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Journalism of Courage
It is unremarkable that Aditya Thackeray,as a dutiful young apprentice in the Shiv Sena,should flip through a novel and flip out. He was being perfectly conventional,as he prepares for a larger role in the family business. Rohinton Mistrys Such a Long Journey,published in 1991,has been on Mumbai Universitys English syllabus for a few years now but after Thackeray grand-fils chanced upon a few unflattering references to his political patrimony,it was summarily excised from the curriculum. Mumbai University Vice Chancellor Rajan Welukar leapt to action in 24 hours,in order to placate the Senas student wing,and using emergency powers at his disposal. And now,that decision has been bolstered by the Congress chief minister,Ashok Chavan,declaring the book highly objectionable and unsuitable for academic attention.
Its just another instance of Maharashtras pattern of parochialism,offence-taking and,ultimately,all institutions conspiring to constrict freedom. The Sena does what it has always done,nurse the small injuries of the Marathi manoos and build its political fortune on that sense of disenfranchisement. Any act that signals cultural machismo and embattled pride is good enough for the Thackerays and their ilk to exploit. But the Congress disgraces itself by seconding that intolerance. Perhaps Ashok Chavan had his own set of stakes in dismissing the Mistry novel,which doesnt enlarge Indira Gandhis aura either. Either way,this is just one more in a long line of sorry examples where all mainstream political forces acquiesce,and let the most resentful extreme set the states agenda.
