Thursday, November 4, 2010

Some comments to Ashis Nandy's poor article supporting Arundthati

The Great Indian Love Affair With Censorship


Mr Ashis Nandi was invited here to deliver the prestigious Nelson Mandela lecture some weeks ago. I received an invitation and sat in the hall listening to what he presented. The auditorium was fully booked out and jam-packed with many luminaries of the town.

He lectured to the audience that the greatest geonocide in the history of mankind, as I understood his lecture, happened at the time of Indian indepenence during the partition of British India into the present Indian Republic and erstwhile Pakistan when the Hindus went on a killing spree of Muslims. He justified that division of original India by his inuendo that the Hindus hated their Muslim neighbours that led to the partition. That was all his lecture about as I recollect. There was no word on Jinnah's direct action day in Calcutta that triggered bloodbath of Hindu Bengalis in the hands of Muslims.

In normal course of events, there is always a question and answer session at the end of a presentation. But that did not happen in this instance. Mr Nandi simply walked out of the hall with his entourage who organised the event.

Had there been a Q&A time-slot, and were I given the opportunity to raise my voice, I would have asked him there and then, what did he think about the West Pakistani killing of East Pakistanis in 1968-70 - whether or not that was a geonocide of Muslims by Muslims. And, furthermore, what his view is on the plights of Kashmiri Pandits who are refugees in their land of birth being driven out by the Muslims of Kashmir ?

Oh Mr Ashish Nandi, if you are reading my post, could you please spell out your position on these issues here in this forum? I look forward to your views.

Pinaki S Ray

Adelaide, Australia

Mr Ashish Nandy,
A very thought provoking article indeed, in a way that it leaves people like me flabbergasted as to how pseudointellectuals like you present contorted logic to justify seditious statements of people like arundathi roy.
Agreed that gross atrocities have been comitted by Indian security forces and India needs to deliver a healing touch to our Kashmiri bretheren,but that can happen only within the realms of the indian union.Kindly spare a thought for the kashmiris for you ll be pushing them into becoming another theocratic Islamic state or merge into a Failed state like Pakistan with hotheads like Geelani at the forefront.Besides since when did the Indian middle class,which you have so vehemently derided in your article"wanted to give a meaning to their hollow life through a violent,nineteenth centuryversion of european style nationalism"?.
You will do well to reflect upon the Multitude of diversity with the undercurrent of commonality which defines the "concept of India", not some besotted version of uniculturalism that europe of yore and today stand to represent.
Its quite sensational how India is safer with Bomb wielding Terrorists for they may kill a few of my fellow Indians rather than Pen wielding terrorists like Roy and her ilk who threaten to kill the very Idea of India. Shame!

Dr Shyam sarvodey

Mysore, India

The apologists of islamofascism in this forum are behaving as if the islamist agenda was in the past and has no relevance today. These apologist either do not know the extent of islamofascism in muslim countries or pretend to ignore it.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq are all strong examples of countries that are fascists where minorities have not been given equal rights. Catamaran who is talking about Ram, Kalinga etc etc does not comment on the terror that has gripped this world through islamofascism.

The discussion is completely wrong. The danger of islamofascism was not in history that can be studied but something that is present and growing. Islamofascism has to be stopped now and immediately. Islamists have killed, raped and miamed hindus in pakistan and bangladesh and continue to do so in kashmir.

So whatever these liberal nuts are discussing has no value. There is no Kalinga war going on in India. There is no internecine hindu fights in India. There is no desecration of hindu temples by another hindu, but the desecration of temples by muslims continue, the killing of hindus by muslims continue, the persecution of hindus continue and the basic rights of hindus have been taken away by muslims in muslim majority region.

So these nutty liberals have nothing to stand on. They are just pontificating

Abhishek Drolia

Raipur, India

I think arundhati should leave delhi and start living among kashmiris or tribals in naxal dominated bastar or narmada oustees to bring crediblity to her words. She should immediately avoid upper caste india because middle class india is giving left liberals and jehadis the taste of real india.

Identity lost

vanuatu, Vanuatu

>> The democratic process has created a new middle class, a large section of which is not adequately socialised to democratic norms in sectors not vital to the survival of democratic politics but vital to creativity and innovativeness in an open society. The thoughtless, non-self-critical ultra-nationalism, intolerant of anyone opposed to the mainstream public opinion, is shared neither by the poor nor the more settled middle class. Ordinary Indians, accustomed as they are to living with mind-boggling diversity, social and cultural, have no problem with political diversity. Neither does the settled middle class.

