India’s Love Affair with Book Banning

Posted By on January 25, 2012 in Columns, Featured | 25 Comments

Given the hungama at the currently ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival over Salman Rushdie’s absence, I thought it would be interesting to see which books have been banned in India. I have not been able to find any clear list of books either at the websites of the I&B Ministry, Home Ministry, or Law Ministry and therefore decided to compile a list to the best of my abilities. I have excluded books that were temporarily banned, such as The Price of Power by Seymour Hersh or Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India by James Laine. I am sure there are others I have missed, so please add (with source) books that are currently banned in all or any part of India to this list.

It is indeed shocking to see that books that were banned by the British remain banned in India without any consideration of whether the conditions under which the book was banned decades ago have changed. I feel no need to restate the utter contempt for a censorship regime as the arguments on both sides are quite well-known. As a reminder to our readers, the constitution of India does not grant absolute freedom of expression to its residents. Article 19 (2) states that the freedom of speech and expression as granted in Article 19(1)(a) is subject to limitations:

Nothing in sub-clause (a) of clause (1) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

It is not the purpose of this post to interrogate the philosophical problems associated with this part of the constitution but to merely record the list of banned media as of January 2012. I am also aware that given lax enforcement of the law in India, many of these books and movies may be readily available in India.

Media banned in India -

General principles

Any document, other than an official document dealing with infantry or guerilla tactics, sabotage or the preparation and use of explosives and military weapons. (1944)

Any book, magazine, pamphlet, leaflet, newspaper or other like publication which consists wholly or mainly of stories told in pictures (with or without the addition of written matter), being stories -

(i) portraying the commission of offences; or
(ii) portraying acts of violence or cruelty; or
(iii) portraying incidents of a repulsive or horrible nature; or
(iv) glorifying vice;

in such a way that the publication as a whole would tend to corrupt any person under the age of twenty years into whose hand it might fall (whether by inciting, or encouraging him to commit offences or acts of violence or cruelty or by rendering him irresponsive to the finer side of human nature or to moral values or in any other manner whatsoever). (1955)

Any, newspaper, news-sheet, book or other document containing words, signs or visible representations which are likely to:-

(i) incite or encourage any person to resort to violence or sabotage for the purpose of overthrowing or undermining the Government established by law in India or in
any State thereof its authority in any area; or
(ii) incite or encourage any person to commit murder, sabotage or any offence involving violence; or
(iii) incite or encourage any person to interfere with the supply and distribution of food or other essential commodities or with essential services; or
(iv) seduce any member of any of the armed forces of the Union or of the police forces from his allegiance or his duty or prejudice the recruiting of persons to serve
in any such forces or prejudice the discipline of any such forces; or
(v) promote feelings of enmity or hatred between different sections of the people of India; or
(vi) which are grossly indecent, or scurrilous or obscene or intended for blackmail (1956)

Any newspaper, news sheet, book or other document containing any words, signs or visible representations which undermine or are likely to undermine the friendly relations of India with foreign States (1960)

Any book, periodical, pamphlet, leaflet or any other document containing statements on political issues relating to international affairs emanating from Taiwan which are likely to prejudicially affect friendly relations with any foreign State or any such document containing substantial reproduction of the matter contained therein (1964)

Any book, periodical, pamphlet, leaflet or other document containing any words, signs or visible representations which directly or indirectly question the frontiers of India as declared by the Government or the territorial integrity of the country (1976)

Books

English

Hindu Heaven, Max Wylie (1934)
The Face of Mother India, Katherine Mayo (1936)
Old Soldier Sahib, Frank Richards (1936)
The Land of the Lingam, Arthur Miles, (1937)
Mysterious India, Moki Singh (1940)
The Scented Garden (Anthropology of the Sex Life in the Levant), Bernhard Stern, translated by David Berger (1945)
What has Religion done for Mankind, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (1955)
Rama Retold, Aubrey Menon (1955)
Dark Urge, Robert W. Taylor (1955)
The Ramayana, Aubrey Menon (1956)
Captive Kashmir, Aziz Beg (1958)
The Heart of India, Alexander Campbell (1959)
The Lotus and the Robot, Arthur Koestler (1960)
Nine Hours to Rama, Stanley Wolpert (1962)
Unarmed Victory, Bertrand Russell (1963)
Nepal, Toni Hagen (1963)
Ayesha, Kurt Frishchler, translated by Norman Denny (1963)
Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence (1964)
The Jewel in the Lotus (A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East), Allen Edwards (1968)
The Evolution of the British Empire and Commonwealth from the Americal Revolution, Alfred Le Ray Burt (1969)
A Struggle between two lines over the question of How to Deal with U.S.Imperialism, Fan Asid-Chu (1969)
Man from Moscow, Greville Wynne (1970)
Early Islam, Desmond Steward (1975)
Nehru – A Political Biography, Michael Edwards (1975)
India Independent, Charles Bettelheim (1976)
China’s Foreign Relations Since 1949, Alan Lawrence (1978)
Who killed Gandhi, Lourenco De Sadvandor (1979)
Understanding Islam through Hadis, Ram Swarup (1982)
Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim, Sunanda Datta-Ray (1984)
The Satanic verses, Salman Rushdie (1988)
Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada, Zuhair Kashmeri & Brian McAndrew (1989)
The Polyester Prince, Hamish McDonald (1998)
The True Furqan, “Al Saffee” and “Al Mahdee” (1999)
Islam – A Concept of Political World Invasion, RV Bhasin (2007 – Maharashtra)
Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India, Joseph Lelyveld (2011 – Gujarat)

