Amish Tripathi is an author of "Shiva Triology" (File Photo)
Author Amish Tripathi, famous for his "Shiva Trilogy" that combines history, fiction and modernity, today referring to JNU controversy said, "debate in this country has been hijacked by two extremist views".
After interacting with students at a school in suburban Mumbai, he told NDTV: "The debate that is taking place in the country is not in line with the traditional Indian way. Respecting someone else's right to have their own point of view is the Indian way."
Condemning the pamphlets, allegedly circulated on JNU campus, that made derogatory references to Goddess Durga, the author said it was an "indication of the modern day misogyny".
He had earlier tweeted:
On Friday, Education Minister Smriti Irani had read out controversial references to Goddess Durga from a pamphlet allegedly distributed at JNU or the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
"There must also be a rooted pride in our own culture and be open to learning from others, we need to find that balance. Unfortunately debate in this country has been hijacked by two extremist views," he said.
"Debates on TV channels and in public spaces are polarised but most of India still has a traditional liberal attitude," he added.
The author, who is referred to as the 'pop star of Indian literature', said, "Respecting someone else to have their own point of view is the Indian way. Problem with JNU is there are too many contradictory stories. My appeal to everyone is to calm down and let the investigations be completed."