Fw: H-ASIA; Gandhi racist and bisexual? How book reviews can distort the book (comment)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Conlon" <conlon@U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
To: <H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 3:45 AM
Subject: H-ASIA; Gandhi racist and bisexual? How book reviews can distort
the book (comment)

> H-ASIA
> March 30, 2011
>
> Comment re: Gandhi racist and bisexual? How book reviews can distort the
> book
> *************************************************************************
> From: oeendrila lahiri <oeendrila@gmail.com>
>
> The furore over this book [Joseph Lelyveld, _Great Soul..._] that has led
> to the Indian state banning the book can be justified insofar as
> sensationalist fabrications or misrepresentations are concerned. But I
> think we should also consider why charges of homosexuality evoke such
> intolerant measures as if it were the same as charges of rape, murder or
> other criminal acts. The man in question may be Gandhi, but so what?
>
> It is an opportune moment to reflect upon what we, even in the 21st
> century, take to be taboo insofar as nationalist politics and national
> figures are concerned.
>
> Oeendrila Lahiri
> JNU
> Delhi
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ed. note: Oeendrila Lahiri raises a valid point with respect to the
> way some have reacted to the alleged contents of Lelyveld'b book, I
> would note that the thrust of the discussion has focussed primarioly
> upon how a book review (I have learned that there was a review in
> the Wall Street Journal) and the 'news' item in the Daily Mail are
> examples where in the content (or non-content) of a book are twisted
> out of shape. In this particular instance, my own view is that the
> review by Andrew Roberts in the Wall Street Journal constitutes an
> occasion for an unprovoked assault on the reputation of Mahatma
> Gandhi. This reminds me of similar attacks on Gandhi's reputation
> at the time of the widespread successs of the Attenborough film
> "Gandhi"--which provoked a number of neo-conservative comments that
> belittled Gandhi's achievements, primarily by concentrating upon
> his faults and alleged faults. I think the Indian politicos are
> making loud noises for their own perceived interests. I suspect
> the real audience for these new canards lies in the conservative
> blogosphere where things like this can go viral. FFC
>
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