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  • Trial of poet for 'defiling idol'

    Trial of poet for 'defiling idol'
    By Subir Bhaumik
    BBC News, Calcutta

    An Indian court has ordered a leading Bengali poet to stand trial on charges of defiling a Hindu goddess.


    The court in India's West Bengal state was ruling on a lawsuit filed against Sunil Gangopadhyay by an ex-policeman.

    In an article in Bengal's biggest newspaper this year, Mr Gangopadhyay was quoted as saying he was "sexually aroused" by an idol of Saraswati.


    Retired policeman Bhibhuti Bhusan Nandy filed a lawsuit saying the comments had hurt his religious sentiments.

    Additional chief judicial magistrate in Calcutta's Alipore court, Manjit Singh, ordered Mr Gangopadhyay to appear in court on 3 December.

    The court also ordered legal proceedings against three others - Aveek Kumar Sarkar, editor of the Anandabazar Patrika newspaper, its publisher Bijit Kumar Basu, and chief executive Subir Mitra.

    'Zealots'

    Mr Gangopadhyay, 71, was quoted in Anandabazar as saying he had kissed an idol of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, to satisfy his desire.

    Mr Nandy, who has retired as the chief of the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police, filed a formal complaint with the police against the author.

    "I am delighted the court has started appropriate legal proceedings," Mr Nandy said.

    Mr Gangopadhyay told the BBC on Monday that he was not taking the case seriously.

    "Some religious zealots are playing this up - mine was a light-hearted remark on Goddess Saraswati. Her idol did not evoke devotion in me when I was young. I found her very attractive and that is what I said," said Mr Gangopadhyay.

    "In Bengal, Hindus are known to crack jokes at the expense of their gods and goddesses and that's what I did," he said.

    "I have done no wrong but the zealots are trying to attack me because I am so critical of them. I am not afraid of them - as a writer I have the freedom to say such things and I and my publisher will fight it out in court."

    Controversy Mr Gangopadhyay is West Bengal's best known living poet and novelist with more than 250 books to his name.

    But he is no stranger to controversy.

    Two years ago, there were protests outside a newspaper office in Calcutta after he wrote about the sex life of Indian spiritual leader, Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

    He also described Kali, the Hindu goddess of power, as a "tribal whore", triggering protests by Santhal tribes people and Hindus.

    Last year, the Bangladesh government banned an issue of an Indian magazine which carried a story by Mr Gangopadhyay in which he wrote about the sex life of the Prophet Mohammad.
    Story from BBC NEWS:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...ia/4237076.stm

  • #2
    Sorry bashthard.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Aryan
      Trial of poet for 'defiling idol'
      By Subir Bhaumik
      BBC News, Calcutta

      An Indian court has ordered a leading Bengali poet to stand trial on charges of defiling a Hindu goddess.


      The court in India's West Bengal state was ruling on a lawsuit filed against Sunil Gangopadhyay by an ex-policeman.

      In an article in Bengal's biggest newspaper this year, Mr Gangopadhyay was quoted as saying he was "sexually aroused" by an idol of Saraswati.


      Retired policeman Bhibhuti Bhusan Nandy filed a lawsuit saying the comments had hurt his religious sentiments.

      Additional chief judicial magistrate in Calcutta's Alipore court, Manjit Singh, ordered Mr Gangopadhyay to appear in court on 3 December.

      The court also ordered legal proceedings against three others - Aveek Kumar Sarkar, editor of the Anandabazar Patrika newspaper, its publisher Bijit Kumar Basu, and chief executive Subir Mitra.

      'Zealots'

      Mr Gangopadhyay, 71, was quoted in Anandabazar as saying he had kissed an idol of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, to satisfy his desire.

      Mr Nandy, who has retired as the chief of the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police, filed a formal complaint with the police against the author.

      "I am delighted the court has started appropriate legal proceedings," Mr Nandy said.

      Mr Gangopadhyay told the BBC on Monday that he was not taking the case seriously.

      "Some religious zealots are playing this up - mine was a light-hearted remark on Goddess Saraswati. Her idol did not evoke devotion in me when I was young. I found her very attractive and that is what I said," said Mr Gangopadhyay.

      "In Bengal, Hindus are known to crack jokes at the expense of their gods and goddesses and that's what I did," he said.

      "I have done no wrong but the zealots are trying to attack me because I am so critical of them. I am not afraid of them - as a writer I have the freedom to say such things and I and my publisher will fight it out in court."

