After `Dharmakarana’ and `Basava Vachana Deepti’ it is the turn of `Aanu Deva Horaganavanu.’ The legacy of book ban culture seems to be continuing in the state. In the span of a decade three books all relating to the great soicial revolutionary of the 12th century Basaveshwara have suffered the humiliation of being dumped in to the basket of banned books.

`Dharmakarana’ was written by  P V Narayana while `Basava Vachana Deepti’ was penned by the firebrand Veerashaiva Woman Jagadguru Maathe Mahadevi and now `Aanu Deva Horaganavanu’ of Banjagere Jayaprakash. Ironically Mathe Mahaedvi heading the Rashstriya Basava Dal was on the forefront of agitation demanding ban on the book `Aanu Deva..’

There were few other books-`Chikaveera Rajendra’ by the Jnanpith Awardee Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, `Marga’ by Dr M M Kalburgi,  and a play `Maha Chaitra’ by H S Shivaprakash-which had invited protest by Veerashaiavas had nearly survived the ban.

The latest ban has hurt the people having concern for democracy, freedom of expression and literary freedom while it has delighted the status quoists who have been after the blood of Banjagere and mounted all kind of pressure on the government. It is not without significance that the government has banned the book two days before the deadline set by the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha to ban the book. They had warned the government that lakhs as will take to streets in Bangalore on July 25 to lay seige Vidhana Soudha. The Kumaraswamy government did not give the trouble to the agitators to prove their strength.

It is a victory time in certain circles here as the activists of the Veershaiva Samaj, Basava Dal and the like organisations celebrated the ban by cheering and by cracking fire at the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel circle, Interestingly they garlanded the statue of Sardar Patel! The Mahasabha has dropped `Vidhana Soudha Chalo’ and instead celebrate victory on that day.

The intellectual class however has strongly condemned the move as anti-democratice, infringement on the right to expression and literary freedom.

``An intellectual work should be countered intellectually. In the history some of the classic books have been banned by the intolerant governments. Unfortunately `Aanu Deva..’ which is a very poor work has joined this club’’ remarked Karnataka State Samudaya President R.K.Hudgi.

``The book deserved contempt for its speculative claims. It could have been killed by ignoring it’’ Hudgi said taking strong exception to those who pretend to protect Basavanna. ``Basaveshwara does not need any defence. He is capable of defending himself for centuries’’ he added.

``It is fundamentally a wrong decision in democracy. It is a book not the property of any proclaimed offender to confiscate’’ reacted Sheela Tiwari, member of the Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara and Editor of a local daily `Chintaka.’

According to Shankrayya Ghanti, a theatre activist, no book should be banned as it amounts to certialment of democratic right of an individual. `` Avarana of S.L.Bhyrappa is also a controversial book. But there is a definite view. There could be contradictory view also. Ban will not serve any purpose’’ Ghanti said.

Writer T M Bhaskar felt research is a continuous process. ``Whatever Banjagere has said is not the ultimate truth. There should be healthy debate. Banning book is a tyranical action.’’ Hindi professor Kashinath Ambalgi felt the government has acted to honour the sentiments of Veerashaivas but “banning book was not at all proper.