Indology's Future?

[rohan.oberoi at CORNELL.EDU]

V. V. Raman wrote:

>But I also felt (perhaps mistakenly) that it is important for Western
>Indologists to make some kind of a statement to articulate their
>individual and collective respect and love for Indian culture and
>tradition (which I know they all have)

Scholarship is about knowledge, not about respect or love.

A scholar who knows his material (whether it be an aspect of the
geology of rock formations or of the traditions of Indian culture) is
a good scholar.

One who does not is not.

Whether either of them have any respect or love for that material has
no bearing upon the question.  A scholar may hate and despise his
subject with a passion, so long as he is knowledgeable about it.  He
may not do the converse and remain a scholar.

I would have thought all this was implicitly understood.  It is
disturbing that the discussion here has descended to the level where
it needs to be stated.

Regards,
Rohan.