      Controversy Mr Gangopadhyay is West Bengal's best known living poet and novelist with more than 250 books to his name.

      But he is no stranger to controversy.

      Two years ago, there were protests outside a newspaper office in Calcutta after he wrote about the sex life of Indian spiritual leader, Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

      He also described Kali, the Hindu goddess of power, as a "tribal whore", triggering protests by Santhal tribes people and Hindus.

      Last year, the Bangladesh government banned an issue of an Indian magazine which carried a story by Mr Gangopadhyay in which he wrote about the sex life of the Prophet Mohammad.
      Story from BBC NEWS:
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...ia/4237076.stm
      You are really pathetic, that you are scoungering through news sites looking to start a dumb thread against India/Indians. Lmao wat a jerk

      Now that you have posted this news clip, mind telling me what was the whole purpose of this. U didn't post any comments after the article so I can see really how dumb & pathetic this is getting. If u want to discuss an issue, it would help if u would post your own comments as well instead of posting a news article that anyone can search for and read.
      Last edited by Gautam; 12 Sep 05,, 14:28.

      Comment


      • #4
        Calm down. I wasn't "scoungering" anywhere, I read BBC news on a daily basis and this newspiece appeared on it. I thought I'd share it with the people here, I'm sure people are glad to know being aroused by hindu idols may end you up in an Indian court.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Gautam
          You are really pathetic, that you are scoungering through news sites looking to start a dumb thread against India/Indians/Pakistan/Pakistanis. Lmao wat a jerk
          I thought this was typical and acceptable of both Indians and Pakistanis in the Asian discussion section?

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by giggs88
            I thought this was typical and acceptable of both Indians and Pakistanis in the Asian discussion section?
            Sorry buddy you are wrong, because I unlike a lot others don't generalise.

            If u read carefully my tirade was against one person only "ARYAN" >>well known here for his dumb threads.

            Same goes for you, as not every Indian/Pakistani looks to villify each other.
            If I wanted to piss him off oh boy I could start one thread and I wouldn't even need a news clip to begin.
            My whole point was that I have been through this guy's each and every post and frankly speaking he posts more news articles than his comments.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Aryan
              Calm down. I wasn't "scoungering" anywhere, I read BBC news on a daily basis and this newspiece appeared on it. I thought I'd share it with the people here, I'm sure people are glad to know being aroused by hindu idols may end you up in an Indian court.
              Man get a life, this is called blasphemy, get that, just like Salman Rushdie was accused of and had a Fatwa issued against him when he wrote Satanic Verses in Early 90's.

              You are surely a high class dumb moron who can't even make simple differences.

              Either way this kind of behaviour would land you in a court no matter what country.
              Though statistics suggest that Islamic nations tend to prosecute more and are more strict than other nations.
              Lmao u are surely out of touch or ignorant of facts.

              Comment


              • #8
                Heh heh...if this guy had written same thing about Radha then he might have been spared.
                After all , Radha & Krishna are both erotic figures in Indian mythology.
                Love your enemies...it'll drive them nuts!!! :)

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by hubby
                  Heh heh...if this guy had written same thing about Radha then he might have been spared.
                  After all , Radha & Krishna are both erotic figures in Indian mythology.
                  Here we go again yet another fool, Erotic lovers????.

                  Lmao you are such a frusto jerk, now I don't want to convert this into a abuse-exchanging match because I can easily shake the very foundations you stand and bark on.
                  Either way you got no understanding of Hindu Mythology.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Another dumb thread and dumb threads tend to be started by xxxx people.


                    Now about this Bengal issue, nothing will happen to the poet, the case will be thrown out of court. The poet can claim to be aroused by idols or Allah Himself for all I care, he should not be arrested.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Mr Gangopadhyaya is the West Bengal Communist Govt's icon and he is a Communist himself.

                      He is a writer of sorts and has written extensively on Communist themes.

                      He is a controversial figure and played a major role in the issue of the West Bengal banning the Bangaldesh writer Taslima Nazreen's book Dwitiyakahand where she is alleged to have lampooned the Koran and brought to the forefront some of the issues that has ignited the world against the edicts of the Koran.

                      What is remarkable about India is that one can lampoon non Moslem Gods and Sons of God, but it is sure to raise a hue and cry if it is done to the Koran and Islam!

                      It is chic and secular in India and especially Communist West Bengal to lampoon all religions and their icon BUT NEVER the Moslems! Moslems are the HOLY COW!

