Arshia Kashyap :
When the Uttar Pradesh government banned Periyar’s Sachchi Ramayana in 1969, it wasn’t just censoring a book—it was silencing a voice that dared to question dominant power structures. Seen as controversial and an abomination to Hindu sentiments, the state government went on to ignore the Supreme Court ruling which declared the ban illegal. Of course, the upper caste Hindus in power were sure to hate the interpretation of a religious text by a man from a lower caste. Most books are banned due to similar reasons- governments oppose radical texts, especially ones that may agitate people against them. This explains the phenomenon of 1984 by George Orwell being one of the most banned books ever, considering its commentary on authoritarian states and its disdain of governmental figures.
Book bans are ideally supposed to guard people against content that is problematic- books sympathising with Nazi ideology or promoting rape culture are perhaps better fit for this purpose, however, they have more so become a tool for governments to censor material they disagree with. This sentiment was echoed in British India’s censorship of anti-colonial accounts, and continues to be seen in the United States and its censorship of stories depicting transgender people, such as Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. Thus, policy regarding book bans reflects the government agenda, rather than the safety and well being of people.
Often, school districts also ban books. These bans usually reflect the policies being pushed in the legislature. According to PEN America, Florida witnessed over 4500 book bans in the 2023-24 school year. Unsurprisingly, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was one of the most banned books.1 A book about a theocratic state where women are viewed as commodities and are forced to bear children, it is not hard to see why it would be banned post the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Florida’s book objection law mandates that any book deemed “pornographic” be removed from school shelves within five days of a complaint.. This broad definition allows schools to interpret ‘pornography’ subjectively, placing queer and transgender narratives at heightened risk of removal. Given Florida’s slate of anti-trans and anti-queer bills, this problem is further compounded. This includes the notorious ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which prohibits teachers from talking about sexual orientations and gender identities, along with anti-trans bathroom bills. Effectively, these laws combined with book bans limit representation, squash diversity and sideline minorities to the peripheries.
Book bans are becoming more common in politically polarized states.. This means that a book banned in one area may become even more popular in areas with differing political ideologies. A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University and George Mason University found that book bans increase conversation around the book in question, which can persuade people to either read the book, or deter them from it. However, they found that banned books saw a 12% rise in circulation on average, and an 11% rise in states with different political leanings that did not ban the book.2 This leads to greater attention to the book and the author, which can be especially beneficial for smaller, lesser known writers.
Interestingly, the same study found that politicization of books led to Republican members of the house witnessing a surge in donations in Republican states, showing that politicians have an incentive to encourage book bans. This phenomenon might in part explain the rampant censorship being encouraged.
What then happens when we accept this censorship as the norm? Education becomes severely compromised, as children are barred from developing their own views on right and wrong. When we push a certain morality onto children without giving them the space for exploration and questioning, it leads to narrow thinking and a limited worldview. This is not to say that children should read material that may be too much to handle for them. A pre-teen should not be expected to read books with graphic depictions of violence. This however, does not mean that access to such books is blocked altogether on the pretext of some moral high ground. Organisations like PEN America which encourage free speech thus become crucial mechanisms to safeguard this freedom to read. It is imperative for us to be active proponents of such movements, especially in this age of a highly polarised world.
हिंदी अनुवाद:
नैतिकता और नियंत्रण के बीच की महीन रेखा: पुस्तक प्रतिबंध
1969 में उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार ने पेरियार की सच्ची रामायण पर प्रतिबंध लगाया। यह केवल किताब पर सेंसरशिप नहीं थी, बल्कि उस आवाज़ को दबाना था जिसने सत्ता संरचनाओं पर सवाल उठाए। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने प्रतिबंध को अवैध बताया, फिर भी सरकार ने इसे नज़रअंदाज़ किया। ज़्यादातर किताबें इसी कारण बैन होती हैं—क्योंकि वे सत्ता को चुनौती देती हैं। जैसे जॉर्ज ऑरवेल की 1984, जिसने तानाशाही व्यवस्था की आलोचना की, अक्सर निशाने पर रही।
आदर्श रूप से, प्रतिबंध उन किताबों पर होना चाहिए जो सचमुच नफरत या हिंसा को बढ़ावा दें, परन्तु अक्सर यह सरकारों के लिए असहमति को दबाने का औज़ार बन जाता है। औपनिवेशिक भारत में स्वतंत्रता-संघर्ष संबंधी साहित्य पर सेंसरशिप, और आज अमेरिका में ट्रांसजेंडर कहानियों पर बैन, इसका उदाहरण हैं।
स्कूलों में भी पुस्तक प्रतिबंध आम है। 2023-24 में फ्लोरिडा में 4500 से अधिक किताबें प्रतिबंधित हुईं। मार्गरेट एटवुड की The Handmaid’s Tale भी इसमें शामिल थी। “पोर्नोग्राफी” की ढीली परिभाषा के कारण क्वीयर और ट्रांसजेंडर साहित्य सबसे ज़्यादा प्रभावित होता है।
दिलचस्प है कि अध्ययनों में पाया गया कि प्रतिबंधित किताबों की लोकप्रियता बढ़ जाती है—औसतन 12% तक। कई बार लेखक और प्रकाशकों को भी इससे फायदा होता है। साथ ही, किताबों के राजनीतिकरण से राजनेताओं को दान में भी बढ़ोतरी होती है।
समस्या यह है कि जब सेंसरशिप को सामान्य मान लिया जाता है, तो शिक्षा प्रभावित होती है। बच्चों को स्वतंत्र सोचने और सवाल करने का अवसर नहीं मिलता। निश्चित रूप से उम्र के हिसाब से सामग्री का ध्यान रखना चाहिए, परंतु किताबों पर पूर्ण प्रतिबंध समाधान नहीं है। यही कारण है कि PEN America जैसी संस्थाएँ, जो अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता का समर्थन करती हैं, बेहद ज़रूरी हैं। हमें ऐसे प्रयासों का सक्रिय समर्थन करना चाहिए।
संदर्भ:
- पेन अमेरिका: Banned in the USA: Beyond the Shelves
- George Mason University Libraries: Mason expert says that book banning hurts students’ access to learning
