Meesa

Meesa (English: Moustache) is the debut novel of Malayalam writer S. Hareesh. It was serialised in parts by the Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly and published in its entirety by DC Books.[1][2] Due to protests from Hindu organisations, the serialisation was cancelled after the third part. The novel was translated into English by Jayasree Kalathil under the title Moustache.[3]

Meesa
AuthorS. Hareesh
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
GenreNovel
Published2018 (D.C. Books)
ISBN978-8-126-47737-1

Award

The English translation of the book, Moustache, won the JCB Prize for literature in 2020.[4] The novel won the 2019 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel, which was announced in February 2021.[5]

Withdrawal

In a section of the novel, a certain character suggests that Hindu women bathe and wear good clothes before going to a temple because they are interested in sex.[6][7] He goes on to state that women do not go to the temple whilst menstruating because they cannot have sex. These extracts, which were shared on social media, resulted in widespread criticism by Hindu organisations such as Yogakshema Sabha, BJP, Hindu Aikya Vedi, N.S.S. After this, the writer withdrew the serialisation of the novel from Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly.[8]

In Court

A plea to ban the book was made to the Supreme Court of India by N Radhakrishnan, a resident of Delhi. The court refused to ban the novel and stated that the culture of banning books impacts the free flow of ideas.[9][10]

References
  1. C. Gouridasan Nair (1 August 2018). "Hareesh's novel Meesha hits stands". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  2. "DC Books publishes Malayalam novel 'Meesha'". Webindia123. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. Resh Susan (20 November 2020). "How 'Moustache' Came To Life: Author S. Hareesh And Translator Jayasree Kalathil Tell Their Story". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  4. "എസ്. ഹരീഷിന്റെ മീശ നോവലിന് ജെ.സി.ബി സാഹിത്യ പുരക്‌സാരം".
  5. "kerala sahithya academy award announced കേരള സാഹിത്യ അക്കാദമി പുരസ്‌കാരങ്ങൾ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു; എസ്. ഹരീഷിന്റെ 'മീശ' മികച്ച നോവൽ". www.twentyfournews.com. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  6. "Followers of Sangh Parivar slam Malayalam writer S Hareesh over Meesha". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  7. "Threatened by right wing, Malayalam writer S Hareesh withdraws novel from magazine". The News Minute. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  8. "Malayalam author S Hareesh withdraws novel 'Meesha,' says he has received threats from right-wing groups". Firstpost. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  9. "'Meesha' row: Supreme Court decries practice of banning books". MSN. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  10. Ashish Tripathi (2 August 2018). "Culture of banning books impacted free flow of ideas:SC". Deccan Heral. Retrieved 28 October 2018.

Further reading
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