                      Interview with Taslima Nasreen.

                      The exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen was in Kolkata in January to release the fourth part of her autobiographical series, Sei Sob Andhakar (literal translation: All That Darkness). In the wake of the controversy stirred by the previous part of her autobiography, Dwikhandita (literal translation: Split in Two), which was banned by the Left Front government in West Bengal, Nasreen's presence in the city resulted in demonstrations by minority groups, and the imam of a city mosque even issued a fatwa (edict). Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay spoke to the writer on the banning of her book, the recent court cases against her in Bangladesh and Kolkata filed by fellow writers, religious fundamentalism and the latest part of her autobiographical series. Excerpts from the conversation:

                      What was your reaction when you first heard about the banning of your book Dwikhandita in West Bengal?

                      It took me totally by surprise. I could never even imagine such a thing happening. I can see this happening in Bangladesh where there is an extreme right-wing government. In fact, if one of my books is not banned in Bangladesh, it takes me by surprise (smiles). But what really astonished me was that the principal advocates of this banning were the so-called liberal, progressive writers. In fact, they are very good friends of mine. I really have no idea how one can be a writer and demand that another writer's book be banned.

                      The reason cited for the ban is that there are sections in the book that might ignite communal tension.

                      I don't see anything in the relevant pages of the book (49 and 50) that might cause riots. Also, is it correct to underestimate Muslims so much? Are Muslims so ignorant, illiterate, intolerant and combustible when faced with any kind of criticism about their religion? It is through constructive criticism that a society develops and progresses. That is the aim of a modern society. Changes have to be brought in. If we do not point out the faults even now, then how will an Islamic society make progress?

                      In those two pages I have merely cited a part of Islamic history. I have not made it up. I just wanted to show that Islam and the Prophet are not infallible. Many say that Islam has given women due importance, but that is not the case actually. In fact, I have written in the book that in the pre-Islamic Arab world, women had far more independence and importance, and that independence was taken away from them by the establishment of Islam.

                      Syed Shamsul Haque has taken you to court in Dhaka for the contents of Ka (Bangladeshi edition of Dwikhandita), and poet Hasmat Jalal has moved the court in Kolkata, alleging that lyou painted a false picture of his character and religious views.

                      They know exactly what they have said. If they lie now what can I do? Hasmat Jalal has specifically told me that in West Bengal the Muslim community is neglected. There is no reason for me to put words into their mouths.

                      As for my relationships portrayed in Dwikhandita, I know there are people who object to it. Sunil Gangopadhyay (eminent Bengali writer) has said personal relationships behind closed doors is a private matter and should not be brought out in the open. But I am writing my autobiography. I will have to write about things that have made an impact on me, which have helped me develop into what I am today. All these experiences are important to me. I have not betrayed anyone, I have not told anyone that I will not be writing about my relationship with that person. There are people who have relationships out of wedlock, but when somebody comes out with it in the open, it is found unacceptable in society, especially if the person concerned is a woman. The reaction to the contents in Dwikhandita both in Bangladesh and West Bengal has been the same. As for those talking about morality and reputation, if they are so concerned about that, then why abandon them in secret? A progressive intellectual and writer of the stature of Shamsul Haque in Bangladesh has gone on record as saying that I should be hanged. In what way is this different in outlook from a fundamentalist?

                      What is Sei Sob Andhakar about?

                      It is the fourth part of my autobiography. It takes of from where Dwikhandita ends. Dwikhandita ends with the issuing of the fatwa in Bangladesh and the general uproar over my book. Sei Sob Andhakar starts from there. I went to Paris to attend a seminar on press freedom and came back to Dhaka from there via Kolkata. In Kolkata, at a press conference I had spoken of some of the Shariat laws that need to be amended. That was misinterpreted and I was quoted as saying that the Quran needed to be amended. In Bangladesh, the fundamentalists were already up in arms against me, and after this news reached them, they went berserk. Every day thousands started staging demonstrations against me, issuing fatwas one after the other, declaring bandhs, and the government, instead of taking action against them, turned on me, accusing me of hurting the religious sentiments of people. By then the mullahs started demanding my death through hanging and instigated lakhs of people to take to the streets. On the one hand there was the police hunting me down, and on the other fundamentalists were baying for my blood. My lawyer then advised me to go into hiding. Matters had come to such a head that even if I had given myself up, I would certainly have been killed in prison. So, I spent the next two months in hiding and darkness. The whole country was in the grasp of fundamentalists at that time. Sei Sob Andhakar is about those two months in hiding and it ends with my leaving the country. This is more like a documentation of the time - my situation and the society outside. It is a documentation of how fundamentalism, with the support of a government, can become dangerously powerful.

