Offence: The Hindu Case

by Salil Tripathi

To many outside India, Hinduism is envisioned as the foundation of an ideal, all-embracing society. Yet this is far from the truth. Though historically the practice of Hinduism does promote the idea of an inclusive and tolerant way of life, in the past decade Hindu extremists have captured the religion and perverted it to their own ideological ends. In The Hindu Case, Indian journalist Salil Tripathi meticulously documents how Hindu fundamentalists have succeeded in censoring and banning many cultural works, tampered with university teaching, and prevented academics from continuing in their jobs. In addition, Tripathi shows that these extremists are in the process of rewriting the ancient Hindu scriptures. This title in the Manifestos for the 21st Century Series, published in collaboration with the Index on Censorship , the only international magazine dedicated to promoting and protecting free expression, focuses on the rights, tolerance, censorship, and dissent within India’s complex society, and it is an essential read for those interested in the struggle between religious fundamentalism and free expression.

102 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Salil Tripathi was born in Bombay, India. He is a contributing editor at Mint and at Caravan in India. In the UK, he was board member of English PEN from 2009 to 2013, and with novelist Kamila Shamsie, he co-chaired PEN’s Writers-at-Risk Committee. In November 2011, he won the third prize at the Bastiat Awards for Journalism about free societies, in New York. In 1994 in Hong Kong, he received one of the awards at the Citibank Pan Asia Journalism Awards for economic journalism. He was a correspondent in India from 1987 to 1990 and moved to Singapore (and later Hong Kong) from 1991 to 1999. He moved to London in 1999.

Salil has written for The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, and The Philadelphia Inquirer in the United States; The Guardian, The Independent, The New Statesman, The Spectator, Prospect, and Index on Censorship in the United Kingdom; Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong; Global Asia in South Korea; The National in the United Arab Emirates; Shinchosha in Japan, and a few other publications. In India, he had been assistant editor at the Indian Post and senior correspondent at India Today.

He has been a senior visiting fellow for business and human rights at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, and is also an adviser to several global initiatives involving business and human rights. He studied at the New Era School in Bombay and graduated from Sydenham College at the University of Bombay. He later obtained his Masters in Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College in the United States.

Reviews

[Sunjay R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an introduction to the “Hindutva” philosophy and how it manifests in India today. Clearly, it’s making waves and actively redefining how India and Indians think of themselves.

[Shailesh D’Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abstract - The nations’ collective psyche was implanted with a wound, a locus of vulnerability, and the “cult”-ivation of the overtly masculine came to be seen as the best way out.

[K.R.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multifaceted quick read which gave me an excellent overview of current political, cultural, religious situation in India and explains the rise of the Hindu nationalist parties and history since independence in 1947. (more to write)