Prof. Tokunaga's message

[yanom at ksuvx0.kyoto-su.ac.jp]

Prof. Muneo Tokunaga, my repsected friend, asked me to post the following
message since he is not on our mailing list.  Michio YANO

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Dear Fellow-Indologists,

Two days ago I knew that Dr. John Smith of Cambridge is circulating
my file of the Mahaabhaarata as his file with his modifications through
Internet. He didn't let me know. I opened his homepage and read his harsh
criticism on my files. I don't mind criticism; it is rather welcome.
But I cannot but feel very sad that he is using my files, which he
considers to be even `disasterous' in some respect, without giving
me any notice or request to use them. 

After reading his page I sent him the following mail.

   - - - - -

Dear Dr. John Smith,

I was told of your epic files and your homepage today. I opened your
homepage and read your comment on my files. My files are intended just
to be a word-index to the printed edition. It was originally prepared
just for my own purpses, but I opened them to the public by strong
requests of Indologists all over the world.
It's quite OK if you want to join word-separations inside the compound.
But if you open them to the public as YOUR files, why don't you type all
the Mahaabhaarata by yourself? I think this is a fair way of doing, and
the etiquette in using e-files on the Internet.
 Please do not use my files any more if you are not happy about them.

                            Muneo Tokunaga, Kyoto

- - - - -     

If he ever type the whole Mahaabhaarata reading it, Dr. Smith will realize
that the job is thousand times harder than  what he has done so far on
my files. The question is not his harsh comment but what he has been doing
behind against the goodwill of the one who kindly offered the files to him
in answer to his request. It is not his outspokenness but his lack of the
sense of acknowledgment about the contribution of others.


                         ===============================================
                                   Muneo TOKUNAGA 
                                 Professor of Indian Philosophy 
                           Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University
                             Kyoto, Japan (606-01). Tel. 075-753-2778
                             email: g53772 at sakura.kudpc.kyoto-u.ac.jp
                         ===============================================