                      Do you think that this book will also create controversy because it is obvious that you have spoken out strongly against Islamic fundamentalists here?

                      There is no problem if I write against fundamentalists, that happens only if I write against religion. All these events have taken place only because I criticised religion and Islam in my autobiographies. Now, if I have to omit my views on religion, then it is as good as censoring my life. Not just Islam, I believe no religion gives women freedom. But since I lived in an Islamic society, that was what I wrote most about.

                      I personally don't think Sei Sob Andhakar will give rise to any kind of controversy. But then my views on religion are there in all my books.

                      Will this book also contain accounts of your personal relationships?

                      No, this is only about the two months I spent in hiding in Bangladesh.

                      After the fatwa declared on you by the imam of a city mosque and the demonstrations against you asking you to leave the country, do you still find Kolkata a safe place for you to stay?

                      I think they had the guts to issue this kind of a fatwa only because the book has been banned. Today in Kolkata, the fatwa is to blacken my face and to garland me with shoes and claim Rs.20,000. If this is not checked, the next thing they may very well issue is a reward of Rs.1 lakh for my severed head. In Bangladesh, the man who first offered a reward of Taka 50,000 for my head was totally unknown before that. Now that movement has become so big that a number of its members are in the Bangladesh Parliament. This happened because nobody opposed him in the beginning.

                      This is not just an issue concerning me. This raises an important question: do the people of West Bengal want writers to have their freedom? It is up to them to decide. But in spite of this, I find it totally safe in Kolkata. The ordinary people love me as much as before.

                      What are you doing in the United States?

                      I am working as a research scholar at Harvard University on "Secularisation of Islamic countries". I am studying the scope and possibilities of making these countries secular. This is one of my favourite subjects, and I intend to bring out one day the results of my research in book form. It will also deal with how, in different Islamic countries, the secular movement began, why it was destroyed, why fundamentalism is on the rise.

                      What is your next book going to be about?

                      I don't know if I shall write a novel soon, but the next part of my autobiography will be about my life in exile. It will be called Ami Bhalo Nei, Tumi Bhalo Theko Priyo Desh (literal translation: I am not well, you remain well beloved country). I have not yet started writing it, but it is all in my mind.
                      http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2103...3001008100.htm
                      Last edited by Ray; 13 Sep 05,, 03:44.


                      "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                      I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                      HAKUNA MATATA

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        One can feel sexually aroused by Saraswati or from other religious scriptures, but in India one cannot be sexually aroused by the verse of the Koran! That would be blasphemous. Toba! Toba!

                        India is the first country to ban Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses!

                        India is the only country that can change the Laws to suit the Moslems.

                        Take the Shah Bano case.

                        Shah Bano, divorced by her husband based on the the antediluvian incantation thrice of the magic spell - Talaq left her without support. Because she had no means to support herself and her children, she approached the courts for securing maintenance from her husband. When the case reached the Supreme Court of India, seven years had elapsed. The Supreme Court invoked Article 125, which applies to everyone regardless of caste, creed, or religion. It ruled that Shah Bano be given maintenance money, similar to alimony.

                        The Moslems in India felt threatened by what they perceived as an encroachment of the Muslim Personal Law, and protested loudly at the judgement. They formed an organization known as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and took out agitations in large numbers

                        In 1986, the Congress (I) party, which had an absolute majority in Parliament at the time, passed an act that nullified the Supreme Court's judgment in the Shah Bano case. This act upheld the Muslim Personal Law and writ as excerpted below:

                        "Every application by a divorced woman under section 125… of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, pending before a magistrate on the commencement of this Act shall, notwithstanding anything contained in that code… be disposed of by such magistrate an accordance with the provisions of this Act."

                        Critics strongly contend that this Act was passed in order to appease minorities and safeguard the Muslim vote bank.

                        However, it proved that fundamentalist minorities can exert pressure on government and judicial decisions and the fact that it was chic and secular to go overboard to appease the Moslems!

                        Interestingly the BBC news has not been carried in the Kolkata (Calcutta) newspapers as yet!

                        I am sure the "cultural capital of India" i.e. Kolkata with its hordes of Communist claiming intellectualism will go chic and secular and say that Gangopadhya was expressing his personal liberty!

