Hindus Protest NS Speaker
Claims she misrepresented the religion
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Doniger was a contender for the NBCC award in nonfiction for her book, *The Hindus: An Alternative History*. The book, published by Penguin Press, has received acclaim as a scholarly work by some, but as an insult to Hindus and Hinduism by others.
The Indian American Intellectuals Forum, a group that aims to strengthen understanding of Indian culture in America, organized the rally outside the auditorium during her reading, and held signs that read “Stop telling lies about Hindus” and “Her book is a work of fiction.”
Doniger, a religious studies professor at The Divinity School at The University of Chicago, said that she wanted her book to explain Hinduism in a different way than it has been commonly viewed.
“I felt that the history that was out there was leaving out really important things," Doniger said in an interview with *The New Press* on March 13. "Hinduism has been criticized as a religion that excludes lower castes and women but I felt this was not true and unfair to Hinduism.”
Although she didn’t win the general nonfiction award for which she was nominated, Doniger said it was an honor to be nominated because books on Asian studies are rarely considered.
Protesters argued that Doniger’s work is offensive and uninformed, claiming that she called the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s most sacred texts, a “dishonest book"; that her Sanskrit translations of classic literature are incorrect; and that she is “flippant” towards her American Hindu critics.
Flyers at the event stated that Doniger has compared Hindu Goddesses to *Playboy* centerfold models. "She has written things demeaning the value of the oldest living civilization,” said protester Srichamd Sidhwani.
Aditi Banerjee, 27, co-editor of *Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America*, and author of "Oh, But You Do Get It Wrong!,” a critical response to Doniger’s work, is concerned that Doniger could come to be regarded by Americans as an authority on Hinduism.
“When I went to bookstores the Hinduism sections were full of books by Doniger, who had just focused on the really exotic, the fringe aspect of Hinduism, for example talking about the Kamasutra,” said Banerjee.
Banerjee was not present at the protest but expressed her sentiments in an interview with the *Free Press* on March 12.
Doniger said she believes some American Hindus oppose her work because she discusses texts and ideas that the contemporary Hindu Community in America does not adhere to.
"They [the contemporary Hindu Community in America] don’t really know about or like some of the rest of Hinduism which is not vegetarian and is more open-minded in terms of sexuality," said Doniger. "These are things that I thought should be brought back into the conversation.”
Protestors said Doniger’s view should not be regarded as the leading one in the U.S. “This kind of misinformation must be stopped," said Sidhwani. "That’s why our group is here standing outside the school where she is being honored.”
Doniger declined to comment directly on the protesters.
Doniger said she believes some American Hindus oppose her work because she discusses texts and ideas that the contemporary Hindu Community in America does not adhere to.
"They [the contemporary Hindu Community in America] don’t really know about or like some of the rest of Hinduism which is not vegetarian and is more open-minded in terms of sexuality," said Doniger. "These are things that I thought should be brought back into the conversation.”
Protestors said Doniger’s view should not be regarded as the leading one in the U.S. “This kind of misinformation must be stopped," said Sidhwani. "That’s why our group is here standing outside the school where she is being honored.”
Doniger declined to comment directly on the protesters.
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