A
Conspiracy of Marxist Apologists and Media - In an attempt to create
India's own Charlie Hebdo and Hindutva Right Wing Monsters
There is currently a firestorm raging in Tamil progressive circles over
Perumal Murugan’s book Mathorubaagan. Every activist worth his or her
salt has tweeted in support of Mr. Murugan while heaping scorn and
contempt on the Hindutva Caste groups who hounded him over the book.
Mindless activism of this nature will only hurt true supporters of free
speech as I argue in this article.
Here is a quick summary of
the events for those unfamiliar with the issue. Perumal Murugan is a
Tamil writer whose novel Mathorubaagan was published in 2010 by
Kalachuvadu. An English translation One Part Woman followed in 2014
published by Penguin. The storyline is about a childless couple set in
1940’s Tiruchengode, a small town in central Tamilnadu. The plot builds
up to a ritual in the Maathorubaagan temple where the protagonist joins
other childless women engaging in free sex in an attempt to get
impregnated. About three weeks ago, a few caste outfits along with Hindu
Munnani began a series of protests alleging that the novel portrayed
the temple as well as the women of their community in bad light. They
started distributing what in their view was objectionable material to
the town folk. The Tiruchengode Arthanareeswarar Girivala Nala Sangam
(Society of Tiruchengode Sacred Hill Circumambulation) representing
participants, the temple and other well-wishers took the legal course by
approaching the police. The district administration and the police
attempted to broker a truce and initially Mr. Murugan agreed to pull
unsold copies and excise the objectionable parts from the book. That
should have settled it. Until the left progressives decided to make it
their fight.
Things got rapidly out of control as pressure on
Murugan not to succumb to Hindutva Sanghi Casto-Fascism mounted. News
outlets like Caravan and The Hindu known for progressive views built up a
campaign eventually railroading Mr. Murugan into an unenviable
position. The latest news is that Mr. Murugan announced that he has quit
writing altogether.
This sordid affair is certainly about
freedom of speech but there are two sides to every coin. I have read
the book and I think that the objections of the Tiruchengode Girivala
Nala Changam and the various Hindu outfits are exceptionally strong.The
central question is this: “Are there any limits to how much you can
fictionalise real people, events, and institutions?” Do all the
activists really believe that there should be no such thing as
unprotected speech?
Just imagine a world where the only defence
against defamation was retort. To take an example: I take out an ad in
the newspaper saying that there is proof that Colgate toothpaste causes
oral cancer. Assuming The Hindu newspaper in a valiant hurrah to my
right of expression publishes the ad. I will end up with a lawsuit by
evening. Why should Colgate sue me for this and not publish a book
explaining in detail why my claim is wrong? Pardon me for dwelling on
this a little longer because this is the central issue. If you believe
all speech including misrepresentation, fraud, defamation should be
permitted – then you also have to believe that all force including
knocking me over with a club should be. After all, if I am only allowed
to respond to a defamation by publishing a retort. Then I am only
allowed to respond to an assault by a counter assault. If I happen to be
a weak person, I should make up for the deficit by paying a henchman to
carry out the assault. You can quickly see the kind of society that
will result from these rules. So if you are still reading this article;
you probably agree with the idea that not all speech can be protected.
Now let’s turn toMaathorubaagan.
I just finished reading the
original Tamil version Maathorubaagan today I assume the English version
is a direct translation. As mentioned earlier, the book is about a
couple, Kali and Ponna who are childless even after a decade of
marriage. In an era where assisted reproduction techniques were
non-existent but the societal prejudice against childlessness were just
as strong; nothing was ruled out. The author’s proposition is
interesting because in these matters the male can be equally at fault.
This is narrated in a breezy way. Essentially the story leads to a
“ritual” (the subject of the tension) where womenfolk are allowed by
societal norms to mate with anyone on the last day of the chariot
festival. Where I think the author went too far is blending in an
unsavoury promiscuity against a real temple, real festival, and a real
caste that exists to this day. Mr. Murugan probably recognised the
importance of blurring out the details belatedly and rightfully offered
to do so. But that was before the activist drones descended.
There is no ambiguity in the book. The Vaigasi Visagam festivities, the
chariot being pulled around town, the little details like the four
streets, the various deities, descriptions of the fair, and on and on.
The last day of the function he writes was “full of women over 30″ and
on that day “all women are prostitutes”. The caste names also leave no
room for ambiguity – it is about the womenfolk of Kongu Vellala
Gounders.
The Vaigasi Visagam festivities happen to this day
where the same communities participate in roughly the same manner. Those
protesting have a right to demand an explanation. It is worthwhile to
remember that they did not damage any property or resort to violence.
Burning books is a well-accepted mode of protest. Look at the matter
from the vantage point of community leaders. If left uncontested it
means their temple going womenfolk would be fair game for lewd comments
and unwanted advances.Was this ritual a figment of the imagination? Was
it oral tradition or hearsay? Is there a difference between the two?
This is what it boils down to.
Noted progressive intellectual
AR Venkatachalapathy in an article feverishly defends the author against
Sanghis. He says this kind of copulation is not outside the realm of
possibility and cites the Niyoga Dharma- the Hindu tradition of sex. But
what he does not understand is that there is a huge gap between the
realm of the possible and imputing a ritual in a real event. This is
just a remarkably ignorant take that needs no further discussion.
The only evidence Mr. Murugan offers is that he ran into many people
named “Sami Pillai” or “Ardhanari” in that area. Upon further enquiry he
ran into an oral account of this tradition. I do not doubt that he
might have heard this. Unfortunately this standard; of hearsay is
insufficient. While it is an interesting proposition or a plausible
explanation for the Saami Pillais such a lack of evidence should have
automatically meant blurring out the details. I am therefore with the
Tiruchengode people in thinking this ritual is just a figment of the
author’s imagination and their community and their beloved temple cannot
be the site for such fictionalising. An imagination that the author is
no doubt entitled to but only after adding in ambiguity.
Penance for childlessness is an extremely common phenomenon in Tamilnadu
to this day. From lighting lamps, circling hills, rolling over, to
cutting roosters – every community has its version of Saami Pillai or
Pichais. I don’t think willingness to do extreme penance means women
would agree to have sex with other men. Such an outlandish ritual can
hardly be kept under wraps the way Kali’s mother and mother-in-law do in
the story. The males who feast on these women can also be hardly
expected to keep their end of the bargain – of disappearing immediately
after sex. Legally I am afraid Mr. Murugan is not on as strong a ground
as the Tiruchengode Girivala Nala Changam. I am also with the town
folk who rightfully recognise that while begetting a child is important;
honour is even more so.
Should activists and poets decide what
constitutes protected speech on a case by case basis? Let us assume we
browbeat the Tiruchengode town folk and let Mr. Murugan have his way.
What if the next author comes by and writes a similar story and THE
ACTIVISTS FAIL TO SHOW UP.
Je suis..?
Source:Niti Central
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