[Y-Indology] To the MIA moderator

[Guest guest]

Before departing permanently from this sad list, which appears to be in the

midst of its death-throes, I would like to make two final points.

 

1. This post castigating Dominik Wujastyk is utterly unfair to him. As the

poster notes, it would have been an easy matter for Dominik to turn this into

a moderated list. I was one of those who pleaded with him to do so. But he

resisted this 'easy' solution, as far as I can tell, for two reasons. First,

it would have created a tremendous burden of extra time and energy for him to

oversee a moderated list [Dominik, like many list members, is a scholar

first, after all, with many other duties]. Second, he held, to the bitter

end, to an idealistic view that the list should remain open to the full

participation of non-scholars. I personally think that this was a fatal

mistake, but I respect the idealism behind his decision and in spite of my

scepticism I would have been delighted if the list could have survived as an

open forum. In short, Dominik labored long and hard on maintaining this

list, and we all owe him a great deal of thanks for persisting in maintaining

it for so long and so well.

 

2. As I leave this list, I would like to assure newcomers and outsiders, who

may well be puzzled by the recent grotesque turn of events, that the war that

you have been witnessing is in fact NOT between Hindus and Westerners. Not

at all. No, it has been a war between a small band of, yes, fanatics, and a

loosely [that is, barely] organized group of people who are dedicated to the

study of classical India, but who otherwise do not necessarily have

political, moral, or social views in common. For example, Vidyasankar

Sundaresan has been a well-respected member of this list for a very long

time. Surely, it cannot be said that he and I are members of a closed

scholarly elite that is devoted to suppressing the expression of Hindu

sentiments on this list. No, this band of fanatics has been on an unceasing

attack against this list, and for one reason alone: the scholars on this list

have refused to confirm their ultra-nationalist fantasies about the cradle of

civilization.

 

Speaking for myself alone, this refusal to confirm the ultra-nationalist myth

that India is the cradle of all civilization is not at all a matter of any

personal hatred of India. This is an outrageous claim that, I hope you will

understand, I have reacted against with great vehemence, and I will always

react so to such distortions, and indeed such deliberate lies.

 

My own personal devotion to Vedic Studies is, I swear, a kind of satyagraha

that I take very seriously, so much so that I have been willing to

publicallly, and perhaps recklessly, confront these attacks, instead of

working with my books in solitude and in silence [which actually is what I

love most to do]. I leave this list not because I am afraid to confront

these small-minded fanatics. Once again, no. Long-time list members know

that this is not true of me. I leave because I seek the community of serious

scholarship, and because I have no desire to participate in the sort of

fruitless, malicioous diatribes that we have been witnessing on this list of

late.

 

To those list members with sincere interest in Indology: I hope that you all

will pursue it with the best of intentions, as I also will try to do. And I

hope that you will resist the fanaticism that you have witnessed here, the

fanaticism which has destroyed this list.

 

Best wishes

 

 

In a message dated 6/14/01 7:38:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

kalegama writes:

 

> When you started the original Indology list you had great intentions,

> but after it became unmanageable because of the mushrooming growth of

> non-scholarly members you refused to manage it properly except to

> summarily expel people. But when even that became useless because of

> the ability of people to re- by themselves again, in a fit

> of rage you created (dumped) this group knowing fully well that it

> will degenerate to the levels it has gone to although there were many

> people begging you to make the transfer in a responsible manner.

>

> For many of us you are like a father who abandons his child in need

> of help. You have managed to kill your own creation just like the

> classic Maya civilization killed itself by not transforming according

> to changing circumstances.

>

> There were so many methods by which this list could have made to

> survive but not once did you implement the simplest of the solutions

> such as turning over the moderators job to someone who cared or

> making simple adjustments in the settings. For me it looked like that

> you had planned all along to burn this bridge that was your creation

> it for what reason I don't know. I hereby un from this

> list.

[Guest guest]

--- GthomGT wrote: > Before departing

permanently from this sad list,

> which appears to be in the

> midst of its death-throes, I would like to make two

> final points.

