Now this [1] sounds like a fascinating book, by my friend Salil Tripathi [2]. Here's the official blurb:
> 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. > > > > > About the Author > > Salil Tripathi was born in Bombay, India. He moved to London in 1999 and has > written frequently for numerous publications, including the Wall Street > Journal, Guardian, Independent, New Statesman, Spectator, Prospect, Index on > Censorship, Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Post, and Salon. He is also > Senior Visiting Fellow for Business and Human Rights at the Kennedy School, > Harvard University. There's also a site for the book [3], which currently contains a bunch of reviews. I can think of several silklisters (Shiv, you listening?) whose reviews I would be interested in. Udhay [1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/1906497389 [2] http://www.saliltripathi.com/About%20Salil.html [3] http://saliltripathi.wordpress.com/ -- ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
