RMF Summary: Week of October 31 - November 6, 2011

October 31

Times of India article on BEING DIFFERENT http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/vintage-wisdo\ m/Order-chaos-and-creation/articleshow/10552328.cms ...

November 1 Re: Indians' greater comfort with complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity Venkat posts: Ref: Indians' greater comfort with complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity, improvisation, blurred boundaries, inter-connectedness This is the reason why there are more Indians in MNC leadership position and also in Obama administration compared to the Chinese and Japanese (who have been in the US for a longer period of time). India May Be the Ideal CEO Training Ground - TIME http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2084441,00.html "The Indians are the friendly and familiar faces of Asia," says Ader. "They think in English, they're used to multinationals in their country, they're very adaptive, and they're supremely confident." The subcontinent has been global for centuries, having endured, and absorbed, waves of foreign colonizers, from the Mughals to the British. Practiced traders and migrants, Indians have impressive transnational networks. "The earth is full of Indians," wrote Salman Rushdie. "We get everywhere." Unlike, say, a Swede or a German, an Indian executive is raised in a multiethnic, multifaith, multilingual society, one nearly as diverse as the modern global marketplace..." November 2 Journal if ICPR Review of Invading the Sacred This review of my earlier book, *Invading the Sacred*, has appeard in India's most prestitious and academically influential journal of philosophy. Please read... November 3 Relevent to chpt 5 of BEING DIFFERENT: The trouble with Sanskrit tra Two interesting comments below . The article has to do with current controversy over AK Ramanujam's essay on Ramayana. http://www.sandeepweb.com/2008/03/15/ramanujans-ramayana/ The trouble with Sanskrit being translated by westerners is that it lacks experience of the Indianness or Santanness. In the 19th and 20th century, pandits were hired and texts were translated. The colonisers knew their language and the Santanpandits knew Sanskrit. Now , the pandits clearly did not know language of colonisers. Then what would you get for translation in English. All skewed work. I have been in Hare Krishna movement for 35 yrs, from a western background. I feel you have to live in India and all funding should be done in India to delineate the texts. It is only in India where you still have persons who speak, write and chant Sanskrit very correctly. Sanskrit is the only language which has a ” sadas” which approximately means “Debate with an audience”. In no language you have a ‘sadas”. Here the ugly competition of academics is totally missing. Hence there is no bias. I have attended such debates in India. They are marvellous and absolutely no hatred is there, which comes out prominently in an academic atmosphere. It would be good if pandits are funded to do research in India rather than give it to westerners, who just hold the pulpits of academics for funding , which is to sensationalise and survive with enlarged egos. The beauty of Vedic texts is that no sage was bothered for credit, whereas acdemics are always bothered about credit..." ....Ramanujan, poor fellow, in the article complained of here, was merely discharging his duty to Pollock whose witless remarks on the Ramayana have to be seen to be believed. (vide http://socioproctology.blogspot.com/2011/04/sheldon-pollocks-fatalistic-view-of.\ html) Pollock, of course, is a Padma Shri and gets money from Infosys and so on. The odd thing about both Witzel and Pollock (Wendy O’Doniger is just bat-shit crazy) is that their reliance on a historicist hermeneutics privileges one particular sacerdotal caste. Pollock in his ‘language of Gods and men’ makes statements utterly devoid of logic. He presents evidence against himself and, without even noticing the contradiction, goes on to make ridiculous claims. No Hindu, of whatever caste- including Sanskrit speaking Kannadiga Mathurs- make such claims....   BNA responds: "Some of the worst and crude translation of a bunch of Cigar smoking alcoholic Western scholars lead to equating their own behavior to justify them with Vedic living. examples: "Madhu" was translated as alcohol in stead of Honey. Fruit juices also became "Wine" for them; The brown liquid the priest were drinking, that worked like a stimulant. They forget to read that this comes with adding hot water to a leaf that was green and yellow dried to dark brown to get that brown liquid stimulant is "Tea" abundant in Himalayas and not Wine - that they drank before and after havans. Coffee is not native to India, but tea is."   November 3 Prof. John Hobson's review of BEING DIFFERENT Reviewer: John M. Hobson, author of The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Professor of Politics and International... November 6 Article validating the Breaking India thesis http://www.samachar.com/Pakistan-and-Chinas-proxy-war-against-India-llfb\ Klgdhab.html?utm_source=top25_most_read&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=sama\ November 6 TOI comments- Breaking india and Tamil Nadu nuclear plant In the below article ... the comment which has garnered most "agree" mentions Rajiv's Breaking India. The sixt comment by a different reader also... November 6 Re: BEING DIFFERENT to become textbook in University of Delhi-- fant Fantastic! This is the most important develiopment. I hope others will soon follow. N.S. Rajaram...

RMF Summary: Week of October 10 - 16, 2011

October 2011
Rashtrapati Bhavan to have event on BEING DIFFERENT
Over the past few weeks, 12 separate events have been scheduled in 6 Indian cities for discussion of my book during November.

One of these events will be in Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House). This will be a private event not open to the public. There will be one other private event - in Mumbai an all-day seminar to explain the book in detail to a large group who have made a bulk purchase directly from the publisher...


October 13

US Supreme Court says World Vision can hire only Christians US charity group can hire only Christians: court http://news.yahoo.com/us-charity-group-hire-only-christians-court-230153752.html AFP – Mon, Oct 3, 2011 -...

October 13

Angana Chatterji suspected - and her fight back Angana Chatterji suspended. I don't remember this being a media story when this "great activist" in professorial garb was suspended. Now it is spun as a...

