the TN govt is behaving like a police state

I was told that the entire campaign against Perumal Murugan has been engineered by certain Hindu outfits.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:this is atrocious!
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/perumal-murugan-was-asked-to-exile-himself-by-police/article6792161.ece

far from kinnera's suggestion that this guy is opportunistic in the aftermath of charlie hebdo, he appears to be a decent and sensitive man, albeit a softie.
the kazhagams are cowing down to hindu radicalists. that's really the bottomline. i am sure bharathidasan, EVR, and annadurai are turning in their graves.  i used to respect them warts and all, but no more.

I was told that the entire campaign against Perumal Murugan has been engineered by certain Hindu outfits.

SomeProfile wrote:I guess the TN government was behaving as fine protectors of justice and liberty during the Vishwaroopam incident.

That aside, this guy crossed a line when he got very specific about a particular temple, a particular festival and a particular community, all of which exist in reality. Imagine a similar thing happening with the temple / club you visit, or even your office / school. Imagine some writer specifically naming the location you visit, and naming your group, and claiming that you guys indulge in free sex or orgies at that location. Would you keep quiet about it?

SomeProfile wrote:Please note that so far, there have only been reports of legal protests against the book. There have been no credible reports of any direct threat of physical harm to the writer, his family or property. I don't understand why he had to be a drama queen and declare that the "Writer Perumal Murugan is dead" and that he won't write any more. As if his only choice is to write dirty fiction targeting real Hindu communities or not write at all.

SomeProfile wrote:If this author really wanted to write a fictional story, why couldn't he have fictionalized the whole thing?

\"SomeProfile wrote:Or, why didn't he set the story in a church? (Little known fact: Despite being named after Hindu gods, this author is a Christian convert). There is an apt phrase in Tamizh for this: vaaikozhuppu!

SomeProfile wrote:In my previous comment, when I said "throwing out pictures and idols of Hindu gods, throwing out sacred Hindu books", I meant trashing them, literally throwing them in the trash, preferably in front of family members / relatives / neighbors who are still Hindus.

This is similar to the old Dravidian atheist movements. It was not good enough for them to stop believing in the Hindu gods. They had to do offensive and heinous acts, in public, on pictures and idols of Hindu gods.

bw wrote:weird - he wrote the original book in 2010 and no one was offended including the caste or community he has written about. why all this drama now? coz they read the english version?

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

bw wrote:weird - he wrote the original book in 2010 and no one was offended including the caste or community he has written about. why all this drama now? coz they read the english version?

https://such.forumotion.com/t29391-why-there-can-never-be-a-charlie-hebdo-in-india#189203

Kayalvizhi wrote:the dravidian parties did not come to the aid of the writer because their opponents will paint them as anti-kounder in the next election and the book supporters will lose some seats.

ஈவேரா பாடுபட்டது முழுக்க முழுக்க இந்த இடைநிலைச் சாதிகளின் மேலாண்மைக்காக என்பதே உண்மை. இவர்களிடம் தங்கள் சாதிப்பற்றைக் கைவிடும்படி அவர்கள் சொல்லவில்லை. மாறாக இவர்கள் தங்கள் ஆதிக்கச் சாதிவெறியை தக்கவைத்துக்கொள்ள மிகச்சிறந்த திரை ஒன்றை அவர் அமைத்துக்கொடுத்தார் – பிராமண வெறுப்பு.

ஈவேரா எந்த சாதியொழிப்பையும் கொண்டுவரவில்லை. எந்த மக்களிடமும் சிறிய அளவிலான மனமாற்றத்தையும் கொண்டுவரவில்லை. சாதிவெறியை திறமையாக மறைக்க, பிராமணர்களால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் என்ற மாய்மாலத்தைச் செய்ய இடைநிலைச்சாதிகளை கற்பித்தார்.

அவர் மறைந்து இத்தனை ஆண்டுகள் கடந்து அந்தத் திரை கொஞ்சம் விலகுகிறது. அதையும் மழுப்பவே பெரியாரியர்கள் முயல்கிறார்கள். ஆனால் அதைத் தாண்டி உண்மை பல்லிளிக்கவே செய்யும்.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:more from jeyamohan's blog above:

ஈவேரா எந்த சாதியொழிப்பையும் கொண்டுவரவில்லை. எந்த மக்களிடமும் சிறிய அளவிலான மனமாற்றத்தையும் கொண்டுவரவில்லை. சாதிவெறியை திறமையாக மறைக்க, பிராமணர்களால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் என்ற மாய்மாலத்தைச் செய்ய இடைநிலைச்சாதிகளை கற்பித்தார்.

