Film on Holi

[n.rao at rz.uni-sb.de]

Rajagopalan wrote
>Dear Dan White ,
>In your request for films on Holi festival you say " She wishes to do a
>comparative - ritual study of festivals that both have a sacred theme
>and involve the character of social chaos ( at least temporarily)"
>      Your choice of describing festivals like Holy as a social chaos in 
part is very stupid.
>As you are white as your name is you are bread and brought up on vulgar
>racist ideas saying that non- white social  functions are chaos . You should 
>watch your words which you use  in public to describe others . Holy and 
other fuctions of India  are not chaotic.     Yours sincerely    M.Rajagopalan
>

I think this reaction is uncalled for. One may use the word, 'chaos' without 
normative implications. What is meant is merely that the usual norms 
followed in a milieu are suspended during the Holy festival. One may have an 
alternative perception of what Holy festival  is, and may want to contest a 
particular description. But this can be done without calling names.
 
Dr. B. Narahari Rao
F.R. 5.1. Philosophie
Unversitaet des Saarlandes,
Postfach 15 11 50,
D-66041 Saarbrücken