The recent judgement of Supreme Court to end a ban on James Laine’s book on Shivaji has received belligerent reactions from political parties in Maharashtra, ruling party and opposition alike. The Maharashtra government banned the book in 2004 following an attack on the Bhandarkar Institute of Oriental Research where the author conducted his research for the book.
In Maharashtra, Shivaji is the symbol of Maratha pride and has a similar status as George Washington has in the U.S. or Subhash Chandra Bose has in Bengal. A number of major establishments in the state - airport, railway station, roads, schools, colleges — have either been named after him or were rechristened with his name. Owing to this revered position, any remarks which diverge from the age-old opinions about his life are deemed sacrilegious.
Full report here WSJ blogs
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