Comments received | Comments
posted
Comments posted by Subhash Kak
On
Smallpox, Germs and Memories
Arvind Kumar has drawn my attention to the claim that there exists a 1787 text that refers to the use of cowpox in vaccination: Rajasimhasudhasindhu by Pandit Mahadeva. I haven't checked out the text, but I am told it is referred in the following reference (which I haven't yet been able to consult):
Kumar, Deepak (2003) 'India,' Cambridge History of Science, IV,
eighteenth century, 669-87, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
On
Hinduism and the Contest of Religions
A point I didn't make as well as I should have is that in the marketplace there are two ways to sell a thing. First, you make the case that other products are bad, implying that your's is superior. Second, you speak about the good points of your product without worrying about the others, leaving it to the buyer to make up his mind.
In my view, when it comes to religious questions, it is better to follow the second approach. Since Hinduism is misrepresented in school and college books and the media, and its own institutions in India have been commandeered by the government, it is at a great disadvantage in the dialogue beteen traditions.
-S.
On
Hinduism and the Contest of Religions
Thanks for the comments. My own approach is from a libertarian perspective. I believe that the government should be doing as few things outside of national security and justice as possible. But I recognize that the government may need to regulate certain things for the common good (derived from justice). But that doesn't mean that the government should run these institutions itself. If nothing else, that breeds corruption.
I also believe that there is a structural relationship in our various behaviours. If one depends on mai-bap sarkar in one field, one is likely to do so in others also. Servitude in one area is likely to make one feeble in other areas as well.
The Indian system is quite an andher nagari. The UP government for example wants to take over all temples, no matter how small, if their annual revenue is more than Rs 200,000.
Why does the government want to administer temples? Why doesn't it open more schools instead, given that hundreds of millions are still illiterate?
S.
On
Colonizing Body and Mind
Richard Stallman of the gnu project has pointed out to me that part of the problem in the current debate related to corporate control is the confusion between the terms "intellectual property" and patents. He says:
"It has become fashionable to describe copyright, patents, and trademarks as "intellectual property". This fashion did not arise by accident--the term systematically distorts and confuses these issues, and its use was and is promoted by those who gain from this confusion. Anyone wishing to think clearly about any of these laws would do well to reject the term. "
For details, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.xhtml
S.
On
Colonizing Body and Mind
Rojamalore Rajakumari,
Education should be liberating; it should take us to the springwells of our creativity. Therefore, when I speak of "controlling" by education, I do indeed refer to societies where there is an attempt to "colonize" our inner space.
=====
When you made that statement, did you make it with less democratic countires in mind? If you made that statement with a country such as Singapore in mind, I couldn't agree with you more. Having grown up there for a portion of my life, I have witnessed the brain-washing that citizens living in a state of false democracy would identify as "teaching." However, if you didn't have such countires in mind, how do you define the manner in which education is, in your view, controlling the mind? Do you have any suggestions as to how to combat this mind control?
=====
Whereas some societies practice overt control; in others, it is more subtle. An enlightened d free society is one where the individual is encouraged to challenge the conventional wisdom of the society without fear.
S.
On
Colonizing Body and Mind
The manner in which devas and asuras are portrayed in comic books displays cutural prejudices. The illustrator has the challenge of how to represent divinity and materiality, and it is not clear what is the best way to do it (but this would depend on traditional way such represenations have been made so as to be "intelligble" to the reader).
S.
On
A Glimpse into Abhinavagupta's Ideas on Aesthetics
This is an excellent article. Abhinavagupta's ideas on beauty, aesthetics, art and music are especially relevant for our age of materialism, to show us how to enjoy art and be transformed by it. -SK
On
Colonizing Body and Mind
Kappa makes an excellent point. I do not wish to propose that there is a conspiracy; rather, organizations (just like individuals) are driven by their nature to enlarge the scope and range of their reach. Although I focused on the agriculture and the drug industries, this happens in other hegemonic sytems (such as the entertainment industry) also.
The reach of modern technology makes the possibility of excessive control by a small group real and likely. This is why oversight and public's involvement in the political process are so important.
S.
Advertisement
© 1998-2008 Copyright Sulekha.com Connecting Indians Worldwide, All Rights Reserved.
Hinduism and the Contest of Religions
It might be helpful to focus the discussion on the question of dialogue. Let's assume that each religious tradition has something valuable and people wish to identify with one or the other tradition because of preference for one religious aesthetic or the other. The article's objective is not to negate anyone's religoius experience; rather, it is to point to systemic problems related to Hindu institutions under the control of the government in India.
Block this user | Report AbuseReply