After Hours investigates the authoritative stand of religious institutions on children’s books.

With ‘fatwas’ issued against Enid Blyton for her creative imagery (it seems she was racist!) and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ coming under fire for being anti-Christ, it’s not surprising that the boy wizard and his broom are the next to be hexed.

The JK Rowling series has been put on trial by the Indian Christian clergy for fostering witchcraft and corrupting children with ‘wrong illusionary’ notions. Here’s what some voices of Mumbai have to say.

CREATIVE SAY

Javed Akhtar, lyricist

“Possessing a fundamentalist attitude and breeding such narrow-mindedness is truly sad. Children know it’s fantasy, so just let them read.”

Partap Sharma, playwright & narrator

“Even religious epics like the Bible and the Ramayana hold the grimest tales. Should people be stopped from reading those as well? Religious institutions definitely don’t have the right to intefere with literature.”

Piyush Pandey, adman

“Religion has no business to intervene unless it is some sensitive issue. And ‘Harry Potter’ promoting witchcraft, that’s nothing short of a joke! The adults who oppose these books have also grown up with creative stimulus. And today’s children are much smarter than we were in deciphering fact from fiction. Please give them a break.”

STUDENTS SPEAK

Krutika Rana, 12, Swami Vivekanand International School: “I think we’re aware of what we’re reading. And we know it’s all imaginary, so what’s the problem?”

Rushil Scindia, 14, Sacred Heart High School: “It’s just a plain, harmless, fiction novel. Where did religion come from?”

TEACHER TALK

Vandana Lulla, director & principal, Podar International School: “I strongly believe that religious organisations should keep themselves out of this and leave the children alone. Fiction is essential. The more children read, the more likely they are to think out of the box. Our curriculum is very rigid and does not provide the creative substance that fiction does.”

When contacted, principals of convent schools declined to comment on the issue.