Hindi

Rangila Rasul, Pt. Chamupati (1927)

Urdu

Angaray, Sajjad Zaheer (1932)
Pakistan-Pasmanzarwa Peshmanzar, Hameed Anwar (1950)
Cease-fire, Agha Baba (1950)
Kkak aur Khoon, Nazim Hajazi (1950)
Chandramohini (1952)
Marka-e-Somnath, Maulana Muhammad Sadiq Hussain Sahab Sadiq Siddiqui Sardanvi (1952)
Hamara Kashmir (newspaper) (1954)
Daily Jang (newspaper) (1963)
Bang (periodical) (1963)

Bengali

Lajja, Taslima Nasrin (1993)
Dwikhondito, Taslima Nasrin (2003 – West Bengal)

Gujarati

Bhupat Singh, Kaluwank Ravatwank (1954)

Punjabi

Lalkar (weekly) (1971)

Tamil

Desabhimani (newspaper) (1963)
Theepori (newspaper) (1968)

Pamphlets/Booklets/Periodicals

Behind the Iron Curtain in Kashmir: Neutral Opinion (1949)
The Kashmir Dispute Through Neutral Eyes (1949)
American Military Aid to Pakistan (Its full implication), Salahuddin Ahmed (1954)
The Muslim World – A Weekly Review of the Motamar (1964)
Goan Voice (1964)
Eastern Horizon (1968)
Revolution (1968)
Chinese Literature, No.11/67 and No.12/67 (1969)
The Call (1971)
The Vanguard (1971)
Making the Modern World – Asia – Food and People, Barry Williams (1972)

Articles

“Codijah the First and Devoted Wife of Mahomet” written and illustrated by F.Matania, R.I, Britannia and Eve, July 1946 (1946)

Other languages

(Portuguese) Noticias De Portugal – Boletin Semanal Do Secretriado Nacional Da Informacao (bulletin) (1963)
(Korean) Korea News (periodical) (1963)
(Lushai) Ramthar (weekly) (1964)
(Portuguese) Noticia (newspaper) (1966)
(Portuguese) Noticias de Macau (newspaper) (1966)

Films

Nights of Paris (1952)
Nine Hours to Rama (1963)
Kissa Kursi Ka (1970)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Ore Oru Gramathile (1987 – Tamil Nadu)
The Bengali Night (1988)
Kutrapathirikkai (1991 but released in 2007 after many cuts)
City of Joy (1992 – West Bengal)
Bandit Queen (1994)
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Bawandar (2000)
Jang aur Aman by Anand Patwardhan (2002)
Gulabi Aaina (2003)
Paanch (2003)
Final Solution (2004)
Hava Aney Dey (2004)
Amu (2005 but released in 2007 after extensive cuts)
Water (2005)
The Da Vinci Code (2006 – Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Goa, Andhra Pradesh)
Fanaa (2006 – Gujarat)
Parzania (2007 – Gujarat)
Arakshan (2011 – Uttar Pradesh)
Dam 999 (2011 – Tamil Nadu)
Khankimagi (2011 – Andhra Pradesh)

 

Sources:

http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/proh1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_books
http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/04/02/famous-books-banned-in-india.html

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About Jaideep Prabhu

Jaideep is a part-time consultant, full-time doctoral student in History, focusing on nuclear and security issues in the Middle East, Western Europe, and South Asia. He is also a keen observer of science & technology, energy policy, and religion. Jaideep maintains his own blog as well, Chaturanga, and can be found chirping from @orsoraggiante
  • http://twitter.com/amargov Amar

    Wait a second. Why is the polyester prince banned? Infact I’ve seen the book in shelves of many stores.

