NEW DELHI: Chaman Lal, Former Dean at Faculty of Languages, Punjab University, addressed a national seminar on “Pratibandhit Hindi Sahitya” at Hindu College, where he remarked that modern education is stifling students’ curiosity and their courage to ask questions.
“JNU students have the courage to ask questions, but in the past few years, there have been continuous efforts to suppress them,” he said.
He also criticized Indian government officials for their lack of effort in archiving banned documents.
“Archives are as important as universities and schools. India is lacking in record-keeping,” said Lal during the seminar.
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Speaking on the same topic, Prof. Chandrapal from Hindu College informed students that most of the banned publications are related to Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh. “Hundreds of banned texts on Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh are still not available to the public, which is keeping Indian youth away from history,” he added.
He mentioned that Malini Awasthi is actively working on converting and preserving some of these texts and songs, with a few already available on her YouTube channel.
Reflecting on history, Chaman Lal stated that the banning of books, posters, and newspapers was a means of suppressing people’s consciousness. He provided examples such as the forced shutdown of the Bengal Gazette, the imprisonment of Bal Gangadhar Tilak for his writings in the Kesari newspaper, and the execution of readers of the Payame-e-Azadi newspaper.
The first session, chaired by Vijay Dutt Shridhar, featured engaging presentations by P.K. Jain, Narendra Shukla, and Rakesh Pandey. The speakers delved into various facets of prohibited Hindi literature, highlighting its historical, cultural, and literary implications.
In the afternoon session, discussions continued with Santosh Bhadauria, Chaman Lal, Dr. Rajvanti Mata, and Bhairav Tyat Das sharing their perspectives on how censored literature reflects societal changes and resistance.
Professor Bhairav Lala Das introduced a few perspectives on banned Indian literature for further research.