Who is Afraid of Books in Uttarakhand?

Dehradun: Who is afraid of books in the hill state of Uttarakhand? After targeting the minority Muslim community in the Garhwal hills, the Right-Wing organisations who rule the state, seem to have now come out openly against books. Probably, they want the younger population to be confined to ‘Whatsapp University’.

A popular “Kitab Kauthing” (book fair), which was scheduled to be held at Srinagar Garhwal, from February 15 and 16 ,2025 stands cancelled. In the past, “Kitab Kauthig” had been held at 12 places successfully in the smaller town and cities of Uttarakhand where books of all hues are displayed for readers to select, read and benefit.

The 13th edition of the book fair was to be held at Srinagar Garhwal, at Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal Central University.

Hem Pant, an organiser of the “Kitab Kauthig” said that they had taken written permission to hold the fair on the university campus, which was being held in collaboration with the Department of Library Science of the university.  However, due to objections from the student wing of the ruling party (Bharatiya Janata Party), it was later orally conveyed to them about the inability of the authorities to grant such permission due to pressure from ‘above’.

“It was not a political show and books of all hues were to be being showcased for readers to choose and inculcate the habit of reading amongst youngsters,” Pant told this writer.

The organisers said they then took permission to hold the book fair at the Ramleela Ground in Srinagar, but that too was later orally withdrawn. Similar permission for a third venue was also reportedly withdrawn, leaving the organisers in a quandary, who decided to cancel the book fair on February 11.

As the posters of the Kitab Kauthig, to be held at Ramleela Ground were put up, the student organisation of the ruling dispensation pasted their own posters over those posters, declaring holding of their own programme at Ramleela Ground on February 16.

 A poster of a Right-wing organisation superimposed on the poster of the Kitab Kautthig in Srinagar Garhwal

“We had invited famous Garhwali singer Narendra Singh Negi and Padam Shri Basanti Bisht, a famous ‘Jagar’ singer for the ‘Kitab Kauthig’ and requested the said organisations to allow us to hold our book fair on February 15 but they declined,” Pant added.

Apart from being “afraid of books”, probably, the ruling dispensation was unhappy with Narendra Singh Negi, who gave his blessings in the recently concluded civic elections to some candidates other than ruling BJP.

Interestingly, during the erstwhile Narayan Datt Tiwari regime, Negi had come up with a much-publicised video “Nauchhami Narayan” (Naughty Narayan] on the goings-on in the then Congress regime, which was thoroughly exploited during the 2007 Assembly election campaign by the BJP.      

Political observers believe that the ‘Sangh Parivar’ affiliates, who are “ruling the roost” in Uttarakhand at present, had reportedly objections to books on Left literature and Baba Saheb Ambedkar being displayed in the book fair.   

The writer is a freelancer based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.