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    The original was banned – in fact, it was hard to get hold of a copy anywhere. However, there was some sort of deal that was struck to allow the publication and sale of the book in India. Many of the allegations to political connections and impropriety were removed and the book was updated chronologically. That is what you see all over the place now.

  • http://twitter.com/csspk Dulam Chandra

    Can someone please plot (and post) the numbers, of all types banned, from 30s to 10s, by year. We are told it is getting worst. I am not so sure. (I think it peaked at height of socialism.)

    Also, is there any info on books/movies banned by government but overturned by courts?

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    I didn’t add any book that was banned temporarily. A recent example that springs to mind is Laine’s work on Shivaji – banned initially, the Bombay High Court overturned the ban in 2007.

    BTW, the years in brackets are not year of publication but year the work was banned.

  • Anonymous

    Great effort for compiling data. The film “Da Vinci Code” was banned in many states in India including AP, Tamil Nadu and Manipur.

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    Has been listed already, but thanks for the input. Please send along anything else we may have missed.

  • http://twitter.com/GirishLN Girish L

    Sure about Lady Chatterley’s Lover? I borrowed one from a lending library in Vijayawada, read and returned it! Not with brown cover or any other subterfuge! In 1984!

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    It is officially banned as far as I can tell. However, this being India, not all laws are equally enforced! First published in 1928 in Italy, the book could not be printed in Britain till 1960. It was banned in India in 1964, even after Britain revoked their ban. Dismissing the petition against the ban unanimously, the supreme court held: “The law seeks to protect not those who protect themselves, but those whose prurient minds take delight and sexual pleasures from erotic writings.” Like with other books, the ban is not actively implemented, and the book is available in some Indian bookstores.

    Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/04/02/famous-books-banned-in-india.slide17.html#

  • Anonymous

    1. “The Red Sari”, Spanish writer Javier Moro’s biography of Sonia Gandhi.2. Stalling the movie, “Indian Summer” based on the book by the  same name dealing with the subject of alleged romance between Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru. 

  • Anonymous

    Did Narendra Modi repeal the state ban on Jaswant Singh’s “Jinnah, India, Partition, Independence”?

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    By court order.

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    I was not listing anything the Indian government was uncooperative with…that is a long list of its own, I am sure!

    As for Red Saree, I know it is having issues – legal challenges and all – but is it banned yet?

  • Pingback: How to get your book banned in India: a step by step guide Cerebral Salad

  • vidyut

    Uh… this post is incomplete without immediate links to online versions ;)

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    Indeed – since whatshisname said last night that downloading a banned book is not breaking the law, we can all search for pdf versions of these books. I, however, am going to hide behind my dissertation and let you good folks do some searching :-)

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    Apparently, Nilanjana Roy has beaten me to the punch (by only six years!) and published a couple of blogs on books banned in India:

    http://akhondofswat.blogspot.com/2006/05/bs-column-banned-in-india-part-one.html

    http://akhondofswat.blogspot.com/2006/09/bs-column-banned-books-in-india-1970s.html

  • Mohamed Ameen

    My Christian brothers who support Salman Rushdie’s writings should  know the respect that both old testament and the new testament give to the mightiest prophet Abraham and his progeny. And in Salman Rushdie’s book Satanic Verses, Rushdie calls the mighty prophet Abraham as a bastard,( may God forgive me for repeating).
     
    The Christians who support his writings, should throw Rushdie out as a garbage or they should throw their Christian belief and Bible as  non-sense.
     
    You can not have the cake and eat it too. You can not patronise the anti-Christ and then say you are Christians. Such  people are completely incomprehensible and despicable. They do not make a difference between good and dirty literature that Rushdie is master of ..
     
     
    Will anybody write a flowing, beautiful poem about the private part of his own mother and bring the poem to the bazaar and read it loud and clear to the audience. If someone does it he should be a lunatic. This is the sort of freedom of expression that some mad people  are talking about.
     
    There is no such thing as absolute freedom of expression. Deliberate insult, mockery, ridicule of others culture is not part of freedom of expression. Guys  in the West are advanced in many respects but some guys are unbearably uncivilized when  they deal on the sensitive cultures of others.
     
     
    But that is exactly what Salman Rushdie did. He fabricated, concocted, lied, ridiculed, mocked, insulted and discredited the Quran , Islam and a  great prophet.
     
    Readers must wake up. Good English writing is nothing to do with high quality morals, Salman Rushdie is a low class and cheap pornographic filth and his only qualification is English language which he uses to make immoral earnings by ridiculing all cultures including that of Indian sub-continent. People who support him are either ignorant or stupid to the core.
     
