Article on India Studies

[Guest guest]

Here is an article on India Studies regarding the

ideology and funding of India related academic programs

in the United States. It is not much different in Europe either.

 

Does South Asian Studies Undermine India?

http://us.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/08rajiv.htm

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, carendreyer@t... wrote:

>Indian Indologists may have the advantage of easier access to Indian

languages, definitely their upbringing does give them as well some

special hints towards understanding historical Indian settings, as

well as educated French nationals have better preconditions for a

scientific career in Romance Philology. But just to be an Indian

National does not suffice to rule out so called foreign intervention

in questions of Indian history and culture. Modern even well educated

Indians may be more distant from Vedic culture than a western

university graduate in Indian Studies.

 

Caren,

 

If any one is annoyed at Indocentrism, I am sorry to say it will only

grow now as Indians are getting rich in this phase of economic cycle

and find time and money to write more stuff, just as Europeans found

the money to study the world when they made their money after

renaissance, scientific and industrial revolutions.

 

Let us take into stride all the unfortunate consequences of

Eurocentrism and Indocentrism.

 

The most bitter dispute about a person from outside the tradition

studying Indic works is that the terminology employed in studying

Indic is purely arbitrary.

 

Let us take the case of sanskrit grammar. Usage of words : surd for

sparza, consonant for vyanjana or semi-vowel for antastha is

ridiculous, arbitrary and arrogant at the best. The corresponding

sanskrit words have a loaded meaning in them which had been simply

out of reach for any Indologist that I have heard of so far.

 

It is a different story that Indians themselves are not really aware

of why such terminology was used by their ancients for some God given

reasons. But a traditionalist being firmly rooted in practices like

formal vedic chanting, errs on the right side.

 

Sorry for this intrusion.

 

Best regards

Bhadraiah