Gopi Chand Narang: A plagiarist?
In 1999, V N Narayanan, an editor with Hindustan Times was found to have plagiarised a column that appeared in The Sunday Times, London. Narayanan later resigned ending his three-decade old career in journalism. The incident created quite a stir after 'The Pioneer' reported it. Now, allegations of plagiarism, of a more serious kind, have surfaced against renowned Urdu scholar Gopi Chand Narang in relation to his book Sakhtiyat, Pas-i-Sakhtiyat Aur Mashriqi Shi'riyat.
C M Naim, the eminent scholar in a piece in Outlook has written in detail giving the background of the 'plagiarism'. Interestingly, he says that way back in 1997, writer Fuzail Jaffri had pointed out that Narang's work was not an original piece of work. It is sad, to say the least, to read the piece as Gopi Chand Narang is considered a formidable scholar. What adds to the shock is the fact that it was the same book that got him the Sahitya Akademi award in 1995.
It will be interesting to know what Gopi Chand Narang has to say on the issue. According to Naim, while the allegations have been made in the last few years, there has been no response from Narang. The allegations against Narang have been made by Imran Shahid Bhinder, a doctoral candidate in the department of English at the University of Birmingham, UK. "The evidence Bhinder presents is quite irrefutable," writes C M Naim, (http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?260108) in Outlook magazine.
Good you did this... Now i understand why some B-grade tri-monthly magazines, the abusive back benchers of Narang sir's class are crying foul. They are charging Mr Fuzail Jaeffrey with the same charge without proving anything.. coz they cant support Narang..
ReplyDeleteIrfan Usmani
gopi chand has done a great blunder and now he is accepting that he should have refered the names of original writers in his book ,at the same time he is saying that he never claim original his book ,that was a translation but some name have been left and C M Naim and party are making a mountain of a mole. But I request all urdu walas to close the chapter because it is brings bad name to all urdu walas.
ReplyDeleteNarang always did like this,his first book on MATHNAVIAT is also full of plagiarism,he clouldnt differentiate betweeen Ghalib and Nishter Khanqahi and nishters` sher attributed to Ghalib on the flap of Gyan Singh Shatir.