It is not about the publicity-stunt Roy or Kashmir. This article is about the arrogance of people such as Mr. Nandy. This man who is criticizing people for criticizing/disagreeing ARoy or calling her name comes up obnoxious and despicable logic that shows the arrogance "I-am-better-than-every one" syndrome that is prevalent in these left-wing loonies.

The man thinks that people don't deserve it to make money or don't deserve to move higher up in the chain or don't deserve to speak up. They are some sort of uncivilized humans or cave men and have no right to speak their minds because they differ with these people who support terrorist of any sort whether it is Islamic or Maoist or anti-national or foreign Paki funded or Chinese funded or any foreign funded. He questions their intelligence, social status, labels them as some lower class because they grew into middle unlike this scoundrel or the loose canon ARoy who are born into it. In essence, the man questions the legitimacy of people working hard, making money and better their lives and hope for some order in the nation. Classic Marxist, Stalinist butcher philosophy from scums. What is the difference between this man and 17th century feudal crook? Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

He calls them unsettled middle class because they are not born into privilege but they love their country and have a right to express as any else. But NO, according this so called settled middle class man who is born into and has some extra-ordinary intelligence and socializing skills. The fact that these coming up Indians don't want naxalites blowing up trains or murder policemen or want Paki-funded/sponsored/trained Islamic terrorists from Pukestan come and kill innocent Indians in the streets/railway stations/hotels supported by these loonies is considered as a big crime by this man. We have all seen Ms.Roy going on like a raging nut on TV/radio/magazine supporting Puke terrorists on 11/26 or IM terrorists in Batla House. The Indians (whatever this man may think their class is) have a right to condemn that kind of heinous lady using freedom provided by the democracy to support every terrorist force (domestic or foreign) to undermine and destroy the same freedom and create a anarchy/terrorist state where mayhem and violence rule the roost.

The most dangerous thing is how these so-called fake artists like this have become mainstream writers calling people names because they don't agree with this guy or Roy and we have all the jokers on this forum beating their drum.

VIvek

Hyderabad, India

Specifically on the issue of nature of warfare, historians (like David Stannard and Ward Churchill, to name just two) are certain that war among the native North American Indians was altogether different than the incoming Europeans. One contemporary settler even contemptuously remarked about Indian internecine 'wars', that it is considered a big tragedy if 7 men die in 7 years! Such miniscule loss of life probably did not in most cases characterise our ancient Indian battles. But the nature of that warfare was still quite different than the invading Moslems and Europeans. Permanent conquest, permanent settlement, conversion, imposition of religion and language, and sheer, utter ruthlessness and cruelty in wars was rarely, if ever, a feature of Indic warfare. The Greeks, Chinese and Arabs all noted this in their observations of ancient India. Of serious modern historians, A.L Basham( "The wonder that was India") among many others, has come to this conclusion as well, about ancient India.

Varun Shekhar

Toronto, CANADA

A. Nandy,
Sorry and all, but please stop band wagoning. This leftist sob group is getting a little tiresome now.
You have been charged by the police? Aaaah! The injustice!!!

Abhishek Agrawal

Mumbai, India

But what is exactly is this 'truth' as far as Kashmir goes? That India is an alien interloper, that has nothing to do with Kashmir, either now or through history; that all the Kashmiris- Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, atheists and agnostics, are passionately against India and for Azadi?; that the movement is progressive, secular, democratic, inclusive and non-violent?; that Kashmir under India is exactly like India under Britain, or Algeria under France, or Angola under Portugal? A super-exploited, impoverished colony governed by a racist ideology akin to the white Euro-supremacy inherent in colonialism? Or perhaps a systematically colonised settler state a la the Han Chinese ruled Tibet, whites in South Africa, illegal settlers on the West Bank/Gaza strip, or the early British settlers in Australia?

If this is indeed the 'truth', count me in as a supporter of Kashmiri aspirations.
==

Thats sounds familiar - Arnab Goswami?

Varun Garde

Bengaluru, India

Arundhati joining hands with Jihadi elements like Geelani is pointer for the coming together of Evangelists and Jihadis to balkanise and finish India as a country.Arundhati,the Catholic will never write on the sufferings of Hindus in Christian majority states of north-east,nor will she write on the dirty means adopted by the missionaries to convert poor and gullible Hindus.

