Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls

These are lonely times for scholarship in India.Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti( SBAS) has claimed yet another scalp in the form of the withdrawal of Wendy Doniger’s book ‘The Hindus:An alternative history’ by its publishers Penguin,India. The author, while ‘angry and disappointed’ by this decision has said that she can understand the plight of her publishers who were fighting a criminal case and not a civil suit. It had serious implications for their physical safety. Fellow scholars and academics are upset and angry that the publishers have caved in.

The question we need to ask ourselves, however is about our own role in this whole affair. There were not too many voices of protest  when the same SBAS forced the Calicut University to remove a poem by an unknown poet from an English language textbook alleging that the poet was a ‘terrorist’. Its editors felt compelled to apologize…

There is, however, one fact which all sources agree on: Valentine’s Day has evolved over the course of nearly 2000 years. Like many holidays, it was inspired by a noble man who was named saint by the Catholic Church. To understand the fullness of this holiday, get to know the person and traditions that are celebrated each year on February 14.

Saint Valentine

Before his sainthood, Valentine was a priest who protected young lovers’ right to marry in third century Rome. It is said that Emperor Claudias II banned marriage…