Fw: [Y-Indology] Vandalism and preservation: Michael Witzel

[Guest guest]

Sorry. I forgot to mention my name at the end of my reply.

Shrikant Bahulkar

-

"Bahulkar" <bahulkar

<INDOLOGY>

Cc: <guni-h

Saturday, January 17, 2004 12:19 PM

Re: [Y-Indology] Re: Vandalism and preservation: Michael Witzel

 

 

> Dear members,

> I would like to bring certain facts to your notice:

> 1. Mrs. Guni undertook a project of recording recitation of various Vedic

> schools in 1982. I helped her in my individual capacity, out of genuine

> academic interest and care for the preservation of the recitations of

> renowned vedamuurtis. No Institute, including BORI, was officially

involved

> in the project. The project was completed by 1985. The project was

> undertaken to preserve the tradition and not for making money.

> 2. On my suggestion, Guni donated in 1999 a complete set of audio

recording

> of six Vedic schools (.RV, KYV-Taitt, ;SYV-Madhyandina, Kaa.nva,

Jaiminiiya

> Nambidiri Saamaveda and AV;S) to the Veda;saastrottejaka Sabhaa, Pune of

> which I have been a member of Executive Council. There have been a number

of

> demands for copies of the said recording. However, we cannot make them

> available as Guni claims the copy right.

> 3. Veda;saastrottejaka Sabhaa has a project of recording all Vedic

;saakhaas

> and making CDs available to scholars and lovers of veda. I have taken

> initiative and have already recorded .RV recitation of Vedamuurti

> Dinakarabha.t.ta Phadke and Kauthuma Saamaveda of Tamilnadu of Pt.

> Vishvanath Sharma (I am not sure about the first name of the Pandit)for

the

> Sabhaa. Copies of the audio recording are available at reasonable price at

> the office of Sabhaa.

> 4. We have a project of making CDs of the recording done by the Sabhaa. We

> made an offer to Guni to authorise us to make CDs of the recording done by

> her and assured her to make it academically sound and proposed to make it

> available to public at reasonable price. Unfortunately, she declined the

> offer and decided t do the job on her own.

> 5. I have already dissociated myself from her CD project and am in no way

> responsible for the quality and price of the CDs.

> 6. I agree that the price of the CDs in Denmark is exhaurbitant. I have

not

> seen the CDs and cannot say anything about the quality.

> 7. These episodes have definitely taught us a lesson and we all should be

> cautious in future.

> -

> "vishalsagarwal" <vishalsagarwal

> <INDOLOGY>

> Thursday, January 15, 2004 7:37 AM

> [Y-Indology] Re: Vandalism and preservation: Michael Witzel

>

>

> > INDOLOGY, "S.Kalyanaraman" <kalyan97>

> > wrote:

> > >

> >

> > VA: There has been a suggestion by Indologists that Indian libraries

> > should allow digitization of manuscripts. Yes, it preserves them

> > from total destruction. But there is a credible reason for sometimes

> > not

> > allowing that. I refer you to the following example, again, one in

> > which Dr Bahulkar helped the researcher, and one which deals with

> > oral recitations rather than manuscripts -

> >

> > http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa?

> > A2=ind0311&L=indology&D=1&O=D&F=P&S=&P=4298

> >

> > Even though I can afford to buy the collection for USD 3200, I

> > CANNOT because of restrictions imposed by the seller! Is this fair?

> > How is knowledge and research being advanced

> > by these medieval restrictions? How is this attitude different from

> > the one exhibited by Brahmins who would die rather than teach the

> > Vedas to a Sudra? The restrictions effectively prevents Indian

> > libraries and educational institutions from purchasing them. I even

> > wonder if BORI was gifted a copy, despite the services rendered by Dr

> > Bahulkar. If the Brahmin recitors had known that their recitations

> > would be sold in such a(n effectively) discriminatory manner, they

> > would not have recited the texts for the Danish researcher. What the

> > Copenhagen institute has done is, in my opinion, completely

> > unethical. Is it not a kind of theft of cultural heritage of India?

> > [At least,

> > Gunthard Mueller had the courtesy of donating a set of CDs on

> > Kashmirian Paippalada Samhita manuscript to the GOI.]

> >

> >

> > Perhaps therefore, I wonder if it is ethical for Shrikant Bahulkar

> > and Saroja Bhate to cooperate with and serve Euro-American visiting

> > scholars if this is what we are going to get in return.

> > Indologists have their own ways of preventing others from reading

> > their own texts. Many texts in TITUS archives are password protected.

> > Dr Witzel is on record for saying that he will not share his copy of

> > Orissan recension of Atharvana Charanavyuha with me (though I got my

> > own copy from Indian subsequently). One should practice what he

> > preaches.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> >

> > Vishal

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Links

> >

> >

> > INDOLOGY/

> >

> >

> > INDOLOGY

> >

> > Your

> >

> >

> >

>