A children’s picture book titled The Art of Tying a Pug, published by Chennai’s Karadi Tales, has been withdrawn after the author, illustrator and the publisher were issued threats by a section of the Sikh community for offending their religious sentiments.
While the title might make the reader think that the book is about the pug breed of dog which is featured on the cover and the visuals, it’s actually about the art of tying the pagdi or turban. The book has been written by popular author Natasha Sharma, a practising Sikh herself, and illustrated by award-winning artist Priya Kuriyan.
However, the playful idea of associating the pagdi with the pug has not gone down well with a section of the Sikh community. Apart from the verbal abuse, some have gone to the extent of stating on social media that if an apology is not issued, the team will meet with the “same condition as Indira Gandhi”, the former Prime Minister who was assassinated by her guards. Threats of setting the publishing house and the staff on fire have also been doing the rounds, along with their office address.
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Speaking to TNM, Shobha Viswanath, Publishing Director of Karadi Tales, says that the backlash was unexpected: “The author, apart from being a practising Sikh herself, also showed it to other practising Sikhs, as did Karadi Tales. The response we received was unanimously positive, with many of these readers saying that they were waiting to buy it for friends and family members. It was made with their blessings, and this trouble from a small section of people was completely unexpected.”
Responding to the controversy, writer Inderpreet Kaur Uppal, a practising Sikh who lives in Udhampur, says, “I have not read the book yet but I don't think that the word 'Pug', or the connection that it is also a dog breed, should offend anyone. Also, we can write it as 'Pag' short for 'Pagri/pagdi or turban'. There are a lot of words that have more than one meaning in different languages and not all of them are flattering. Pug/Pag in English and Gurmukhi means two different things, so I am not offended. It's not as if the author invented the word 'Pug' specifically for the book.”
In fact, Inderpreet was planning to buy the book for her 10-year-old son.
“Learning to tie a turban or pug is a process that requires dedication and practice. If a book with some funny anecdotes and story with a loving family dog can make it fun and easy, then we must share it with our kids,” she shrugs.
However, not all Sikhs are on the same page as Inderpreet. On a popular Facebook reading group for children’s books, several readers have lamented the fact that the book has been withdrawn. However, there are a few who’ve said that the idea of punning on the word ‘pug’ is indeed offensive to the religion, and that it might even lead to the bullying of Sikh boys in school.
A Change.org petition asking for the withdrawal of the book has over 1000 signatures at the time of writing this article. It was started by Arshdeep Singh who, according to his Facebook page, works at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana.
The petition asks for an unconditional apology and withdrawal of the book from the market by the publisher, and also demands that Natasha and Priya appear before the Sri Akal Takhat Sahib (in Amritsar) and apologise.
Asked if those objecting to the book had engaged in a dialogue with the publisher, Shobha says, “All communications we received in this regard demanded a complete and immediate ban on the book. This was despite our sharing a note from the author which talks about the intent of the book, her own faith, and her personal experiences helping her father tie a pagdi. Before we even had time to discuss this and think of a plan of action, trolling on our pages as well as the author’s and illustrator’s Facebook pages had begun. And then a legal notice landed in our mail box.”
Though the legal counsel for Karadi Tales believes that there is no case since the book was written by a practising Sikh without any malicious intent, the publisher has decided to withdraw it out of concern for the author and illustrator.
The news has shocked the children’s books community in the country. Writer and publisher Richa Jha who runs Pickle Yolk Books and has read the book, says, “Both as a writer and a publisher, I read it several times wistfully and kicked myself for not having come up with something as clever, as crackling, as lovely myself. It is such a gently unfolding humour, bit-by-bit, taking care at each step to show the reader the great importance a Sikh attaches to tying a pagdi. At no stage did I feel the book displaying in its tone or intent (either textually or visually), an iota of mockery or callousness or irreverence - typically, what the zealots flare up on.”
Standing in solidarity with Karadi Tales, Richa says that she knows the kind of love, care and effort that goes into creating a picture book.
“Any idea that comes to a publishing house goes through a rigorous vetting process with the creative team. How does one, therefore, define the 'objectionable?' In a book like this where the author herself is a practising Sikh who has grown up seeing her father's love and reverence for the pagdi, it is inconceivable that it would ever be her intent to portray it with any degree of disrespect,” she asserts, asking why we have become “a nation of cudgel-whipping intolerants”.
Award-winning writer Siddhartha Sarma, echoes Richa’s thoughts: “If someone does not like a work of art (such as a book), they can write critiquing it, or in extreme situations call for a boycott of the work. These are rational responses to such a disagreement. Banning a book is an irrational solution where the emotional requirements of a group of people is held to be more significant than the right of a work of art to exist and to be accessed by everyone. Unfortunately, we live in times when writers, artists and others are subjected to threats or outright violence, and publishers are forced to withdraw books from circulation very frequently. I do not see things getting better anytime soon. The loss is everyone’s, except those who feel their outrage is more significant than the rational requests of others. I stand with the author, illustrator and publisher.”