[INDOLOGY] Against the petition against Prof. Pollock

[soni at staff.uni-marburg.de]

Dear Professor Slaje, Dear Fellow List Members:

The Board, Consultative Members and Regional Directors of the IASS  
discussed the matter with our President Professor Kutumba Sastry and I  
may be allowed to quote him directly. Professor Sastry said:

  "I signed the petition purely in my personal capacity and I did not  
mention any of my designations for that matter or identity. The text  
of the petition sent to me was slightly different than the one finally  
sent to Sri Narayana Murthy."

I trust that the matter is now clarified. I thank Professor Kutumba  
Sastry Ji for his kind willingness to allow me to pass on the relevant  
section of his email to the IASS Board, etc.

With best,
yours sincerely,
Jay Soni
______________
Secretary General, International Association of Sanskrit Studies
http://www.sanskritassociation.org/


----- Message from Walter Slaje <slaje at kabelmail.de> ---------
    Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 09:01:59 +0100
    From: Walter Slaje <slaje at kabelmail.de>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Against the petition against Prof. Pollock
      To: Nityanand Misra <nmisra at gmail.com>
      Cc: Dominik Wujastyk <wujastyk at gmail.com>, Indology  
<indology at list.indology.info>


> ​ ​
> Dear List,
>>
>>
>>
>> it might be of some relevance to the community of Indologists that among
>> the prominent signatories of the Pollock removal petition Prof. V.
>> Kutumba Sastry ranks fifth on top of the list:

>> https://www.change.org/p/mr-n-r-narayana-murthy-and-mr-rohan-narayan-murty-removal-of-prof-sheldon-pollock-as-mentor-and-chief-editor-of-murty-classical-library

>> That Prof. Kutumba Sastry signed this petition in his capacity of  
>> the „President,
>> International Association of Sanskrit Studies” (IASS), has meanwhile
>> attracted the attention of also the media, who specifically single out his
>> name and function:

>> http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/murty-library-editor-petition-wants-us-scholar-removed-cites-jnu-remarks/
>>
>>
>> http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/03/01/sheldon-pollock-murty-lib_n_9345928.html
>>
>>
>>
>> In terms of Indological research, it is perhaps of no little significance
>> that the President of the IASS - a leading organization carrying
>> “International” as part of their name and arranging the "World Sanskrit
>> Conference" on a regular basis - publicly supports the text of the debated
>> petition in full and demands, among others, “Make in India” ethics and
>> “Swadeshi Indology” in contexts of research and academic publications
>> guidelines. Trying to be “international” and “swadeshi” at the same time
>> clearly equals a contradiction in terms.

>>
>> The IASS ought to state their position in this matter by clarifying if, in
>> promoting nationalist ideas of Indological research, their president is
>> acting on their behalf:
>>
>> http://www.sanskritassociation.org/board-members.php
>>

>> Thanks and 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. ​
>
>> ​
>>


----- End message from Walter Slaje <slaje at kabelmail.de> -----


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