Commenting on a Tamil Nadu university’s decision to remove her book Walking With the Comrades from its curriculum after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyalaya Parishad (ABVP) reportedly asked the university for the same, writer Arundhati Roy said that she was more happy about the fact that it had been a part of the curriculum once, than sad that it was removed.
Roy further said “I am not in the least bit shocked or surprised that it has been removed from the syllabus now”.
She also pointed out that it was her duty, as a writer, to write the book, not to fight for its place in the curriculum.
“That is for others to do or not do,” she said.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
According to The News Minute (TNM), Tamil Nadu’s Manonmaniam Sundaranar University has removed Arundhati Roy’s book ‘Walking with Comrades’ from its syllabus based on a request from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), RSS’ student wing.
The announcement came out on Wednesday, 11 November. According to TNM, this was a week after the ABVP submitted a petition asking for the removal of the book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Further, according to TNM, it is recommended under the ‘Commonwealth Literature’ elective and has been a part of the university’s syllabus since 2017.
Penguin Random House, which has published the book, describes it as a non-fiction account of ‘a little-known rebel movement in India’, reported TNM.
The Penguin Random House website reads:
WHAT THE ABVP ALLEGED
According to TNM, ABVP in a letter sent to the university’s Vice Chancellor, alleged that the book openly encourages the armed revolutions of Maoists against the nation.
“ABVP will take this to the attention of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) and organise several large protests if there is any delay in this,” the petition further added.
WHAT THE UNIVERSITY SAID
According to TNM, following receipt of the complaint by the VC, a committee was formed to examine the matter. The committee comprised of the Dean, the Board of Studies Chairman (who framed the syllabus with this book), the present Chairman of the Board of Studies and the Director of Academic Affairs.
According to TNM, he also said that since the paper is an elective for students in the third semester of MA English Literature programme, it was not brought to the university’s attention for the last three years. Further, the VC informed TNM that Roy’s book has “now been replaced with another book by Padma Shri-winning Naturalist Krishnan”.
REACTIONS
The university, however, has reportedly garnered flak from political leaders, for removing the book.
Madurai Lok Sabha MP and CPI (M) leader Su Venkatesan condemned the university’s decision. Accordind to TNM, DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, who is a poet, also tweeted that this act of removing the book from the syllabus reflect authoritarianism of those in power.
(With inputs from TNM.)
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