Book
The Face of Mother India
The Face of Mother India is a book by Katherine Mayo. It cannot be imported into India.
Description
About the work
The Face of Mother India is a book by Katherine Mayo. It cannot be imported into India.
The surviving record is interesting because it shows how even ordinary-looking books can acquire a charged political afterlife. As a book, it can be read not only for subject matter but for the way form, tone, and circulation make a text feel dangerous, intimate, or politically usable to anxious officials.
It also matters as part of a wider censorship history in India. The present page is a dossier starter built from source-tracked ban records; the surviving note currently says: It cannot be imported into India. In 1927, Gandhi wrote a review of the book titled "Drain Inspector Report" which was published in the Young India. More publication history, translations, and close reading can be added later.
Overview
Why it was banned
The Face of Mother India entered censorship debates as a book associated with controversy, publication history, and state scrutiny. In the current dossier, the main state objections cluster around political sensitivity.
The earliest event currently captured here is 1936 in India, where Government of India or British Indian authorities banned publication, sale, or possession. It cannot be imported into India. In 1927, Gandhi wrote a review of the book titled "Drain Inspector Report" which was published in the Young India. It cannot be imported into India. In 1927, Gandhi wrote a review of the book titled "Drain Inspector Report" which was published in the Young India.
This entry is still incomplete: more jurisdictions, court orders, and translated justifications should be added over time.
This page is intentionally incomplete. The ban history is a starter dataset, not a final census of every jurisdiction or decree.
Counter and critical readings
Context, rebuttals, and criticism
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature Nicholas J. Karolides, Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova
A compact reference on how censorship systems moved across states, churches, and courts.
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. Anne Lyon Haight
Useful for comparing older obscenity, heresy, and political bans with modern free-speech disputes.
Ban history
Known government actions
| Date | Jurisdiction | Action | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | India | banned publication, sale, or possession | It cannot be imported into India. In 1927, Gandhi wrote a review of the book titled "Drain Inspector Report" which was published in the Young India. | It cannot be imported into India. In 1927, Gandhi wrote a review of the book titled "Drain Inspector Report" which was published in the Young India. |
Sources
Harvested references for this page
- Wikipedia: List of books banned in India reference partial
- Wikipedia REST summary API database partial
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature book partial
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. book partial