JOYDEEP CHATTERJEE,
Shyambazar.

Yes, it is necessary. A novel covers various subjects and all these must be beyond legal dispute. Many kinds of people would read a novel and if it contains elements that can incite a section, it may cause unrest. One must never underestimate the power of the written word.

T.R. ANAND,
Budge Budge.

Yes. With such a system in place, one can pre-empt problems following the release of some novels. The recent Taslima Nasreen controversy and the earlier episode involving Salman Rushdie have highlighted the need for an independent censor board for novels.

SUBHOBRATA BASU,
Ballygunge Station Road.

Why do we need a censor board to decide which novels to read and which to avoid? Are we not mature enough? If India is really a democratic country, cultural policing is the last thing that we need. Also, books should not be banned. If a book really contains some objectionable material, it would definitely be rejected by readers. For that, too, we do not need any ‘guardian’.

SAYAN GHOSH,
Bagbazar.

The recent ban on Dwikhandita by the government is a fascist move. If the government starts deciding on the limits of decency, it reflects the ideology of the ruling party rather than the verdict of the common man. The government must appoint a group of ‘neutral’ intellectuals to make a decision when faced with such a literary controversy.

TANMOY DAS LALA,
Salt Lake.

Writing of any sort involves “vomiting out thoughts, imaginations, passions and aspirations”. Therefore, I don’t see any reason why novels should be scrutinised and vetted. All authors should enjoy their own literary licence.

PRIYANKA DAWN,
New Alipore.

It will be derogatory to writers — and readers — if a censor board is appointed to vet novels before they go to print. Eventually, such a censor board would be nothing but another source of drainage for public money.

ALIP DUTTA,
Tobin Road.

I am against an independent censor board that will check a novel before it goes to print because then the right to express one’s views freely would become meaningless. Should there be anything objectionable in a novel, the state can appeal to the judiciary that will then decide whether to ban the novel or to leave out certain portions.

The canvases of cinema and literature are totally different — what is applicable for the audio-visual medium cannot be applied to print. So, the restriction in the form of a censor board will only curb spontaneity and self-expression.

RIMLI DATTA,
Salt Lake.

If a censor board is set up to examine every novel before it goes to print, writers will loose their freedom of expression.

LALITA AGARWAL,
Maniktala Main Road.

Setting up an independent censor board has its advantages as well as disadvantages. If the board is overzealous it may kill good literature on the suspicion that the book might foment communal tension. On the other hand, trash and pornographic literature may escape the board’s attention. Therefore, the utility of the board will, to a considerable extent, dependent on the people comprising it.

Finally, though, the readers are the best judges of a novel.

PRIYANKA AICH,
Address not given.

In the days of the Nazis and even earlier, people resorted to burning of books when potentially scandalous books were circulated. Burning books would obviously be a shocking thing to see today, so other methods of ‘editing’ have been brought into practice.

The recent controversy over Taslima Nasreen’s Dwikhandita goes to show how people in power impose the views of a small percentage of society on the masses. Even if an independent censor board is set up to vet novels, who gets to decide what is true and right? We are no longer in the dark ages and thus, censorship has no place in a country where people are smart enough to take their own decisions.

ROSHNI SENGUPTA,
Address not given.

I am for the censor board. Novelists tend to pen down personal views in their autobiographies. This often sparks off tension.

DEBOLINA GHOSH,
Amherst Street.

When it comes to delicate matters like religion, certain measures should be taken to maintain peace and harmony. Both the sentiments of the author and the common people should be kept in mind and I think an independent censor board can do that.

TAPAN PAL,
Batanagar.

Never. It is blasphemous to think of such a board in a functional democracy. The motion reeks of a Soviet hangover. If a few hoodlums can take the nation hostage in such a manner, and impose their brand of morality on everyone, it must be a very bad day for India.

KOYEL BASU,
Salt Lake.

The hallmark of a democracy is freedom of thought and expression. In such a society setting up of a censor board, (even if it is independent) for examining novels before they go to print will definitely be counter-productive. It may curb creativity of authors. Besides, it’s difficult to implement a uniform set of standards while examining novels.

RANADIP DAS,
Panihati.

Novels these days are filled with slang. There is a need for a censor board to vet such language prior to printing.

TANMOY GHOSH,
Asutosh College.

Such moves will be a threat to our literature. It is undemocratic to ban a work of art. Every writer has the freedom to express his feelings. It is the readers who will judge his work.

MUNMUN DAS NEOGI,
Dum Dum Cantonment.

Grading the books according to their content will do perfect justice to both the authors and the readers. So novels can be sent to censoring authorities. But banning of books cannot be justified.

ANANDARUP GHOSHAL,
Baguiati.

We have no right to suppress a writer’s voice.