S.S.Nagaraj

Bangalore, India

>>This new middle class wants to give meaning to their hollow life through a violent, nineteenth-century version of European-style ‘nationalism’.

Sure boss!! Ashis Nandy is the Tolstoy of literature, the Einstein of science, the Voltaire of liberals, Neruda of poets, Picasso of painters!! He leads a divine meaningful life hiding in some caves when Salman Rudshdie, Naipaul are vilified, when Taslima Nasreen is hounded out of this cointry, when barbaric slaves of Arabian camel chops of somebody's hands....

Nandy with his infinite wisdom knows very well the fact, that writing a single line about the real victims of Kashmir, the Kashmiri Hindu pandits who are driven out of the valley, whose women were raped by the barbaric supporters of Geelani, would cost him dearly. He is well aware of the fact a college lecturer from Kerala had to lose his hands for something slightly and remotely disrespectful to the Al Qaida faith. So, Wisdom Nandy cleverly remain silent when Taslima Nasreen is hounded out of India, when she is attacked in Hyderabad while making a simple speech. So, Ashis Nandy is full of Wisdom, he leads a meaningful life. And the hollow middle class doesn't dance to the tunes of Wisdom Nandy, the hollow middle class do care about what happens to Nasreen, Rushdie and they refuse to forget the mass murders of Kashmiri Pandits and the rape of thousands of their women.

Stupid middle class, bow down to Wisdom Nandy, the prophet of our time and touch his feet.

jaleel

luknow, India

13

I am from the same much hated "middle class". Not sure though if I am in "virtue of having money" or "value" category. My great grandfather was considered rich man in that area, but grandfather became poor fighting court case against British. My father and mother somehow pulled us back to the middle class.
I wonder, isn't middle class an economical term? I suppose if anyone is in middle class, he/she must be by "virtue of having money". "Value", etc follows.

I don't care a bit of what Ms Roy says, or if she is in jail or outside. She is provocative and she provokes many people.
I am all in favor of everyone's right to say anything.
But I do care what Mr Nandy says. I am appalled.

How bad is this writing:
"We know ....should be alert to these issues in the intelligentsia, media, artistic community had done their job", read "we (Mr Nandy, etc) failed"
"Here I think the changing nature of the Indian middle class has not been a help", read "you (Santosh, etc) were not helpful".
Still, "We, the intelligentsia" (Mr Nandy, etc) are good and shouldn't be questioned. But "You, the middle class" (Santosh, etc), are the bad boys.

It says, "We are proud of our democracy".
I wonder if Mr Nandy is merciful enough to grand this savage middle class like me to be included in that exclusive club of his "we"?

It refers to psychotherapist Shobhna Sonpar’s work. Rather than questioning platform like Outlook for not promoting that genuine discussion on this, but backing the hocks; it vents all anger on defenseless middle-class and it defends the out-shouters.

This argument is gaining ground in our intelligentsia that if you do not like someone’s book; write another book to answer that. It is like saying; sing like Lata to prove your point against her. Where can I get that skill? I just have a vote, and I will vote to counter that. But ah, then I am a bad-bad middle-class.
What they say democracy survives on middle-class. India is still a democracy anyways. The bad-guy middle class is not that bad after-all.
It is so nationalistic view to see this problem of freedom, etc. in such a way. This global phenomenon should not be analyzed in such a narrow way.

Santosh Gairola

Hsinchu, Taiwan

"Sensationalism is the first resort for pseudo-intellectuals" I wish there was some one speaking about hurting sentiments of millions of Indians. If someone was to state a disturbing historic fact about Islamic invasion of India, for example the simple fact that thousands of Hindu women burned themselves before being violated by Muslim conquerers, he would be universally condemned for hurting minority feelings but when the people being hurt are just "Indians" there is no condemnation coming from any quarters. It is a shame that government is ratifying such anti-national statements made from a government sponsored platform.

A failed actress who wrote a piece of "shock value" literature to become famous does not have the credential to be even on any platform discussing something so close to the heart of millions. She is an opportunist who saw an opportunity to get back into limelight and her attitude towards general Indian sentiments closely resembles the attitude of Rhytt Butler at the end of "Gone with the wind".

Anupam K. Sinha

Faridabad, India

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