JNU Rejects Indology/classical studies

[Guest guest]

Dear List,

 

It may be of interest to scholars and students of Indian and other

classical studies

that a few days ago the Academic Council of the Jawaharlal Nehru

University,

New Delhi rejected a proposal to establish a School of Indology and

Classical

Studies offering regular courses and degrees in such subjects as may

fall in its ambit.

The proposal, introduced as a regular item had only two speakers or so

supporting

it whereas a large number of the professors were either unsympatheic

or opposed.

 

Those who opposed said that it was an obscurantist idea and would be an

attempt

at initiating regressive tendencies. It was said that in the wake of

efforts at

introducing teaching of sanskrit for school children and courses in

Jyotish

(ancient Indian astronomy and astrology) any such move in JNU will send

a wrong signal. The subject was hardly debated with any seriousness as

there

was an atmosphere favouring its quick rejection.

 

It may be noted that JNU has recently opened a department of Greek

language

and culture but funded entirely by a grant from the government of the

Hellenic Republic and so is the teaching of Hebrew to begin shortly.

 

It is amusing (or farcically tragic ?) to see that Greek studies if paid

for by

the Greeks can be considered as illuminative by JNU dons, whereas

Indian

classical studies are regarded as taking the clock backwards. Perhaps

it

never occurred to the JNU faculty that Greek studies will be made more

meaningful and relevant and a bond between the Indian and Hellenic

civilisations can be forged ONLY if Indology/ Indian classical studies

are

also established.

 

Or are the JNU dons saving Indian public money from

Indology and would not mind if somebody pays for it from the moon?

 

Is it not indicative of the fact that there is well entrenched animosity

in the

this University and the Indian academia in general against studying

India's

own heritage in its own classical languages in a formal manner ?

 

But it is not surprising that JNU has chosen this path anew as there is

to this day

no teaching of Sanskrit at any level in its classrooms inspite of its

claims of

being a celebrated centre for history and having a School for Languages,

Literature and Culture which teaches nearly all European languages,

Persian,

Arabic and Chinese. Is this part of the Nehruvian Socialist Baggage

or a deeper disease afflicting India ?

 

Some schoraly comments are a need of the hour.

best regards,

 

 

--

Bharat Gupt

Associate Professor, Delhi University,

PO Box 8518, Ashok Vihar, Delhi 110052 INDIA.

mobile:9810077914

home phones 91+11+724 1490, fax/TEL 741-5658,

email: bharatgupt

homepage: http://personal.vsnl.com/bharatgupt