This is really going too far. Professor Pratibha Naitthani of St Xavier’s College (my old alma mater, as it happens) wants to “ban” television programming that is “inappropriate” for children (see the Indian Express story). Unfortunately for us, the law appears to be on her side. But, as in all these cases, logic is at a premium: it’s not a far step from this to an outright banning of books. Let’s test the reasoning. Some TV programming is inappropriate for kids. So we can’t rely on parents, family elders, technology (what is a remote for, or a channel lock?). The only solution, according to the Prof, is to ban the programming. Right. What do we do about books, then? There’s literature out there that’s perfectly suitable, even instructive or educational but is “inappropriate” for children. If Ms Naithhani is right, then we shouldn’t have such books around; they should just be banned. James Waller’s “Becoming Evil” or Samatha Power’s Age of Genocide are singularly “inappropriate” for children, yet of vital importance today. What do we do in this situation, Ms Naitthani? If I understand you correctly, books like this ought not even to be available to me, forget about my being able to read them. Where is this going to take us? Back into the Dark Ages, by the looks of it. From here to McCarthyism and the Inquisition is only a small step. The problem with these self-appointed censors is that they all suffer from a complete lack of imagination.