அவர் மறைந்து இத்தனை ஆண்டுகள் கடந்து அந்தத் திரை கொஞ்சம் விலகுகிறது. அதையும் மழுப்பவே பெரியாரியர்கள் முயல்கிறார்கள். ஆனால் அதைத் தாண்டி உண்மை பல்லிளிக்கவே செய்யும்.

EVR didn't bring about the abolition of the caste system. he wasn't able to influence people's thinking in the slightest on this subject. but he gave the backward castes a clever tool, to paint themselves as victims of brahmins to hide their own casteism.

so many years after his passing, this screen is lifting a little. but these periyarists want to cover it up.  despite their best efforts to do so, the truth will become evident.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

SomeProfile wrote:In my previous comment, when I said "throwing out pictures and idols of Hindu gods, throwing out sacred Hindu books", I meant trashing them, literally throwing them in the trash, preferably in front of family members / relatives / neighbors who are still Hindus.

This is similar to the old Dravidian atheist movements. It was not good enough for them to stop believing in the Hindu gods. They had to do offensive and heinous acts, in public, on pictures and idols of Hindu gods.

i find such things quite distasteful, but i am hoping indians of all faiths will learn to ignore such blatant disrespect to their religious symbols. the disrespect has meaning only if it offends. ignoring it and refusing to dignify it with a response will put an end to it, and will in fact take away the context. i am not a fan of the dravidian movement, although certain linguistic goals they had aligned well even with people who didn't otherwise like them.

by the way, i am not totally sure about the inaccuracy of portraying the practice. i have read at least one report which seemed to suggest that this was a practice common in another era among gounders.

bw wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

bw wrote:weird - he wrote the original book in 2010 and no one was offended including the caste or community he has written about. why all this drama now? coz they read the english version?

https://such.forumotion.com/t29391-why-there-can-never-be-a-charlie-hebdo-in-india#189203

thanks. the usual idiots at work - they probably don't even know who/what a gounder is.

SomeProfile wrote:There is a huge difference between general historical fiction and what this guy has written. Most historical fiction does one or both of the following things:

1. Narrates true historical events using fictional characters as observers or participants in those events. I believe that most of the examples you quoted in your response fall in this category. In the partition era violence for example, nobody can deny or doubt that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, etc. indulged in all kinds of violent activities.

2. Narrates totally fictional events involving fictional characters in the backdrop of a true historical period. Eg: Period dramas, fictional narratives regarding the JFK assassination.

In both of the above cases, the fictional events and characters are unambiguously and undeniably fictional, and the historical events and characters are unambiguously and undeniably historical. That is how most historical fiction are written.

In the case of this particular book, the author seems to have deliberately fuzzed the lines, especially in the context of a morally/socially questionable sexual act. I have not read the book, but from all the articles I have read (by both pro- and anti- groups), it sounded like there is enough ambiguity in the book that people could easily think that members of a particular real community, who visit a particular real temple, during a particular real festival might have truly indulged in free-for-all sex outside marriage or a romantic relationship. That is the point of contention.

You asked: so what if he is a christian convert? what of it?

There is a reason why I prominently mentioned his converted status. It is well known that new converts to Christianity are highly encouraged and prompted to do things and behave in ways that are very offensive to the religion they left behind. Examples include, but are not limited to throwing out pictures and idols of Hindu gods, throwing out sacred Hindu books, reducing or cutting off communication with Hindu family members and relatives, eating beef, refusing to accept prasadam, criticizing the beliefs and practices of family members who remained Hindus, etc. Given this background, it is highly probable that the author's converted-Christian anti-Hindu mindset prompted him to set the free sex part of the story in a Hindu temple, during a Hindu festival. If all that he really wanted to do was ONLY write about a purely fictional community free sex ritual, he could have made up a fictional community and set the event in a non-religious/non-Hindu location, during a non-religious/non-Hindu event. But no, that would not have been Christian enough for this converted mischief monger.

SomeProfile wrote:

bw wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

bw wrote:weird - he wrote the original book in 2010 and no one was offended including the caste or community he has written about. why all this drama now? coz they read the english version?

https://such.forumotion.com/t29391-why-there-can-never-be-a-charlie-hebdo-in-india#189203

thanks. the usual idiots at work - they probably don't even know who/what a gounder is.

People should never ever underestimate the local, on-the-ground reach and knowledge of RSS. It is the only organization in the country which is in touch with the pulse of the people in every nook and corner, almost every neighborhood. Plus, it is has very disciplined, formal, internal processes to share and communicate relevant local news and updates within the organization. Even the government's police and intelligence organizations cannot match RSS's reach in this regard. Also, for RSS it doesn't matter who the gounders are. It's enough that they are Hindus.