I am reproducing the conversation with the permission of Shri.Ashok Malik.
My email to Shri. Ashok Malik.
Dear Sir,
For long I have been following your articles and I have to say I have always found your crisp analysis apt. But I have to say, that I am not convinced by your article in Hindustan Times "When the Fringe benefits" dated March 07,2010. Please find my objections below.
1. I completely agree that the voice of a perceived internet hindu is becoming increasingly shrill. But does that warrant the net-savvy bloggers and tweeple who take pains to collect evidence to the contrary to be put in the same bin as Shiv Sena and the Taliban?
2. Most right wingers have a streak of passion. Young. Mostly graduate students and many have Ph.D's from reputed institutions. They have carved successful career for themselves. How valid is to portray them as a bunch of loonies?
3. Does filing a petition violate norms of democratic freedom? why should that be perceived as hooliganism? Is it that only journalists have the right to opinion, the general masses don't have?
4. You point to a half-baked online petition and run down a whole set of people who are fighting it out. I am sorry to say this, but there are umpteen number of people who have written reviews exposing Doniger's version of history over the internet. Isn't it well within the democratic right ? Moreover dont you think we need to set some standards in thought and literature?
5. Now regarding MFH, all that the internet hindus were asking was clarification on the interpretation of the nude paintings. If you had the patience to have read the blogs of some of the well know internet hindus, none refuted that indian gods were sculpted nude, unlike the ram sene or bajrang dal. The issue here is of what interpretation one draws from those paintings. An artist paints a work, with a concept with an idea, with a message. what message does a nude sita rubbing against a nude hanuman depict? I am sorry, till now we have got no clarification from any of the freedom of speech activists or the journalists or Mr. MF himself. Please enlighten us on what nude sita on hanuman's tail depict.
6. will you stand up if Doniger's version of Indian history becomes the norm in academic discourse? You must also know that Doniger is least respected even amongst people from her own fraternity. This is not the first time that her book has been in news. Even previously people reacted to the misrepresentations peacefully, democratically as well as intellectually and have been largely succesful in expsoing Doniger's half baked knowledge. Why is it that now there is a voice to curb that right to protest?
7. This is Rajiv Malhotra's rebuttal to Doniger http://rajivmalhotra.com/
8. The most lucid and analytic exposure of the women's reservation bill as well as Right to education bill has come from the internet hindus. I haven't found a single critique of any governmental policies from any of the eminent journalists. So i feel its very ill conceived on your part to come to conclusions on the hindu right on the internet as professionally frustrated, bigoted and intellectually inadequate.
Let me elucidate my personal experience. Burkha Dutt and Nidhi Razdan from NDTV made a documentary on Kashmiri Pandits, where in they said "Mosques pleaded with Kashmiri pandits to leave Kashmir", She also gave a socialistic touch saying KP's were rich and muslims poor, the reason for backlash. Nowhere did it figure that it was an Islamic backlash as most KP's describe. All i did was ask them a question in the most dignified way to provide evidence of Mullahs pleading their heart out for KP's to leave Kashmir? End result i was hurled with a bunch of abuses by both Burkha and Nidhi. they called me a right wing loony, mobster etc and blocked me. Isn't it my democratic right to ask? Did i deserve such a tag from 'respectable' journalists? We come from respectable families, so please don't tag us with political opportunists like Ram sene or Bajrang dal, especially the taliban.
I would be very happy to know your views on the same.
I am also posting the links to few of the hindu right blogs that are read the most.
http://www.sandeepweb.com/
http://www.deeshaa.org/
http://www.vijayvaani.com/
http://barbarindians.blogspot.
http://realitycheck.wordpress.
http://satyameva-jayate.org/
If you will call these blogs as intellectually lacking, I would like to know the precise reason for so. I will be really happy to know your views Sir. I hope this long rant of mine, doesn't further buttress your belief that we are a bunch of talibani loonies. :) No pun intended.
I am copying a friend of mine, who also had some questions to you which i have incorporated in my mail.
Will be eagerly waiting for your response.
Thanks
-Harish
Shri Ashok Malik's reply
Dear Harish,
Thank you for writing. I am responding to your points in order.
1. I do believe the more shrill and abusive Hindu voices approximate Talibanist modes of expression. This is counter-productive and damages those, including many Hindus/right-wingers on Twitter and the Internet, who prefer a reasoned and rational argument.
2. First, I'm sure you'll agree "most", "mostly" and "many" are not exact, evidence-based descriptions. Second, a "streak of passion" cannot be the excuse for abusing people and offering opinionated nonsense produced without due diligence or rigour. If somebody continues to do this, and makes a habit of doing this, he or she must qualify as a loony in my book, irrespective of institutional affiliation.
3. I have not said any of the things you accuse me of. A petition is a perfectly valid democratic device provided it is logical, well-argued, backed by citation and evidence, written in grammatically correct and intelligible language and seeks action commensurate with the supposed misconduct of the person or object that is the target of the petition. The Doniger petition fails on all these counts.
4. I have no problem with critical reviews of Doniger's book. I wrote a critical review of the book (after having read it cover to cover) in November 2009 in the Hindustan Times.However, I am not willing to condone drivel and accept that as a rigorous review.
