The point is...

[Guest guest]

1. I am glad to see Lars Martin recognize the thrust of Mr. Malhotra's

complaints.

 

2. As in most fields, there are good, bad, and ugly materials related to India

in the market. Unfortunately, many of them contain a number of distortions and

misinterpretations, arising as much from ignorance and naiveté as from malice.

 

3. Without meaning to throw any blame, I should say that (to my knowledge) there

are not too many clear, balanced, sensitive, and non-apologetic books on

Indian/Hindu culture and civilization by Indian/Hindu authors in Western

countries that would be suitable as introductory texts, though a good many Hindu

scholars are affiliated in various India-studies departments in

American/European universities.

 

4. All of us know that there are many philosophical insights, literary

treasures, and religious openness in the tradition which, when properly

presented to students, can only expand their horizons and enrich their

perspectives. Instead of speaking about Kampan, Tiruvalluvar, the message of the

Gita, the poetry of the Vedas, the fascinating episodes of Hindu sacred History,

the fantastic science fiction in ancient Hindu epics, the grammatical insights

of Panini, the music of Thyagaraja, the esoteric symbolism of Nataraja, the

devotion of the poet-saints, the plays of Kalidasa, the framework of cosmic

spirituality, the doctrinal enunciation of pluralistic monotheism, religious

tolerance, and such, in courses on Hinduism, inordinate emphasis is placed on

the caste system, widow burning, cow worship, animal slaughter, untouchability,

obsolete laws of Manu, questionable interpretations of religious symbols, etc.

 

5. People of the tradition legitimately feel that this sort of thing needs to be

corrected.

 

6. Sadly (for Hindus), Hindu scholars, let alone Western Indologists, have not

sold their precious wares the way Islamicists (both Muslims and their ardent

Western exponents) have managed to successfully make the average Westerner

believe, though incredulously, that Islam stands only for Peace, and that jihad

really means only inner conflict. Perhaps, some munificent Hindu should give a

handsome incentive to scholars to embark on a Madison Avenue type of marketing.

 

7. The most painful aspect of all of this is that there has been developing a

persistent conflict between (Western) Indologists - who are supposed to be

dedicating their professional lives to the exploration, understanding, and

exposition of India's rich, ancient, and resilient civilization on the one hand,

and many Indian scholars, thinkers, intellectuals on the other. I wonder how

many Western Indologists see a paradox in this, and if they care to resolve it.

 

V. V. Raman

December 8, 2003