>

> 1. This post castigating Dominik Wujastyk is

> utterly unfair to him. As the

> poster notes, it would have been an easy matter for

> Dominik to turn this into

> a moderated list. I was one of those who pleaded

> with him to do so. But he

> resisted this 'easy' solution, as far as I can tell,

> for two reasons. First,

> it would have created a tremendous burden of extra

> time and energy for him to

> oversee a moderated list [Dominik, like many list

> members, is a scholar

> first, after all, with many other duties]. Second,

> he held, to the bitter

> end, to an idealistic view that the list should

> remain open to the full

> participation of non-scholars. I personally think

> that this was a fatal

> mistake, but I respect the idealism behind his

> decision and in spite of my

> scepticism I would have been delighted if the list

> could have survived as an

> open forum. In short, Dominik labored long and hard

> on maintaining this

> list, and we all owe him a great deal of thanks for

> persisting in maintaining

> it for so long and so well.

>

> 2. As I leave this list, I would like to assure

> newcomers and outsiders, who

> may well be puzzled by the recent grotesque turn of

> events, that the war that

> you have been witnessing is in fact NOT between

> Hindus and Westerners. Not

> at all. No, it has been a war between a small band

> of, yes, fanatics, and a

> loosely [that is, barely] organized group of people

> who are dedicated to the

> study of classical India, but who otherwise do not

> necessarily have

> political, moral, or social views in common. For

> example, Vidyasankar

> Sundaresan has been a well-respected member of this

> list for a very long

> time. Surely, it cannot be said that he and I are

> members of a closed

> scholarly elite that is devoted to suppressing the

> expression of Hindu

> sentiments on this list. No, this band of fanatics

> has been on an unceasing

> attack against this list, and for one reason alone:

> the scholars on this list

> have refused to confirm their ultra-nationalist

> fantasies about the cradle of

> civilization.

>

> Speaking for myself alone, this refusal to confirm

> the ultra-nationalist myth

> that India is the cradle of all civilization is not

> at all a matter of any

> personal hatred of India. This is an outrageous

> claim that, I hope you will

> understand, I have reacted against with great

> vehemence, and I will always

> react so to such distortions, and indeed such

> deliberate lies.

>

> My own personal devotion to Vedic Studies is, I

> swear, a kind of satyagraha

> that I take very seriously, so much so that I have

> been willing to

> publicallly, and perhaps recklessly, confront these

> attacks, instead of

> working with my books in solitude and in silence

> [which actually is what I

> love most to do]. I leave this list not because I

> am afraid to confront

> these small-minded fanatics. Once again, no.

> Long-time list members know

> that this is not true of me. I leave because I seek

> the community of serious

> scholarship, and because I have no desire to

> participate in the sort of

> fruitless, malicioous diatribes that we have been

> witnessing on this list of

> late.

>

> To those list members with sincere interest in

> Indology: I hope that you all

> will pursue it with the best of intentions, as I

> also will try to do. And I

> hope that you will resist the fanaticism that you

> have witnessed here, the

> fanaticism which has destroyed this list.

>

> Best wishes

>

>

> In a message dated 6/14/01 7:38:12 PM Eastern

> Daylight Time,

> kalegama writes:

>

> > When you started the original Indology list you

> had great intentions,

> > but after it became unmanageable because of the

> mushrooming growth of

> > non-scholarly members you refused to manage it

> properly except to

> > summarily expel people. But when even that became

> useless because of

> > the ability of people to re- by

> themselves again, in a fit

> > of rage you created (dumped) this group knowing

> fully well that it

> > will degenerate to the levels it has gone to

> although there were many

> > people begging you to make the transfer in a

> responsible manner.

> >

> > For many of us you are like a father who abandons

> his child in need

> > of help. You have managed to kill your own

> creation just like the

> > classic Maya civilization killed itself by not

> transforming according

> > to changing circumstances.

> >

> > There were so many methods by which this list

> could have made to

> > survive but not once did you implement the

> simplest of the solutions

> > such as turning over the moderators job to

> someone who cared or

> > making simple adjustments in the settings. For me

> it looked like that

> > you had planned all along to burn this bridge

> that was your creation

> > it for what reason I don't know. I hereby un

> from this

> > list.

>

>

> indology

>

>

>

> Your use of is subject to

>

>

>

 

 

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