    What will be Smiths ( an imaginary name) reaction if some one uses the names of Smith, his wife, daughters, sisters and his virtuous mother(all of them are highly respected and dignified moralists)in a so called fiction book and describe them as pimps, prostitutes, sluts and scum.
     
    Real names of  Smiths  family members are used and the author says  it is a fiction. People should  learn to put themselves in the position of others and think deeply fearing God.  Many in the West should kill the  anti-Islam bias .We have to co-exist respecting each others religion and culture to save world
     
     
     

  • Mohamed Ameen

    Penguins edition of the book “Massacre” was  published in 1967. Many book sellers found the book deeply offensive . Allen Lane got filled a trailer with all the remaining copies of the book and burnt them. Powerful individuals frequently intervene in the publishing process in order to moderate, edit indeed suppress works. When this was suggested about Satanic Verses, the same liberal forces in the UK, blocked the move simply because it was about an alien culture which can be insulted.
     
    Many European thinkers and quite many politicians, Geert Wilders among others feel that they have the new form of fundamentalism. They have absolute fundamental right to express, write,  draw, paint and say what they want without restrictions regardless of the violent and anti-social consequences.  This sort of non-faith based new form of fundamentalism is as dangerous as any form of religious fundamentalism of Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Zionist, Buddhist type.
     
    If this sort of unrestricted freedom of expression is maintained consistently as in Europe, it will lead to an immoral universe. By absolute freedom of expression, a politician like Geert Wilders may exert his fundamental right to encourage genocide of Muslims and a novelist may exert his fundamental right to advocate torture, rape, child sex, orgy, murder, genocide of non-adherents as such perverted freedom believers  will defend their  rights advocating  resolutely  liberty, affection and sexual love.
     
    No one objects intellectual criticism of religions, but we have to put a stop to deliberate hate speech leading to communal riots, violence, killings and  bloodshed. It is not difficult to attain freedom of speech without mockery, insult, vilification and obscene attack on other alien cultures.
     
    There is no freedom without restrictions and there is no independence without discipline
     
    It is senseless to treat the history of Christendom as an unrelated unit : the History of Christians, Jews and Muslims can only be dealt with as a whole. All these three religions are religions of Abraham. The greatest tragedies and atrocities have occurred when the Jewish tradition considers itself pre-eminent and it seeks to eliminate Islam, the same thing applies to Christianity since the days of the crusade. At present the Jews and Christians have joined together and have completely ignored Islam.
     
     

  • Mohamed Ameen

    Author Salaman Rushdie’s ex bodyguard Ron Evans has written a book that Rushdie says that it contains derogatory terms. The Title of the book is “ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE”. Rushdie’s lawyer Mark Stephens has written to the publisher ( John Blake Publishing Limited) demanding that the as-yet unpublished memoir be withdrawn. If not, he is thinking to sue Ron Evans.The following are some of the QUOTABLE QUOTES of Salaman Rushdie on this highly amusing episode. I leave it to your readers to judge his double talk. Remember what had happened in 1988 just before he was deciding to publish the most derogatory book “The Satanic Verses”. He was begged by many, not to publish the book. Nevertheless, he decided to ignore the wise advice of one and all.1. Rushdie says, quote: “Ron Evan’s account was ‘entirely fictitious’”Salman Rushdie’s account in Satanic Verses was a complete concoction too. It was full of filth and lies and deliberate insults.2. Rushdie says, quote: “People have been defamed in Ron Evan’s book”Salaman Rushdie insulted, discredited and defamed the mightiest personalities of the past. He called the patriarch prophet Abraham, highly respected by Jews, Christians and the Muslims as a bastard( May God Almighty forgive me for repeating) in Satanic Verses.3. Rushdie says, quote: “I simply wish to protect my reputation from a bunch of lies.” Salaman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses contained lies, more lies and nothing but lies. An Indian origin English writer whose only asset is his English language thinks that only he has reputation. But he can insult, ridicule, mock and threw to the winds the reputation of 1400 million Muslims and their beloved leaders with impunity. Is not Rushdie a hard core hypocrite?One last point: A quote from Ron Evan’s book:Ron Evans claimed that, Salman Rushdie was mean, nasty, tight fisted and extremely arrogant. He also revealed that Rushdie was untidy in appearance that the guards nick named him “scuffy”The above was the observation of a bodyguard who was rubbing shoulders with Rushdie. The words are music to the ears of very many people because after all, what goes up should eventually come down quite often crashing on the perpetrator’s own head. Our friend had had it now.Many wonder what had happened to all the illogical non-sense and gibberish, loud and high sounding empty words about freedom of speech, freedom of art and literature, freedom of the press etc that were strongly advocated by history’s greatest hypocrites whose collective concern was Islamophobia in 1988. Are they coming forward with equal strength to get Ron Evan’s book published to ensure their lop-sided and conceited concept freedom of speech?Any artist who beautifully paints the Yoni of his own wife and brings it to the market place and displays it to make people laugh should be either a lunatic or he should be unimaginably immoral to make money regardless of how he earns it. That is what Salman Rushdie did in writing and publishing ‘Satanic Verses’ and the West glorified him under the false claim of freedom of speech. This is nothing but Islamophobia that we have been witnessing in greater measure and intensity.
     

