FRONTLINE exposes Rajaram

[Michael Witzel]

Steve Farmer's and my paper on the Rajaram mess has been released by today
and will be available on the internet by Saturday, IST.

Here, the plug (HOWEVER, in the words of the Frontline editor, Mr. N. Ram):
-------------------------------

""` `  F r o n t l i n e     ( O c t o b e r   1 3 ,   2 0 0 0 )
 p r e s e n t s ,   a s   i t s   C o v e r   S t o r y ,  t h e
 f i n d i n g s   o f   a   m a j o r   s c h o l a r l y
  in v e s t i g a t i o n   i n t o   t h e   `'P i l t d o w n
 h o r s e '   h o a x .       M i c h a e l   W i t z e l ,
 H a r v a r d   U n i v e r s i t y ,   a n d   S t e v e
 Fa r m e r ,   c o m p a r a t i v e   h i s t o r i a n ,   e x p o s e
 r e c e n t   c l a i m s   b y   H i n d u t v a v a d i s   t h a t
 t h e     I n d u s   V a l l e y    scri p t   h a s   b e e n
 d e c i p h e r e d   a n d   t h a t   t h e   l a n g u a g e   o f
 H a r a p p a   w a s     'l a t e   V e d i c   S a n s k r i t . '
 R o m i l a   T h a p a r ,   e m i n e n t   h i s t o r i a n   o f
 a n c i e n t   I n d i a ,    p r o v i d e s   a
 p e r s p e c t i v e   o n   H i n d u t v a   a n d   h i s t o r y .
  Wit h   a   r e v e a l i n g   c o l l e c t i o n   o f    I n d u s
 V a l l e y   i m a g e s . . . . p p .   4 - 1 6 .

 ` ` T h e    i s s u e   o f   t h e   m a g a z i n e   w i l l  h i t
 t h e   s t a n d s   i n   I n d i a b e t w e e n   Sept.  2 7   a n d
  2 9 ,   2 0 0 0   a n d   w i l l   b e   a v a i l a b l e
 o n l i n e   a r o u n d   S a t u r d a y ,   S e p t e m b e r   3 0 .

http://www.frontlineonline.com/

  'H o r s e p l a y   i n   H a r a p p a '   i s   t h e   C o v e r
 l e g e n d   a n d   t h e   s u b - t e x t   s a y s :   ' I n
 t h e   " P i l t d o w n   h o r s e ' '   h o a x ,   H i n d u t v a
 p r o p a g a n d i s t s   m a k e   a   l i t t l e   S a n s k r i t
 g o   a    l o n g   w a y . '

 T h i s   a u t h o r i t a t i v e   but  a c c e s s i b l e
 C o v e r   S t o r y , c o m p r i s i n g   W i t z e l   a n d
F a r m e r ' s   8 0 0 0 - w o r d   a r t i  cle    a n d   R o m i l a
 T h a p a r ' s   1 0 0 0 - w o r d   p e r s p e c t i v e
 p i e c e ,   i s    f o r   a l l   t h o s e   w i t h   a n
 i n t e r e s t   i n   t h e   o r i g i n s   o f      I n d i a ' s
 h i s t o r i c a l   c i v i l i s a t i o n ,  s p e c i f i c a l l y
 i n   t h e   I n d u s   V a l l e y      c i v i l i s a t i o n
 a n d   i t s   u n d e c i p h e r e d   a n d
 c l o s e - t o - i n d e c i p h e r a b l e   s c r i p t ;       i n
t h e   h i s t o r y   o f   V e d i c   S a n s k r i t ;   i n   t h e
 a g e   o f   a p p e a r a n c e   o f   t h e       h o r s e
 (  E q u u s   c a b a l l u s ) ,   a n d
 h o r s e - a n d - c h a r i o t ,   i n   t h e   I n d i a n
 s u b - c o n t i n e n t ;   i n   H i n d u t v a    a n d
 h i s t o r y ;   a n d   a l s o   i n   c u r r e n t   a f f a i r s .
 An    u n p u t d o w n a b l e   r ead.""

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========================================================
Michael Witzel
Department of Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University
2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138, USA

ph. 1- 617-496 2990 (also messages)
home page:  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm

Elect. Journ. of Vedic Studies:  http://www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs