India

US Historian's Hyderabad Event Cancelled; She Blames Right-Wing Outfits

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Aug, 2018 01:15 PM

Historian Audrey Truschke's talk in Hyderabad scheduled for Saturday was cancelled, with the American author claiming that right-wing outfits were behind the cancellation.

A representative of Krishnakriti Foundation, one of the organisers of the event, confirmed that the lecture titled "Unpopular Stories: Narrating the Indo-Islamic Past and Navigating Present-day Prejudices" was cancelled but did not elaborate.

"I deeply regret that my presentation and the subsequent exchange of ideas will not occur.

"Today is a sad day for the pursuit of knowledge and academic freedom, and it is a happy day for proponents of the Hindu Rashtra," Ms Truschke wrote in a Facebook post.

The assistant professor at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, tweeted that her lecture in Hyderabad was cancelled.

"The subject of 'Unpopular Stories', proved a bit too true, perhaps, when the Hindu Right protested to the police."

"The revised schedule is that I will not visit Hyderabad on this trip to India, regretfully," she said in another tweet.

In the Facebook post, Ms Truschke claimed the organisers took this decision after being informed by the Hyderabad Police that several individuals had written letters protesting her appearance.

"I saw only one such letter, and it was from an individual with self-admitted connections to the RSS, BJP and BJPM," Ms Truschke claimed.

I spoke in Delhi this evening on Aurangzeb to a packed house of a few hundred people. The questions were great - So many people were curious about different aspects of Aurangzeb's reign. It was incredible.#Aurangzeb #India #Delhi #History
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) August 9, 2018

#HowHistoriansThink -

When you cannot make sense of established facts about the past, the problem is not with the facts but rather with your analysis. You need a new framework in order to explain the complicated actions of premodern Indian kings.#history #Aurangzeb #Mughal https://t.co/1sk6q3DFOD
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) August 9, 2018

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir both protected and destroyed Hindu and Jain temples. If you want more details about which temples, why, and how a historian makes sense of this complicated--seemingly contradictory--set of policies, well, I literally wrote a book.#Aurangzeb pic.twitter.com/wuD9HtlRtW
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) August 9, 2018

A background check revealed I am controversial.

A background check would also show -
I hold a PhD
I am a professor
I am a well published on the subjects on which I planned to speak

What credentials do you think should be relevant for a scholar to speak?https://t.co/4lgeG5LMS4
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) August 9, 2018

She said she was to speak on several areas of her academic research, including Mughal history and Sanskrit literature.

Ms Truschke said she was especially looking forward to talking with Hyderabad citizens about 'Aurangzeb's brutal assaults' on sultanates in the Deccan in the 1680s and debates concerning what brought about the end of Indian Buddhism in the early second millennium CE.

However, a senior police official told PTI they had not asked the organisers to cancel the event.

"We have not withdrawn permission nor asked them to cancel the event, they themselves took the decision," the official added

Prev Next

MORE India ARTICLES

Israeli Woman, 20, Dies Of Suffocation During Sex In Mumbai, Boyfriend Booked

The incident dates back to March 2017 when the two Israeli national visited India on a tourist visa and stayed in a hotel in Colaba area of South Mumbai.

Israeli Woman, 20, Dies Of Suffocation During Sex In Mumbai, Boyfriend Booked

Won't Marry Daughters Into Homes Sans Toilets: Sirsa Village Panchayat

Inspired by Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha', a village panchayat in Haryana's Sirsa district has adopted a resolution they will not marry their daughters into families who do not have a toilet in their house.

Won't Marry Daughters Into Homes Sans Toilets: Sirsa Village Panchayat

Brides Abandoned By NRI Husbands Start Finding Support From Gurdwara Committee

The core group of abandoned NRI brides who are operating from the Regional Passport Office (RPO) here has started finding support from the gurdwara management committee and other abandoned brides.

Brides Abandoned By NRI Husbands Start Finding Support From Gurdwara Committee

Italy-Based NRI Surjit Singh Found Dead In Hotel Room Near Phagwara

The man checked into the hotel on Tuesday and was found dead a few hours later.

Italy-Based NRI Surjit Singh Found Dead In Hotel Room Near Phagwara

35-Year-Old Nigerian Arrested With 1.5 Kilograms Of Heroin In Delhi

The accused revealed that he and his associate and fellow countryman Charles have been peddling drugs in Uttam Nagar and Janakpuri for the past four months, Mr Kumar said.

35-Year-Old Nigerian Arrested With 1.5 Kilograms Of Heroin In Delhi

Reuters Removes Nikki Haley's Picture With Swastika Seen Behind Her

International news agency Reuters has removed an earlier photo of US Ambassador to United Nations Nikki Haley with a swastika seen behind her at a Hindu temple in New Delhi.