  • Mohamed Ameen

    Typ 
     
    All right, we agree that blasphemy laws are repealed and are thrown out. Does it mean that people have the right to blaspheme and ridicule the beliefs and faith of others.
     
    Does it mean that the laws would allow unrestricted freedom of expression leading to communal riots in some countries and  violence, killings and bloodshed in others.
     
    Unrestricted freedom of expression is likely to lead to an immoral universe.
     
    Some irresponsible politicians may exert their fundamental rights to encourage genocide of the weaker sections of the people.
    A novelist may exert his fundamental right to advocate torture, rape, child pornography, orgy and  murder
     
    And perverted freedom lovers will defend their rights advocating resolutely liberty, affection and sexual love.
     
    Take away blasphemy laws by all means but bring in its place an act we have in the UK Race Relations Act or some such similar laws to maintain law and order between communities, cultures and races. Is it impossible  to
    attain freedom of speech without mockery, insult, vilification and obscene attack on other alien cultures
     
    For instance Rushdie says, Ron Evan’s account ( his book On Her Majesty’s Service) was ‘entirely fictitious’. Bunch of lies, full of filth and fiction, that is what exactly the Muslims said about Rushdie’s book (Satanic Verses)
     
    But the reaction of the West towards Rushdie and Ron Evan were shamlessly discriminatory. Rushdie said Rons book defamed people, but he asks the Muslims to allow him to defame the prophet.
    e your comment here.

  • http://twitter.com/manohar_sram Manohar Seetharam

    Sir, I am a non-Muslim, non-Christian, non-Jew. And I want the freedom to write and read a piece that is critical of Prophet and Islam. The question is not about the merit of Rushdie or his novel. The issue is clearly about enforcing blasphemy laws via the back door on Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

  • http://twitter.com/ganpat73 munusamy ganapathy

      i am surprised that writing books is opposed on the basis of offending religious sensibilities.islam permit marriage between children of two brothers or sisters which is not permitted for hindus.one of my close friends brother converted to islam to marry his uncles(fathers brother,in south fathers sisters children can be married)daughter.shall we ban marriages in  islam within relations too since it hurts/offends hindus
     the thought of marrying in the same gothra is offensive to hindus in the north.shall we ban it across all religions because a majority wants so and is offended by it.
      love marriages causes lot of anger and hatred between communities.shall we ban them
      cow/goat/rat/shark may be sacred for some but food for some.is it justifiable to ban it.
      we allow both pork and beef and it should be the same with hussain and rushdie.india is not saudi arabia which has to be remembered else the loser will be the minority. i have the right to offend all religions,books and its practises which i consider barbaric and superstitious.

  • http://twitter.com/ma_falesu Siddhartha Chatterje

    The problem what you don’t understand is that in democracy offending some people and taking offense are acceptable and legitimate choices. So what do you do if you are offended in democracy? Well, you can go ahead and file a case against the offending person. That is exactly what Rushdie did against his bodyguard’s memoir. In democracy, we don’t firebomb or declare 100 lashes, we sue each other. That is also the reason MF Hussain was sued. I was really interested to hear his defensive arguments but he apparently showed his respect of our law by running away from it.

    What Mullahs did in Rushdie’s case? They threatened to kill him. I would leave it to you to determine which action is acceptable in a diverse society.

  • http://twitter.com/ma_falesu Siddhartha Chatterje

    No. Not banned. But Manish Tiwari has declared that he would sue the publisher if they are contemplating about this.

  • Ibn al-Dunya

    It is freedom of speech…I am always amused to see that atheists seem to have no rights in the religious world order. All these Muslims and Hindus who are so protective of their fragile sentiments should take into account that as well. Perhaps someone thinks that all the myth-making is indeed bogus and s/he should have the right to say so…but atheists have never gone and bombed mosques or temples. That they leave to the religious types.