out your anger on people who archive these pieces of culture in his novels? What is the point of literature if it is being banned and censored because it hurts the feelings of a section of the society? These are the questions that needs to be asked, rather than attacking the author for giving us a glimpse of the world that he created. We should ask questions to the people in power and the groups that suggest banning and censoring literature.

The main reason I took this incident for my case study is that while many governments ban or censor books and literature, Perumal Murugan in his statement declared, ‘Perumal Murugan as an author is dead’. This statement is a sad reality where an author who has so much to tell the world, decides that he’s is not going to write anymore.

The case that was registered in Madras high court eventually declared that there is no reason to ban a book just because a group of people doesn’t like it. The court in its statement said that if you don’t like the book you need not read it, no body is compelling you to read the book. It’s an individual’s choice. The court also, in a way requested Murugan to start writing, Perumal Murugan said the Statement issued by the court felt like an old friend sending him a letter.

In the breakdown of events that lead to the protest from the time when the book was released to the point where Murugan said he will give up his writing is an example of how people threaten literature and freedom. In India, this is not the first time an author has come under fire. Salman Rushdie was not even allowed to come to the country because of his book ‘Satanic Verses’. He was supposed to be a part of the Jaipur literature festival and then because of the controversies surrounding him, he wasn’t allowed to take part in the literature festival.

Perumal Murugan in his books, portrays a culture that is being forgotten and lot to time. In a way he’s preserving the practices and memories of a region. Its absurd to think of it as an act to spread hatred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

We are in a world where everything is offensive, and people are becoming more and more sensitive. Literature, speech and art are censored and banned. Everything that you write, as soon as it’s out there for people to read can be interpreted in a million different ways. That remains the beauty and sometimes these interpretations are problematic. As soon as it is out in the open the author has no control of what the reader should be interpreting. It could be one person in the audience that is offended, then he makes it personal and public. With the help of social media, the interpretation of one individual is out in the open for others to read. Then a group of people who agrees with the interpretation of this individual come together calling the book offensive and abusive. That’s what happens.

 

The court verdict is important. I want to refer to the exact words again. The court in its long statement said “If you do not like a book, throw it away. There is no compulsion to read a book. Literary tastes may vary – what is right and acceptable to one may not be so to others. Yet, the right to write is unhindered.” [8] The court explained the basic truth. Literature demands to be written, if someone doesn’t agree with something, we need not ban books, just stop reading it. People who are interested in reading the book will read them. It is in our basic human nature to long for something that we are told we shouldn’t. Banning books are not going to make people stop reading those books, but in a way, the controversy helps the book reach an audience that was never present before. A group of hungry people who are waiting to do what they are told not to do.

 

Then the question remains, why do they ban books? Almost all the banned books are available on the internet and you can just download it. Then why. The answer is, its basic politics, appeasement of a certain section of the society and that’s what censorship and banning is all about. Throughout history, we can see that its not the government institutions that find a fault in the book, rather an individual or a group of people that have problem with the book. In order to please the section of society and to avoid tensions, the power structure, goes for the easiest way to deal with it, censor the bits that hurt sentiments of the people. Easy and stress free. That’s how they deal with it. The artists and writers suffer because he’s just one individual and can’t take on an entire society, some survive and some fall into this petty power play. The stories that they wanted to write are no longer matters, they become conscious of their writing and they start writing carefully.

Appeasement of certain community or society so that you will have them in your favour when they come to vote. That’s what the governments do. There are also instances where books that criticises the government or state is banned, well that doesn’t need any explanation. Many books, Gujarat Files Rana Ayub, a sting operation looking into the events that lead to the Gujarat riots. Mainly into the governments involvement. Even though the book was not banned, the amount of backlash the book received was unbelievable. There was a social media army set up just to post hate comment on Rana Ayub’s twitter profile.

We read what we want to read. We write what we feel and live as its our own life. These institutions and organisations are nothing but baggage that limit us from doing what we really want to do. They have created an illusion where they tell you, you have all the freedom in the world, but to protect you we need to take away some of it. If you don’t give it up, they will break you and take it away from you.

In this power play, literature is lost, writers are humiliated and artworks torn away to fuel politics. These are hard times to live in. a time where everything is offensive and the big brother is always watching. For writers, artists and freethinkers these are testing times.

Perumal Murugan or Dante, they never give up, they rise up from their ashes and continue to pursue what they love. They write their stories and they do it without any censors or rules, because stories are your own and nobody has the right to tell you what you shouldn’t write. And Literature will always find a way to exist and it will survive.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_France#List_of_censored_books

[2]https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.co.in/&httpsredir=1&article=1005&context=history_of_book

 

[3] “About Banned & Challenged Books | Banned & Challenged Books”. http://www.ala.org. Retrieved 2016-04-03.

[4] https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1/annotation06.html#1

[5] “Freedom of the Press 2016”. freedomhouse.org

[6] “Perumal Murugan quits writing”. The Hindu. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-13

[7] http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/why-perumal-murugans-one-part-woman-significant-debate-freedom-expression-india

[8] https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/perumal-murugan-book-controversy-and-madras-high-court/article14476037.ece