                        I wonder if anyone in India will dare being sexually aroused by the Prophet's favourite wife!

                        On sex and Islam one could write volumes.

                        But why bother about sex and Islam?

                        I am chic and secular!
                        Last edited by Ray; 13 Sep 05,, 03:48.


                        "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                        I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                        HAKUNA MATATA

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Let's look at Indian secularism i.e. Moslems uber alles and Indian Holy Cow.

                          Excerpts from Telegraph (India) 13 Sepetember:

                          The Supreme Court’s order on noise pollution banning use of loudspeakers and any public address system between 10 in the night and 6 in the morning has sparked a debate among Muslims in the city.

                          The debate is over whether they should abide by the directive or demand concessions for the pre-dawn azaan or the fajrazaan, which reminds devout Muslims it is time for the first of the five prayers in the day.

                          The state police are seeing to it that the order is obeyed and even arrested some people who violated the ban during the Ganesh festival, the 10-day celebrations that began on September 7.
                          So the Hindus are arrested while the Moslems can go ballistic with their noise!

                          Now let's see what the Holy Cows of India, the Moslems have to say:

                          On Saturday, the All India Ulema Council called a meeting to discuss the directive. “We definitely want to abide by the Supreme Court directive. But many of us felt that the morning azaan would not contribute to noise pollution because it is just two minutes long. We would like the apex court to give us a concession,” said Maulana Athar Ali, spokesperson for the council, the apex body of imams and maulanas.
                          So, they will abide, but damn it all, morning azaan would not contribute to noise pollution because it is just two minutes long.

                          So a two minutes unsonorous wail that wakes up the dead well before the crack of dawn is not nosie pollution!

                          The Azaan and the fajrazaan that I am subejected to daily as if it were the air raid siren practice is surely not two minutes long! It carries on and on!

                          Besides being very short, it is not an entertainment-related activity that can disturb other citizens.
                          Great logic! I am yet to know how any noise can be of entertainment related!

                          Malegaon’s decision inspired the Muslim community in Nashik city to follow suit and perform only a “symbolic” azaan in low volume.
                          Aha, so it will be in Malegaon merely symbolic and in low volume!

                          How will it be symbolic if it is still two minutes worth and what would be low volume?

                          Another fraud to circumvent the issue and carry on business regardless!

                          I love India and its Holy Cows the Moslems!

                          They are great at logic!

                          And they can suit the circumstance to suit their needs and the Indian Federal and State Governments are so secular and chic!

                          Other religions in India better obey the law or be arrested, but the Holy Cows of India, the Moslems, can moo, bleat or bray and all is well.

                          I am secular and chic too!
                          Last edited by Ray; 13 Sep 05,, 04:59.


                          "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                          I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                          HAKUNA MATATA

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Gautam
                            Here we go again yet another fool, Erotic lovers????.

                            Lmao you are such a frusto jerk, now I don't want to convert this into a abuse-exchanging match because I can easily shake the very foundations you stand and bark on.
                            Either way you got no understanding of Hindu Mythology.
                            Dear Gautam, first get out of your madrasa, throw away your jehadi pamphlets and read Jayadeva's 'Geet Govinda' - a classic poem which celebrates the erotic and spiritual aspects of Radha and Krishna. :)
                            Love your enemies...it'll drive them nuts!!! :)

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by hubby
                              Dear Gautam, first get out of your madrasa, throw away your jehadi pamphlets and read Jayadeva's 'Geet Govinda' - a classic poem which celebrates the erotic and spiritual aspects of Radha and Krishna. :)
                              WTF???????
                              Madrasa , u halucinating or what, Na I think u just pissed because I wrote something that went straight over your head, which I bet is empty.

                              I am not aware of the specifics of Geet Govinda poem, and let us assume that it celebrates what you say it does, but still it does not give any moron the right nor the freedom to interpret in their despo ways and as for you "Hubby" I suggest you read the thread carefully next time for we are not discussing Radha * Krishna but the dumb moron "Aryan" just like you who started this thread.

                              I have never seen any Madrasa's in India nor head about them so why would u ask me 2 get out of a madrasa???? Jihadi pamphlets oh I am sorry but that belongs to only Muslims and I am surely not a Muslim.


                              ON AN ENDING NOTE I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU "HUBBY" WHY DID U GET ALL PISSED ALL OF A SUDDEN. I GUESS ITS IN UR PAKISTANI MENTALITY (ASSUMING U R A PAKISTANI)

                              Comment

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