5. I am not qualified to answering on Husain's behalf; that is his interpretation and he must explain it himself. I am only suggesting that attacking all exhibitions of Husain and hounding a 95-year-old-artist, whatever his faults, makes a free society look ridiculous. As for your point about a need to "set some standards in thought and literature", I'm afraid I don't just disagree but find it abhorrent and dangerous.
6&7. I am very familiar with this and previous works of Doniger. There is much about her work that I disagree with and have written on this theme previously. However, there is a way to contest her and to win the argument. Further, from my understanding of the academic world, no single text or author can become the "norm of academic discourse". Even if this were to happen, the "norm" would need to be contested, not outlawed.
8. You say you "haven't found a single critique of any governmental policies from any of the eminent journalists". Perhaps you haven't looked hard enough.
Sincerely,
Ashok Malik
My response to this email
Dear Sir,
Thanks for your kind reply. Can you please give me the permission to reproduce this conversation in my blog? Since many of our fellow friends were upset with this stereotyping.
I still have some reservations, listed below.
Firstly i would want a clarification on what the 'internet hindu' means. From your reply it seems you are calling those set of hindus who use abusive language and intimidate people.
I am not sure if you know, but i would want tell you how this term 'internet hindu' arised. It was coined by one of the eminent left liberal journalists unable to counter the cogent arguments made by many of the perceived right wing advocates. That's the definition of an internet hindu that we perceive.
1. Sir, internet is a free medium. You should realize it can't be reigned in. It will be the same with the abusive people regardless of their religion. These are to be best ignored. Did they even deserve attention on national newspaper then? Why run down a huge set of sane voices under these abusive figures. Such people will always exist regardless of their religion and political affiliations. Would suggest you to visit some of the left-liberal blogs, one who doesn't agree will be in for all sorts of gaalis. But i still cant agree that comparison to Taliban. Ridiculous to compare bunch of people shouting at their top of their voices to a bunch of blood-sucking, anti-women retards. If such stereotyping of a huge set of hindus continue, may be young people seriously stand a risk to do so. Sample this, a voice of one such perceived internet hindu.
http://mango-man-an-aam-aadmi.
On a side note, suggest you to check blogs,tweets of internet savvy people of other religions, its scary to say the least. Again I would not generalize them and stereotype them either.
2. Point taken.
3. Thanks for clarifying your take on Right to petition. Point taken. Completely agree on that. I assume you only have objections to the draft of the petition not the system of petitioning.
4. Point taken.
5. Here is where i have an issue, when you try to equate people who vandalize museums with the people on internet. I am pretty sure, you know who those foot soldiers are better than we arm-chair critics. Do you think they are on the internet? If that's the definition of an internet hindu, then I think the people who filed petitions would not qualify to this definition. There is an inherent contradiction. would be grateful to you if you clarified.
6&7. Point taken. Lets leave the decision to the courts,authorities and publishers whether to outlaw a book or not. I tend to disagree, when you say no single text or author can become the "norm of academic discourse". But i assume you agree that a particular ideology can become a norm through institutions, as well as 'eminent' authors. I am pretty sure you agree to this fact atleast, because i remember your article on Veer Savarkar and how ideologues from the Congress party erased his memory. Doniger represents the same phenomenon.Thanks to people of the likes of Arun Shourie, Ram Swarup else we would have been secular foot soldiers peddling hatred towards our glorious past and ignorant of our bloody past.
8. Point taken. Agree I jumped the gun. My apologies Sir. The Taliban comparison just got to my head :)
As expected you didn't respond to the heap of abuses that the eminent journalists from the left-liberal media throw at every perceived right-winger over the internet.
As a final note, Internet is the only medium for the well meaning hindu-right to make their voices heard. A sincere request please stay away from such blatant stereotyping and giving undue attention to people who don't deserve one if they exist. Please don't take away my 'right' to be on the internet right. If possible please also write an article on the well meaning right wing bloggers and tweeple .
On a lighter note, we would be very happy if you could spare some precious time of yours and participate on healthy discussions we have on twitter.
Thanks
-Harish
Final reply from Shri. Ashok Malik
Dear Harish,
Please reproduce the conversation on your blog. I'd also like to clarify that I've been using the term "Internet Hindu" in private conversations for quite some time. Sagarika Ghose has arrived at the same term independently.
Sincerely,
Key takeaways :
1. Ashok Malik is pretty unclear as to what an internet hindu is since he clubs the goons who protest at Hussain's art galleries and people ranting it out over the internet. Surely her eminence Sagarika ghose didn't call vandals as internet hindus. If so it only confirms our fears that she is a nobrainer.
2. Our voice is being heard, which surely has rattled the MSM both on the right and left, because the credibility of MSM has touched an all time low. Have met many liberals who feel Indian media is dubious. There is also an inherent fear that the intellectual wars will now be fought on internet not TV studios or newspaper editorials.
3. It also exposes the sheer double standards of MSM, mainly when people who oppose stereotyping of muslims (read MNIK support) end up stereotyping a good chunk of well meaning concerned and educated folks, especially when they wear their culture up their sleeve.
4. Apologies to Reality check India but i am gonna shamelessly quote his comment "large number of ex-elite cant stomach fact that children of bankruptcy are better travelled, better read, dominate internet"
