[INDOLOGY] Mein Kampf in India

Fri Feb 14 08:12:26 UTC 2014

> A friend sent me this distressing information: "Actually, in a survey of
“strong” leaders conducted among Delhi University students some years ago,
Hitler came out ahead of Gandhi."
However, I wonder how much Delhi students actually know about Hitler.

The NYT

ha
d
an interesting article on the present situation, though

not touch
ing
explicitly on students:

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/in-india-businesses-named-after-hitler-defend-their-decision/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

One possible cause for the students' attitude stirring your astonishment
might perhaps be sought in Gandhi's own

and indeed disturbing appreciati
ve remarks
of Hitler,
 judgments that may well continue to exercise an effect today
. Note that the following statements were all made during WW II:

Letter to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (Mai 1940): „I do not consider Hitler to be
as bad as he is depicted.“ (Robert Payne, The Life and Death of Mahatma
Gandhi. London 1969: 485).

„Hitler too is said to be self-sacrificing. He is violence incarnate. It is
said he is a vegetarian. I find it difficult to imagine how, if he is one,
he is able to countenance so much slaughter. Anyway, his is said to be a
life of self-sacrifice. He has no vices. He has not married. His character
is said to be clean. He is always alert.“ Khadi Jagat, December 1941, and
January 1942 (= Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 81, no 638: 383 f).

„Although I am pained at his deeds, I can have no hatred even for Adolf
Hitler.“
Sarvodaya, January 1942 (= CWMG 81, no 736: 479).

Gandhi's Christmas Letter to Hitler: „Dear Friend, That I address you as a
friend is no formality. I own no foes.“ Letter to Adolf Hitler, December
24, 1940 (= CWMG 79, no 520: 453).

On Hitler and Mussolini, both "gentlemen":
"I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving
you
or humanity. You will invite Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what
they
want of the countries you call your possessions. Let them take possession
of your
beautiful island, with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all
these, but
neither your souls, nor your minds. If these gentlemen choose to occupy your
homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you
will
allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will
refuse to
owe allegiance to them
." Gandhi, To Every Briton. Harijan, 6-7-1940 (= CWMG 78, no 460: 387)
.

>From such a background, and provided the students
 referred to in the previous mails had only second-hand knowledge
 of Hitler through first-hand knowledge of Gandhi's publicized statements,
or even through third-hand knowledge only of a widely held, internalized
attitude of that sort, 
the matter could *perhaps* become better explicable.

I just wanted to bring this to your notice, no intentions of opening
another thread!

Regards,
WS

-----------------------------
Prof. Dr. Walter Slaje
Hermann-Löns-Str. 1
D-99425 Weimar
Deutschland

Ego ex animi mei sententia spondeo ac polliceor
studia humanitatis impigro labore culturum et provecturum
non sordidi lucri causa nec ad vanam captandam gloriam,
sed quo magis veritas propagetur et lux eius, qua salus
humani generis continetur, clarius effulgeat.
Vindobonae, die XXI. mensis Novembris MCMLXXXIII.

2014-02-13 21:54 GMT+01:00 Stella Sandahl <ssandahl at sympatico.ca>:

> A friend sent me this distressing information: "Actually, in a survey of
> “strong” leaders conducted among Delhi University students some years ago,
> Hitler came out ahead of Gandhi."
> However, I wonder how much Delhi students actually know about Hitler.
>  Best
> Stella
>
> --
> Stella Sandahl
> ssandahl at sympatico.ca
>
>
>
> On 2014-02-12, at 4:42 PM, Coseru, Cristian wrote:
>
>  This is digressing from the main point of this thread, but let me just
> add that once he became aware of Hitler's ulterior motives (after the
> invasion of Russia), Bose jumped from the frying pan into the fire, so to
> speak, by turning to the Japanese for the same sort of help (while fully
> aware of Japan's own imperial ambitions in SE Asia).
>
>  Best,
> Christian
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 12, 2014, at 4:14 PM, "Bijlert, V.A. van" <v.a.van.bijlert at vu.nl>
> wrote:
>
>   Here I have to object. Bose was not really an admirer of the darkest
> sides of Hitler and Bose was quite well aware of the intensely racist
> nature of national socialism. But Bose was an Indian nationalist and
> vehemently anti-British. Thus trying to get Hitler's help was based on the
> principle 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Hitler, incidentally, saw
> nothing in Indian independence.
>
>  Victor van Bijlert
>
>
>
> Op 12 feb. 2014 om 20:09 heeft "Coseru, Cristian" <CoseruC at cofc.edu> het
> volgende geschreven:
>
>   And let’s not forget also that "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose was also a
> great admirer of it (after all, he helped organize the Indian Legion in
> Berlin from Indian subjects that had been formerly enlisted by the British
> forces, and subsequently captured by the Axis powers in Africa; they sore
> allegiance to both Hitler and Bose).
>
>  Best,
> Christian
>
>
>  Christian Coseru
> Associate Professor of Philosophy
> Department of Philosophy
> College of Charleston
> 66 George Street
> Charleston, SC 29424
>
> Office:
> Phone: 843 953-1935
> Facsimile: 843 953-6388
> Email: coseruc at cofc.edu
> Web: http://coseruc.people.cofc.edu/
>
>
>  On Feb 12, 2014, at 1:14 PM, Stella Sandahl <ssandahl at sympatico.ca>
> wrote:
>
>  About time to invoke it. But Golwalkar was a great admirer of Mein
> Kampf, so banning it might upset Hindu feelings. Who knows.
> Best
> Stella
>  --
> Professor Stella Sandahl
> Department of East Asian Studies
> 130 St. George St. room 14087
> Toronto, ON M5S 3H1
> ssandahl at sympatico.ca
> stella.sandahl at utoronto.ca
>
> Fax. (416) 978-5711
>
>
>
>  On 2014-02-12, at 11:18 AM, Matthew Kapstein wrote:
>
>  Of course, Hitler's Mein Kampf is readily available in almost any Indian
> bookstall.
> I imagine that the small Bene Israel community never mobilized itself
> to invoke Section 295-A.....
>
> Matthew Kapstein
> Directeur d'études,
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
>
> Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
> The University of Chicago
>   ------------------------------
>
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