One of them is the dilution of our spiritual beliefs. If that was strong, we would give 100% to what we do at any given moment and not be racing to the next piece of action as is common in today’s world. Another reason, is the dilution of pride in our own culture and traditions. The British eradicated Yoga from schools and introduced PT- 60 yrs on we not only believe in PT, we have graduated to Aerobics, Zumba and what not …

Hope we all can revitalize our nation once again …

Thanks for this opportunity to share my thoughts.

“Pg 130 – The author claims that there are no Gods in the Vedas who are Shudras. “, I do not see any problem with that statement whatsoever. Are you folks so afraid to accept that casteism still exists, and that, it was always a part of the Indian society. It is also mentioned in the purusha-sukta of Rigveda where shudras are said to have emanated from the feet of the lord (पद्भ्याम् शूद्र् अजायत padbhyām śūdro ajāyata) //wikipedia. So, this nasty discrimination originates in our religion. I went to a school called Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, West Bengal. It is a residential school run by Sadhus (Hindu Monks). http://www.rkmvndp.org/ So, yes I know my share of Hinduism, maybe not as much but good enough to know truth from fiction. And ugly casteism exists even on Indian Matrimony sites, I would say almost 95% (specify castes that they want to marry into). So, how can you deny this ugly truth. True that things may have changed in a last little while, but overall situation looks grim for India. I remember few years back in South India, a Brahmin teacher hit a young student with a cane and accidentally blinded her in one eye. I never remember reading much about it after that one time.

Also when the author says Pg 468-469 -��The mosque, whose serene calligraphic and geometric contrasts with the perpetual motion of the figures depicted on the temple, makes a stand against the chaos of India, creating enfoOur Opinioned vacuums that India cannot rush into with all its monkeys and peoples and colors and the smells of the bazaar�� Most of the people here do not even realize that India is a nation within a nation. One nation which is rich and prosperous, and the nation of the lower strata, the lower castes, the tribes.Rabindranth Tagore wrote in his poem, (I will try to make a translation ) “The person you are leaving behind will drag you behind”. So, as all these money is pouring into India has not changed the fortune of the people who are at the bottom and nobody even talks about them. As if, not speaking about those problems would make them go away. So, people like you who have posted most of the comments here are disgusted every time when that naked truth dances in front of your eyes.

Last but not the least, let me make very clear that I am proud of my culture. We have given the world so much, in terms of science, literature, arts, music. But I only take the positive and criticize the part that is bad. So, I would urge people not to be blinded by emotion and faith and look for what things really are. In Black and White. And in the end I will quote Voltaire, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” Freedom of Speech and Expression!!

Cheers,
Suds
Richmond Hill, ON, Canada

Thanks for posting your thoughts on how to launch the best selling books. You are confirming Dr Tilak’s theory on “Wendy Doniger does a doggie”
http://bit.ly/cJUb5I

Given Wendy’s penchant to denigrate Hindu icons and culture, by your logic she should be beating J K Rawlings in sales. Nevertheless, one can say mediocrity can be pushed only so far despite her ignorant gunga-din warriors.

You can continue to stand besides her it’s your prerogative. Same way the other Hindus have the right to protest against her (in every peaceful manner) – without being called names. Maybe a concept foreign to you. Anyone with an iota of decency would have apologized for comparing peaceful protests by citizens to the most oppressive regime in modern times.

And given the “outrage” on your bogus tears for Wendy has brought forth, you and your company sales should be sky-rocketing too. Woo-hoo!! Please, don’t spend it all in one place.

Microsoft? As a bastion of western culture. Oh dear.

I still standby her right to write, publish and sell her book and we can protest it all we like but in this free world we supposedly live in, everyone has the right, including your charming self, to express their opinions and have then heard if there is a market or a platform.

The irony is that your protests have actually increased sales of the book. One could argue that you have done more for her popularity than anyone else could ever have done.

Well done!!!

I also suggest you launch your own blog and write your own authorized History of Hinduism. Then get your friends to protest against it and next thing you too might have a best seller!

Your fatwa against Wendy Doniger has resulted in her book becoming a best seller in the US and India. Well done!!! Your actions have helped make sucessful the exact thing you were fighting against. Classic fundamentalism.

I have published all your comments so let us not discuss free speech any further.

Best wishes,
Raja

Washington Post has nice article on this subject. Doubt the Talibani moderator censoring this website will post this online.

Short url: http://bit.ly/awHDnI

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/aseem_shukla/2010/03/whose_history_is_it_anyways.html

So Microsoft withdrew her article in 2003 eh? Bloody Talibani Microsoft no?

Next time you pick a cause, do some research before it boomerangs back. But then your research efforts are only on par with that of Wendys.

