Alex Jones is in the news, Audrey Truschke not so much
Audrey Truschke, American historian, was prevented from her lecture schedule in India's Hyderabad. Her lecture was banned by India's right-wing groups. She was supposed to talk on August 11, on the topic of ‘Unpopular Stories: Narrating the Indo-Islamic Past and Navigating Present-day Prejudices’.
A happy day for proponents of Hindu Rashtra, but a sad day for the pursuit of knowledge and academic freedom, she said on her social media updates. Krishnakriti Foundation, the organizer, termed the cancellation as 'Unfortunate'.
Even before the cancellation came to light, the venue had been shifted twice which made people to wonder if the talk was gonna take place as planned. The blame certainly goes in part to the state govt, for its fragility and cowardice, and not standing up to the challenge posed by the Hindu groups. If the bigger states failed, the small states don't stand a chance at all, in the fight against the right-wing. That's the sad part – tragic.
In April, Truschke had been trolled online by the Hindu fanatics; they sent her death threats, rape threats, etc. – some threats depicted graphic detail. The trolls were viscerally reacting to her translation of Hindu, spiritual texts into idiomatic English, which spotlighted Hindu god Ram's misogyny.
References
Historian Audrey Truschke’s Lecture Cancelled After Right-Wing Pressure