Dear colleagues in this INDOLOGY forum,
has watched a few recent exchanges with some dismay, because of their harsh tone. Our committee has also received messages of concern from several members of the list, who worry that a decline of standards in collegial discussion will undermine the value of the forum as a place for scholars to debate academic issues in a productive manner.
INDOLOGY membership currently stands at 701 members. That is an encouragingly high number for a specialist subject such as ours. It is also a large number of people to participate harmoniously in an unmoderated forum. In general, conduct is admirably high. And it is noticeable that when occasional lapses occur, the high level of good conversation rapidly reasserts itself. Taking the long view, our committee feels optimistic, and perhaps even slightly proud of the INDOLOGY forum, and grateful to see the frequent messages of thanks and appreciation that members post, when a question is answered or a bibliographical item is found.