"Science" in India

[V.C.Vijayaraghavan]

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "David Salmon" <dsalmon at SALMON.ORG>
>To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
>Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2000 7:42 PM
>Subject: Re: "Science" in India


>Are you saying that the way to get along with the fascist menace in India
is to keep >your head down and say nothing much?



I am not saying that. There is enough  political freedom in India to keep
your head high and say whatever you want to say in politics . It is not as
if you have to teach Indians to be poltically active and some poltical
terminology. Epithets like fascists, pseudo-seculars, communal forces, etc
are the staple of Indian political debate. Poltical discourse has become so
much debased that there can be no concensus who is the fascist.

Even Frontline and it's group have been called Brahminical fascists by a
number of dravidian poltical groups for their one-sided coverage of the
civil war in Srilanka where it reports the Srilankan government viewpoint
only and the Tamil political forces are labelled "terrorists". Recetly the
same magazine has also been called fascist for it's carte-blache to Chinese
government for the extermination of Tibetan culture and ethnic cleansing of
Tibetans. If you ask Tibetans and a number of Tamils, they might call your
friends fascists

>Then perhaps "Western" Indologists still have a proper, non-colonial
function to play in >Indian scientific and political life, if only to call
attention to the facts.


Then you are wasting your time by playing these games because you are not
imparting to Indians anything new. There is no fact which is known to you
politically which is not known to ordinary people in India.  Also, by your
preference for political battles in India, you are abdicating your main
concern viz Indology,  that is , if you are an Indologist.

And if you stand in the kitchen, don't complain of the heat

David Salmon
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: V.C.Vijayaraghavan
  To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
  Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2000 10:54 AM
  Subject: Re: "Science" in India

   But when Rajaram is treated as tip of the fascist
  iceberg in India and keep repeating then you run into problems. . . . In
India , many intellectual professions like Indology are politicised and you
are running into a political crossfire escpecially if associated with a
veteran leftist protogonist like The Frontline. As long as you keep clear of
the poltical battles in India . . . you are not inviting anybody's base
passions.