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


--


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