I trust an apology by you for calling peaceful Hindus as Taliban might be expecting too much? No?

Raja Choudhury claims that he does not belong to RISA. Yet, it appears that a RISA member has passed on the Raja Choudhury drafted petiton.

Raja Choudhury owes a clarification in the name of free speech.

See a posting on RISA list.

From: Deepak Sarma
To: +++RISA ACADEMIC DISCUSSION LIST+++
Sent: Tue, March 9, 2010 9:57:29 AM
Subject: [RISA-L LIST] counter-petition in support of Doniger

Greetings All:
Some RISA-L members have brought to my attention a counter-petition that is circulating in support of Doniger. They have asked me to post the note accompanying the counter-petition as well as the link (http://petol.org/THAAH123) (embedded in the note). It appears that the author of the counter-petition is Raja Choudhury, whom I know nothing about. I am posting this on behalf of this member, who wished to remain anonymous.

yours,

Deepak
RISA-L admin

If you have the patience to learn to spell long words like “Upanishads” etc., dear Mr. Choudhury, let me assure you that you also have the potential to think and understand why even laid-back non-political people like me who swear by Academic Freedom and the principle of treating people of all colors, beliefs etc equally respectfully, are aghast at the disgusting antics of the “Divinity” Schools. There is NO Academic Freedom to publish child pornography, and no respectable educational institution approves or allows the peddling of pornography or religious hate literature in the guise of “Scholarship”. I have, over the years, seen several RISA-L members, usually wet behind the years barely out with a PhD themselves, describe themselves as “SCHOLARS” on the ancient religions and cultures of the Indian subcontinent. I just used to laugh at those (until the RISA-L got its undies in a knot and decided to take their hilarious “deliberations” off the open internet) but it was not until someone persuaded me to spend a few minutes reading Courtright’s and Doniger’s “scholarship” (and nearly caused me to vomit) that I saw the sheer virulent bigotry and hate pornography that they have been putting out.

In 2003, the arrogance of Emory Department Religion Department Chair Laurie Patton (a signatory on your Counter-Petition) and Dean Robert Paul of Emory University, in responding to the polite and respectful letters from respected Atlanta community members, finally forced me to join in helping to explain a few things to Emory’s distinguished Scholars – like which way an elephant pees – and the statement of the Law on Child Pornography. I had to explain that essentially calling my concept of the Almighty a “MoFo” as Courtright did, only showed how dangerous it is to send children to Methodist-run Emory University.

Now there is a citizen protest against the wares that Doniger peddles, and I thoroughly endorse it. I am shocked to see a supposedly intelligent human like yourself, who even claims to know the Upanishads, come out SUPPORTING such pornography, and describing those of us who have taken the trouble to learn the issues, as “Taliban”. That’s ME you’re calling “Taliban”, Mr. Choudhury. For your information, yes, I did indeed study for the first 6 years of my education in Catholic and then Islamic schools, but they weren’t such stupid bigots as your heroes of the American Divinity Schools. In fact they were the ones who taught me how to respect all religions – a lesson that is completely lost on Dr. Doniger, her alumni and her other followers.

I must say in response with all due respect, that you are generous with your gratuitous insults, but way too stringent with the use of your own brain.

It is time you thought about the saying:

“Ignorance can be cured. Stupidity is permanent”.

You need to apologize before it is too late. It may be too late already for most people’s opinion of you, but there may be some of us left, who perhaps did not have very high expectations.

Best regards

Narayanan Komerath

PhD (Thankfully not in Pornographic Divinity)

Did it ever occur to you that the people who have criticized Wendy have as much right as her to post their views without being called names like ‘Taliban’?
Hope the counter petition (no locked!!) didn’t stem out of your arrogance or ignorance.

-Arun

As for Mrs. Doniger. I know quite a bit of inside information about her. She is as dumb as they come and is a professor only because of affirmative action. A few years ago, Microsoft Encarta investigated complaints of racism by Doniger and found her article to be unscholarly and racist and also full of factual errors and replaced the article.

I think you lost it when you compared people expressing their opinion on the net as something similar to what the Taliban did. Sorry, that does not cut it. Besides, you clearly do not understand what freedom of expression means.

Boycotts and private citizens applying pressure on commercial houses are legitimate means of expressing dissent. It would be denying one’s freedom of expression when the government uses force to prevent one from expressing oneself freely. If private citizens use coercive methods, it would be unacceptable.

I think you must be new to the United States and you do not understand what we stand for. We believe in freedom of expression and it includes internet petitions and pressure on commercial houses in non-violent ways.

You just waded into the deep end when you compared such methods to that of the Taliban. I shudder to think what would happen if people like you come into power. You would ban the internet because those of us who use it are like the Taliban!