The Shiv Sena is at it again, attacking products of the mind and creative ventures. This time around it is Rohinton Mistry’s acclaimed novel Such a Long Journey that has attracted the ire of the chauvinist outfit known for physically mounting assaults on those who display liberal society mores of any description. Under Bal Thackeray’s leadership over decades, the Sena has made its stock-in-trade to display violent xenophobia, and to hit out at books, libraries and, more generally, artists and the arts. More often than not, it has got away with it. This is chiefly because the Maharashtra government of the day has permitted the outfit, which doesn’t balk at lumpenism, significant latitude. This time too the state’s Congress-NCP government offered surreptitious endorsement to the Sena’s goon tactics. This is a pity. It detracts from the Congress’ credo of supporting liberal social values and a secular mindset.
Canada-based Mistry’s book had been a part of Mumbai’s University B.A. syllabus for many years until, recently, the student body of the Sena made the discovery that it showed Maharashtrians in poor light, and that expletives had been used in the narration. They demanded that the book be pulled out of the syllabus. Shockingly, the university’s vice-chancellor obliged, after completing mumbo-jumbo formalities. At no stage did he seek to raise questions about academic freedom, artistic independence and the imperative to check the forces of public disorder as represented by the Sena’s youth brigade. Not showing spine, and kowtowing to the demands of semi-fascist social or political organisations, is the surest way to ease their way. It is also the surest way to ensure that civilised discourse takes a beating in our public life. The ugly episode is a reminder what our leading universities have become. It also offers a peep into the manner of the selection of vice-chancellors of our major universities. Higher education authorities would do well in the current instance to take the lead and pull up the Mumbai University vice-chancellor instead of waiting for the state government to act.
It is easy to see that the Sena was keen to provide a dramatic moment to mark the entry into politics of Mr Thackeray’s grandson Aditya, an undergraduate student in Mumbai whose public life was launched with some fanfare by a doting grandfather. A Parsi author who grew up in the city and made his name overseas was judged to be easy prey. It was unlikely that mass organisations of any kind will be agitated on an issue such as this. In the circumstances, only the state government could have called the Sena’s bluff. In the event chief minister Ashok Chavan chose to succumb. It was shocking to hear him say on television that the book had “bad language”. It is to be hoped that his party’s national leadership does inform him that the leading citizen of a state, especially one who resides in a city that is India’s pride, cannot afford to be a narrow and silly bigot. If “bad language”, that is one laced with sexual overtones, is what troubles Mr Chavan and his cohorts, he should be invited to lead a march to destroy the famous Hindu temples at Khajuraho. More, the chief minister should team up with the young Aditya Thackeray to go burn the celebrated Kama Sutra, an ode to desire and erotic love that has proved to be a classic over the centuries, loved by many, including Hindus and Maharashtrians like Mr Thackeray and Mr Chavan. It is a shame on the chief minister that in a discussion such as this he should be bracketed with those who threaten to take the law into their hands.