October 14

Koodamkulam Nuclear Plant and the Church Here are certain news related to strike against Koodamkulam Nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu. See these links on how Church wants people to believe that it is in...

October 14

BEING DIFFERENT - available on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Being-Different-Challenge-Universalism-ebook/dp/B0\ 05UQ3YT8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318500676&sr=1-1-catcorr If you don't own...

October 15

BEING DIFFERENT - featured as part of Delhi International Arts fest DIAF as described below has become a major cultural celebration in Delhi year. It includes arts and cultures across a vast canvass. I am glad that they have...

RMF Summary: Week of September 26 - October 2, 2011

September 26

Communal violence and Target Bill. Sri. Ram Jethmalani on the divisive Communal violence and Target Bill. http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/op-ed/a-divisive-communal-bill/317543.html Hari Om K P...

September 26

Whats cooking in Tamil Nadu Aravindan Neelakandan posts: A lot of things are happening in Tamil Nadu. Its like being in the eye of a storm and seeing every one take it as a breeze even as they are getting destroyed by it. 1. Church could organize coastal people; launch an agitation and stop a nuclear power project in South Tamil Nadu. It is not the pros and cons of Nuclear power that I am talking about but the clout of the Church in organizing people's protest and making government bow down in such a vital matter. 2. Police firing on an agitating Dalit crowd which killed six Dalits. My Dalit friend said that the police behaved in a high-handed manner and that the entire event was video-graphed by Madurai Theological Seminary (mentioned in 'Breaking India') The Dalits were agitating for the release of their arrested leader. His name? John Pandiyan. Like the proverbial frog in the cauldron enjoying the warming water we are discussing abstract things regarding Varna and Jati and Kula. But the ground reality is a veritable exploding volcano. We have little time left - if left at all. May we not end up as museum pieces or worse refugees in World Vision camps."

A. Neelakandan responds to a followup:
"//without discussing abstract things like true perspective of Varna, Jati and Kula, it is not possible to eradicate caste distinctions. Practical follows theory//

I fully agree with your statement. In fact Arya Samaj has been at the forefront of fighting for harmonizing / eliminating these divisive faultlines. In fact they were the first to use the word 'Dalit' with the sense of emancipating and empowering the suppressed sections of the society in an environment highly
negative. Researching the histories of most of the neglected Dalit leaders in Tamil Nadu I was surprised to find that at least two of them were directly influenced by Arya Samaj. Lessons need to be learned how this vibrant movement was dissipated after independence.

Atrocities on Dalits are a fact. And the surprising truth is many of those who really fight for Dalit empowerment are deeply Hindu minded. But invariably those who come out in media light as Dalit saviors are missionary projected-manipulated leaders. But no worthwhile effort has been made by Hindu organizations to talk with these ground level Hindu Dalit leaders - share their experiences and challenges; understand their perspectives and evolve a bottoms-up Indic vision social justice rooted in Vedanta. A Vedantic vision for
the liberation of Dalits as well as a Vedantic mission for the validation of broken native cultures all over the globe (broken by Abrahamic theological imperialism) is the need of the hour. The crucial importance of 'Being Different' comes here as a major theoretical tool for this task"

ShreeVinekar adds:
".. I was stunned to hear a program by an Oklahoma based musicologist on NPR. The program is ostensibly about music but definitely by open admission a "liberation" movement for the Dalits in Tamil Nadu who are depicted as not being allowed to play their music (drums) for the religious ceremonies of the "upper caste" and thus depriving them of income. The program "This is Music" is touting a documentary film about the atrocities the Dalits in India are facing in Tamil Nadu. The spokesperson boldly announces that the word or the epithet "dalit" was invented and first used by no one other than "Babasaheb Ambedkar." This program is heard by millions of Americans who are urged to  donate for this cause of political activism on behalf of the Dalits in Tamilnadu. No Indian who is social justice promoter has started asking for donations to liberate the Native Americans from their reservations or liberate the African Americans from their ghettos in America..."


September 26

Dharma as Protective Umbrella validating theo-diversity Aravindan Neelakandan posts: " Seeing dharma as an umbrella against theo-imperialism tribes in Borneo actually teach us a valuable lesson: the real significant role Dharma can play in protecting theo-diversity September 26 Dalit = Black trade fair in Mumbai... Karigar posts:  " See last line of below news item. The tacit equation of Dalit =  Black being reinforced... Ratan Tata to attend first dalit trade fair NEW DELHI: In a first, the three-day trade fair to be organized by dalit entrepreneurs and businessmen in December will be attended by Ratan Tata. "We had sent an invitation to Ratan Tata and he has confirmed that he will attend our conclave and exhibition," said Milind Kamble, chairman of Dalit India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event, beginning December 16, will be held at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. DICCI, whose mission statement calls for "fighting caste with capital", will showcase about half-a-dozen dalits who started as small entrepreneurs but now are running companies with multinational operations. ... The event will host more than 200 dalit companies involved in hardcore manufacturing, construction, trading, health, hospitality and the knowledge industry. "Our friends in the US are also trying to get Robert Johnson, the first black billionaire, to visit the fair as the guest of honour," Kamble said. " September 27 Church promises 10,000 rs. to Catholic couples in Kerala on birth of Check: St Vincent De Paul Forane Church in Kalpetta has promised 10000/- to Catholic couples on the birth of their fifth child. This novel initiative by the... September 28 Houston Seminar on "Breaking India" - Video Uploaded http://www.breakingindia.com/houston-video-1/ The Houston program a couple of weeks ago was a great success....