[INDOLOGY] Against the petition against Prof. Pollock

Nityanand Misra nmisra at gmail.com
Thu Mar 3 03:40:17 UTC 2016


Dear list members

Late last night, Mr. Rohan Murty stated to the Economic Times that Prof.
Sheldon Pollock will stay on the board of MCLI for “many years to come”.[1]
With this, the short-lived controversy is over and the chapter is closed,
and it is time for everybody to move on. While I do not personally agree
with one statement of Mr. Murty ("there aren't more scholars in India
capable of carrying out such translations from ancient literature"), I
respect his decision and am nobody to question it. Mr. Murty's comments
should be read by all petitioners, they can learn a lesson or two from
them.

Concidentally, yesterday evening Justice Pratibha Rani granted a six-month
interim bail to JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar with some conditions (he will
not participate actively or passively in ... and make all efforts within
his power to control ... anti-national activities).[2] The full judgement
of Pratibha Rani should likewise be read by all those who signed the
solidarity statement on JNU, they can learn a lesson or two from it.

[1] Divya Shekhar and Indulekha Aravind (March 3 2016), Rohan Murty says
American Indologist Sheldon Pollock to stay, Economic Times, URL:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/51231553.cms

[2] Justice Praibha Rani (March 2 2016), Kanhaiya Kumar versus the State of
NCT of Delhi, Delhi High Coury, URL:
http://lobis.nic.in/ddir/dhc/PRA/judgement/02-03-2016/PRA02032016CRLW5582016.pdf
On Mar 1, 2016 2:04 PM, "Caren Dreyer" <mail at caren-dreyer.de> wrote:

> Dear all, isnt it time for an alphabetical blacklist to be regularly
> updated in order not to invite the wrong persons financed by public funds
> caren dreyer
>
> Sent from my phone.
>
> On 01 Mar 2016, at 13:31, Walter Slaje <slaje at kabelmail.de> wrote:
>
> ​ ​
> 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. ​
>
>>>>
>
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